prodatanow plus - tsi plus installation and user guide...6 | prodatanow plus using prodatanow plus...

1 | ProDataNow Plus

ProDataNow Plus

Installation and User Documentation Prepared by: TSI November 2013 Rev. 1.2

ProDataNow Plus Overview ProDataNow Plus includes all ProDataNow functionality and is a powerful add-on to MapInfo Professional that provides direct access to demographic data via a web service. In addition, it adds geocoding and drive time boundary creation capabilities via Spectrum on Demand Services. Select either existing or custom drawn polygons on the map and receive detailed demographic data for the selected area. Select ungeocoded records records from a table and geocode them through the ProDataNow Plus US geocoding interface. Select a point or points on the map and create drive time polygons or buffers. ProDataNow Plus was conceived with simplicity in mind. Along with an easy install/configuration, simple interfaces control the application. While the novice MapInfo Professional users will be accessing demographics in seconds, the experienced analyst will also benefit due to speed, access to the most current data and direct integration with the MapInfo Professional functionality.

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Installation The application requires MapInfo Professional v11.5 or higher and an internet connection to access the web service. Make sure MapInfo Professional is closed before running the install. To install ProDataNow Plus (PDN+) unzip the files to any folder and run the setup.exe file. Win 7 users should right-click on setup.exe and choose Run as Administrator. Click Next.

The default location for the application will be under C:\Program Files for Windows XP and C:\Program Files (x86) for Windows 7. It can be installed in a different folder by changing the path during the install. A new path can be entered in the Folder entry box or it can be chosen by using the Browse button. Read and accept the license agreement.

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If more than one person uses the computer select Everyone otherwise leave the default Just me and click Next.

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Click Next again to begin the installation.

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Once the installation is complete click Close.

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Using ProDataNow Plus

Once the install is complete start MapInfo Professional (MIPro) and a ProDataNowPLUS menu item and button will appear on the Tools button pad. You must configure PDN+ before it can access the web service. Under the ProDataNowPLUS menu click the menu choice Options and click the Services tab.

A configuration window appears that allows the user to put in the Username, Password and URL that was provided as part of the PDN purchase. In addition, the user can specify the folder that will store any custom demographic reports that are created. This folder must exist on the user machine or network. In addition, a Username, Password and URL’s for the Spectrum services must be entered in the boxes provided. Each URL can be tested using the Test button to the right of each URL entry box. Click the Save button to save the entered information.

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After the configuration is complete users can begin using PDN+. To retrieve demographics users can select polygons from any table using any of the MIPro selection tools or query functions.

The table must have a unique identifier column for the reports to run properly. Tables must be longitude/latitude projection to run properly.

Once a selection is made the user clicks on the button to bring up the reporting interface.

The two pop-up menus at the bottom of the window provide access to different licensed datasets and different geographic levels corresponding to each dataset. If you are licensed for only one dataset there is no pop-up menu available for the datasets.

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Depending on how your selected boundaries were created you can choose a GeoLevel that will give you accurate data

and process it more quickly.

If your boundaries are based on ZIP codes, choose the ZIP Codes GeoLevel. If it is a ring study or the area is not

based on a specific geographic boundary choose Block Groups. The Block Groups option uses census block

centroids to allocate the proper values for those block groups that are split by the selected geographic boundary.

Demographic Data The report drop down list contains a large number of standard demographic reports for the users to choose from.

After selecting a report the user must select the column in the boundary table with the unique identifier by clicking the

button next to the ID Column From drop down.

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Finally, a path and file name must be given to the demographic data table that will be returned by the service using the

Save Demographic Table As box. The Save As dialog can be opened by clicking on the button to the right of the entry box.

Now the Retrieve Demographics button can be clicked to begin the data retrieval from the web service.

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During the data retrieval an indicator will appear in the lower left corner of the window showing how many boundaries

have been processed. After processing is complete a browser will appear containing the information from the original

table and the demographic data you selected appended to each record. This is a mappable table so it can be used like

any other table in MIPro.

Users can set a demographic report as the default selection by choosing the desired report and then right-clicking on the report name to choose Set as Default Report. Once this is done, each time the Retrieve Demographics option is clicked the default report will automatically be selected. Custom Reporting The Show Custom Fields button will expose the extensive list of custom fields for all reports.


Custom Fields are organized into Report Data Groups.

