A spike map uses the color and the size of spikes in order to show data location and distribution.Much like circles, spikes make large data values easier to visualize by representing them as large symbols. However, instead of the symbol being scaled equally in all directions, they are solely scaled by height. The result is a map with a series of spikes seemingly protruding upwards; smaller spikes indicating smaller values and taller spikes indicating larger values.
In Luzmo, creating a spike map is straightforward. Click on add Item, then scroll to the ‘Maps’ section and select the Spike Map from the map charts. Drag it onto your dashboard.
Upon selecting ‘data’ settings, you will be prompted to fill in three dataslots: geography, measure and color. Let's explore each one:
For a spike map, you need geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude) to place your spikes accurately. Use Luzmo's public datasets with geographic columns or upload your own. You would need to have longitude and latitude columns in your dataset and create a Coordinates column from those, as explained in our academy article here.
While we recomment coordinates for this map type, topography data can also be used. However, please keep in mind that certain use cases (for example countries with multiple territories) may generate imprecise results, with the center of the topographical area being ouside of the main country area.
After adding your geography data, and linking it to your measure dataset if needed, you can just add your measure column to the Measure slot. The data will appear immediately on the map.
You can also add color differentiation by moving your category into the Color slot. That will help you with using your Categories to define how the data is grouped. The grouping will appear immediately on the map. You can change the legends position to accomodate your chart.
Once you’ve added your data to the geography, color and measure slots, the spikes will populate the map. Customize the spikes' color in the theme settings to match your dashboard's look. You can also change map style and other functions in the settings.
In addition to the color, you can also customize the spikes' opacity, width, height and even the opacity of the fill color.
The spike map is similar to the symbol and marker maps, but instead of using variations of circles, it uses height in order to represent the data through height. More information about all available map types can be found here.