Selecting a Report Data Group will provide a list of columns available for the Data Group in the Custom Report Fields box. Add up to 100 data fields from any combination of Data Groups to create your own custom report.

You will be prompted for a report title. By checking the Save this Report for Future Use checkbox, you can save the report so that it will be added to the list of Demographic Reports for future use. Saved custom reports appear at the end of the list of reports, and are denoted with a plus sign (+). If you wish to remove a previously saved custom report, select the report and press the delete button on your keyboard.


Column Reference When the demographic data is returned to MapInfo, the column heading names are limited in the number of characters they can contain so the descriptions of each variable are abbreviated. Since the actual variable name can be hard to determine a menu option is provided to display the full name of each variable.

When the Demographic Data Column Reference option is selected a window appears that allows the user to select the demographic table that they would like the full column descriptions for.


When the demographic table is selected from the Table dropdown list the demographic columns from the table are displayed along with the full description of that column. The Table dropdown will contain a list all of the tables open in the current MapInfo session.

Reports If you wish to generate preformatted reports that can be printed or exported use the Generate Reports menu option.


In order to run these reports the same data set that was used for the demographic data retrieval must be specified for the reports. If the demographic data category has not been run yet, a message will be displayed stating that the demographics must be generated in order to run the report.

A Reports window will appear that allows the user to select the correct data set category and desired sub-category from the drop down lists along with the correct source table name and unique identifier column. The application will attempt to determine the correct category and table to use but if there are multiple reports run you will need to choose the correct report and table from the list. Finally, the user can enter a subtitle for the report. Some reports will present graphs of the data along with a formatted report. If the user does not want to see the graphs in the report they can check the Hide Graphs checkbox in the lower left corner of the window.


For each demographic data category there are several preformatted sub-category reports to choose from.

In the above example there are 7 sub-category reports for the Demographic Overview category. If you select the Population Trend the following report will be generated that applies descriptive names to the column headings and shows two different graphs representing different views of the data. These reports interact with the map objects through hyperlinks under the name column as well as the bars in the 2012 Population graph. By clicking one of the links it will select the boundary and center that object in the map window. When printing a custom report, select the report option Custom Report, choose the correct table in the data source drop down and all columns will be formatted and printed in the report.


In addition to being able to print these reports they can also be exported into MS Excel©, MS Word© or PDF file formats.


To alter the appearance of the reports the user can go to the Options menu choice and choose the Reports tab. Here the user can specify a logo to replace the ProDataNow logo by choosing the Browse button and navigating to the location of the logo image (.jpg, .png or .gif) they wish to use. In addition, font colors can be changed between black and white and the report color scheme can be altered by clicking the Change button next to each report component. A sample view is provided in the lower left and the user can click the Save button to keep the changes. If the user wishes to return to the default color scheme just click the Restore Default Values button in the lower right of the window.


US Geocoding PDN+ gives users the ability to geocode selected records from within MapInfo Professional. Similar to the demographic reporting the user must select the records they wish to geocode using MIPro query or select tools. Once the records are selected the user can choose the US Geocoder menu option from the ProDataNowPLUS menu.

A geocoding window appears that allows the user to drag and drop table columns from the list to the appropriate boxes

on the left. If the geocoding window is open before the records are selected the user must click the refresh button to populate the Selected Table list with the column names.

The table must have a unique identifier column in order to geocode.

In the lower left of the US Geocoder window a table name and location must be entered in the MapInfo Result File box.

The Save As dialog can be opened by clicking on the button to the right of the entry box.


Once the Geocode button is clicked the geocoding service will process the selected records and the progress count will be displayed in the lower left corner of the window.

If a map window is the active window the geocoded table will be added to that map window, otherwise a browser window of the geocoded table will be displayed. Geocode Resolution If addresses exist that have multiple geocoding candidates, a Geocoding Resolution window will appear displaying them in a list.


Select the address and click the View Candidates button to view the list of possible candidates for the selected address.


Select the desired address from the Primary Candidate list and click the Select Address button. A confirmation window appears indicating the selected address will be used to geocode the original address.

Click the Yes button to apply the address changes after all addresses are resolved. Geocode Options


Database – Specify the geocoding database. May only have one choice depending on the level of geocoding purchased. Matching –

- Address Preference – determines which address to use when more than one address is present in the address block.

o Prefer P.O. Box – uses the P.O. Box. o Second Line – uses the second line entered (default). o Street Address – uses the street address

- Firm Name Search – Specifies whether to use firm name matching logic to enhance address matching. Firm matching logic matches a business name in the input to recognized business names. The input firm name does not need to be spelled correctly to obtain a match. Note – this type of match is not available when processing in CASS mode.

o Always Attempt – always attempt to match using firm name matching. If firm name matching fails, attempt to match using address matching.

o Attempt if Address Line Matching Fails – use firm matching only if match cannot be determined using address matching.

o Never Attempt – do not use firm matching (default). Note - that geocoding may correct firm name even if you specify Never Attempt if it can find a match using the address line data.

- Building Search – Attempts to obtain a street address when the input address contains a building name with no suite or unit number.

- First Letter Search – specifies whether to look for the correct first letter of a street name if the first letter is missing or incorrect. If enabled it searches through the alphabet looking for the correct first letter to complete the street address.

- Prefer ZIP code over City – specifies whether to prefer candidates that match the input ZIP over candidates that match the input city. Note – this option is not available when processing in CASS mode.

- Delivery Point Validation (DPV®) is a United States Postal Service® (USPS®) technology that validates the accuracy of address information down to the individual mailing address.


- LACS/Link Conversion - The LACSLink database allows you to correct addresses that have changed as a result of a rural route address converting to street-style address, a PO Box renumbering, or a street-style address changing.

Match Mode – determines the leniency used to find a match. Custom - Allows you to select the specific criteria to use when matching the input address to an address in the postal database. Check the options desired.

- Must Match Street - Must Match State - Must Match House Number - Must Match City - Must Match Postal Code

Exact - Requires a very tight match. This is a restrictive mode that generates the fewest number of match candidates to search, which decreases the time to obtain a match. When using this mode, ensure that your input address list is very clean; free of misspellings and incomplete addresses. Close - Requires a moderately confident match. Generates a moderate number of match candidates. Relaxed – (Default) This is the loosest match mode and generates the most match candidates, which increases the processing time and results in more multiple matches. Use this mode if your address list may contain misspellings and incomplete addresses. This is the only mode that does not respect the street parity for an address match. CASS - Imposes additional rules to ensure compliance with the USPS regulations for CASS. The purpose of this mode is to create a list of mailable addresses. This mode generates a large number of match candidates and deviates from the other modes in its processing. CASS mode does not perform intersection, building name, or spatial alias (TIGER and GDT street name alias) matches. It also does not match to candidates from data sources that do not have USPS equivalent records. This mode recognizes and parses two unit numbers on the same address line, for example a building and unit number.

If (not specified) is left in the drop downs the default settings will be used for geocoding. (Address Preference – Second Line, Firm Name Search – Never Attempt, Match Mode – Relaxed)

Geocoding - Offset – indicates the offset distance from the street segments to use in street level geocoding. Squeeze – specifies the distance to offset the street endpoints in street level geocoding. This value is used to prevent addresses at street corners from being given the same geocode as the street intersection. Centroid Preference - Determines the type of centroids returned when geocoding. A centroid is the center of an area and the centroid coordinates are the average of the sets of coordinates that describe the area. No Centroids – will not return centroids. If an address-level geocode cannot be determined, do not attempt to determine a centroid. Return ZIP Code Centroids – will return ZIP Code centroids only. If you select this option, address-level geocodes will not be returned. Fallback Centroids – Will attempt to determine a centroid when an address level geocode cannot be determined. The centroid options are described below. Note – these options are not available when processing in CASS mode.


- Street Centroid - Specifies whether to attempt to return a street centroid when an address-level geocode cannot be determined. To determine a street centroid, the geocoder searches the input ZIP Code or city for the closest match. If the geocoder is able to locate the street, it returns a geocode along the matched street segment.

- ZIP Code Centroid - Specifies whether to attempt to return a ZIP Code centroid when an address-level geocode cannot be determined.

- Geographic Centroid - Specifies whether to attempt to return a city, county, or state centroid when an

address-level geocode cannot be determined. The geocoder returns the most precise geographic centroid that it can based on the input. For example, if the input contains a valid city and state, a city centroid would be returned. Note - There are approximately 300 major cities that can be geocoded to a city centroid level even if a valid state is not provided in the input.

Output Fields – adds and populates selected fields to the geocoded table. The default additional fields are Geocoder MatchCode, Latitude and Longitude. Geocoder Matchcodes - Single Close Match (S category) Matches in the S category indicate that the record was matched to a single address candidate. The first character (S) indicates that the geocoding server found a street address that matches the record. The second position in the code indicates the positional accuracy of the resulting point for the geocoded record. Different types of matches: • S0—Single close match with no coordinates available (rare occurrence). • S1—Single close match with the point located at postal code centroid. • S3—Single close match with the point located at postal code centroid. • S4—Single close match with the point located at the street centroid. The S4 code is followed by letters and dashes indicating match precision. • S5—Single close match with the point located at a street address position. The S5 code is followed by letters and dashes indicating match precision. • S6—Single close match with the point located at centroid of geometry postal code. (For example, large buildings having their own codes.) • S7—Single match with the point located at an interpolated point along the candidate's street segment. When the potential candidate is not an address point candidate and there are no exact house number matches among other address point candidates, the S7 result is returned using address point interpolation. The point is interpolated according to the next highest or lowest address point candidate that both intersects the segment and whose house number is contained within the range of houses of the original candidate. By using known address reference points on the street segment, the S7 point can be adjusted to a more accurate position. • S8—Single close match with the point located at either the single point associated with an address point candidate or at an address point candidate that shares the same house number. No interpolation is required. • SX—Single close match with the point located at street intersection. S4 and S5 geocode results are followed by additional characters that indicate details of the match precision. A typical result code looks like this: S5-P--S—A This code indicates that the geocoder returned a single close match to a street address (S5), with an exact match on street directional prefix (P), street suffix (S), and the match was obtained using a database


provided by Pitney Bowes Software (A). It did not match the house number (H), street name (N), street type (T), city (C) or postal code (Z), so these positions contain a dash. A perfect street level match would return a result code with every component of the address matched and would look like this: S5HPNTSCZA Following is a table showing each of the matchcode characters.

Character Description

H Exact match on house number.

P Exact match on street directional prefix.

N Exact match on street name.

T Exact match on street type.

S Exact match on street suffix.

C Exact match on city name.

Z Exact match on postal code.

A Address matched using an Enterprise Geocoding Module database provided by Pitney Bowes Software.

- If any of the fields do not match, the letter is replaced with a dash.

Manual Geocoder -


To manually geocode one address choose the Manual Geocoder tab and enter the address components in the appropriate entry boxes. Click Geocode.

A window appears to allow the user to enter the name of the new table that will be created. After entering the table name click OK and the record will be geocoded. The new table will have the GeocoderMatchCode, Latitude and Longitude fields added to the table and if a map window is the active window it will automatically add the table to the map window.

Create Boundaries PDN+ gives users the ability to create drive time/distance boundaries or buffers for selected records from within MapInfo Professional. Similar to the other features in PDN+, the user must select the points they wish to create boundaries for using MIPro query or select tools. Once the records are selected the user can choose the Create Boundaries menu option from the ProDataNowPLUS menu.

When the Create Boundaries option is chosen a window appears that allows the user to choose the ID, Latitude and Longitude columns and specify the type of boundaries will be created.


If there are no columns in the Selected Table entry box than the user must make sure that the points are

selected and click the refresh button. Click on the appropriate columns and drag them to the Table Identifier, Latitude and Longitude entry boxes as necessary.

Choose the desired type of boundary from the drop down list.

Measured: Distance will create radii around the points.


Choose the times or distances required and hit the Add>> button after each entry to move it to the right hand window. If any changes need to be made the entries can be highlighted in the right hand box and the Delete button will remove them.

The *Create Boundary Legend checkbox allows to the user to create a legend for the created boundaries automatically if it is checked. Otherwise, no legend will be created. Click the Create Boundaries button to create the desired boundaries and add them to the map.


If the map window is not the active window it will create the boundary but it will need to be added to the map via Layer Control. The naming convention for the boundaries is the table name of the selected points followed by _Boundary1, _Boundary2, etc., depending on how many boundaries have been created in the map session.

The options tab allows the user to specify whether the travel boundary will use only major roads and they can also specify an off-road distance the boundary will extend to.


To alter the appearance of the travel boundaries, the user can go to the Options menu choice and choose the Boundary Styles tab. Here the user can specify the line thickness; Thin, Medium or Thick, the line style; Solid or Dotted, and the color of the boundary lines. The colors are in order from top to bottom which represent boundary 1 through 10.

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prodatanow plus - tsi plus installation and user guide...6 | prodatanow plus using prodatanow plus...

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