The National Community Action Partnership Map Room hosts more than 30,000 mappable data layers. With data spanning topics such as demographics, income, education, health, and housing, the Map Room supports planning, decision-making, and funding requests and can help you explore issues and opportunities in your community.

STEP ONE: Search for data to add to the map.

–> Click the “Add Data” button in the left menu.

Use the search bar to find data layers by keyword (e.g., housing, employment, education, income, poverty, health insurance, life expectancy, etc.).

Click the “Browse by Topic” or “Browse by Source” buttons to explore data by category and source.

Step 1 of the map room. The picture shows a screenshot of the add data function. Users can click the Add Data button in the left menu to open the search data menu.
Step 1 of the map room. The picture shows a screenshot of the add data function. Users can click the Add Data button in the left menu to open the search data menu.
Step 1 of the map room. The picture shows a screenshot of the add data function. Users can click the Add Data button in the left menu to open the search data menu.
Step 1.1 of the map room. The picture shows a screenshot of the search data window. Users can use keywords to search for map layers or use the "Browse by Topic" and "Browse by Source" buttons to search by topic and source.

STEP TWO: Add one or more data layers to the map.

–> Click the checkbox next to a layer name to add it to the map.

–> Click the “View Legend” button in the left menu to close the search window and open the map legend.

To add additional layers, repeat steps one and two.

Step 2 of the map room. The picture shows a screenshot of the search data window. Users can click the check box to the left of a layer name to add it to the map. Users can click the "View Legend" button to view the map legend and exit the search data window.
Step 2 of the map room. The picture shows a screenshot of the search data window. Users can click the check box to the left of a layer name to add it to the map. Users can click the "View Legend" button to view the map legend and exit the search data window.
Step 2 of the map room. The picture shows a screenshot of the search data window. Users can click the check box to the left of a layer name to add it to the map. Users can click the "View Legend" button to view the map legend and exit the search data window.

STEP THREE: Zoom to a location.

–> Click the + and – buttons at the bottom right of the map window to zoom in and out.

Click and hold your mouse/cursor to move the map up, down, left, or right.

Type a county name, city, or address into the location search bar at the bottom right to zoom to a specific location.

Step 3 of the map room. The picture shows a screenshot of the map room calling out the location search bar and plus and minus buttons at the bottom right of the map room. Users can type in a county, city, or address in the location search bar to zoom in. Users can also use the plus and minus buttons to zoom in and out.
Step 3 of the map room. The picture shows a screenshot of the map room calling out the location search bar and plus and minus buttons at the bottom right of the map room. Users can type in a county, city, or address in the location search bar to zoom in. Users can also use the plus and minus buttons to zoom in and out.
Step 3 of the map room. The picture shows a screenshot of the map room calling out the location search bar and plus and minus buttons at the bottom right of the map room. Users can type in a county, city, or address in the location search bar to zoom in. Users can also use the plus and minus buttons to zoom in and out.

STEP FOUR: Manage your data layer and view the map legend.

–> Click the “Legend” button in the left menu to open and close the legend.

Review the legend. Get familiar with what the colors, points, and lines on the map represent.

Where available, use the drop down menus below the legend to toggle between geographic levels, data types, and time periods.

Step 4 of the map room. The picture shows a screenshot of the map legend open in the left menu of the map room. The legend can be opened by clicking the "Legend" button in the left menu. Users can review the legend to get familiar with what the colors, points, and lines represent on the map.
Step 4 of the map room. The picture shows a screenshot of the map legend open in the left menu of the map room. The legend can be opened by clicking the "Legend" button in the left menu. Users can review the legend to get familiar with what the colors, points, and lines represent on the map.
Step 4 of the map room. The picture shows a screenshot of the map legend open in the left menu of the map room. The legend can be opened by clicking the "Legend" button in the left menu. Users can review the legend to get familiar with what the colors, points, and lines represent on the map.
Step 4.1 of the map room. The picture shows an expanded view of the legend in the map room. The drop down menus below to the legend can be used to change the geographic extent of the data on the map, to change the data type from percent to total, or to change time periods (where available).

STEP FIVE: Explore, query, and export map data.

–> Click any location on the map to view additional data in a popup window.

–> Click the “Tools” button in the left menu to open the tools menu.

Use the query tool to ask questions of the data on the map (e.g., “how many census tracts have uninsured rates greater than 25%?”).

Use the select data tool to export data from the map into a .csv file.

Use the measure tool to find geographic coordinates, measure an area, or measure the length of a path.

Use the draw graphics tool to add shapes to the map.

Use the mask tool to hide surrounding areas.

Use the swipe tool to view two layers at once.

Step 5 of the map room. The picture shows a screenshot of an informational pop up in the map room. Users can click on any location on the map to activate an informational pop up. To close the pop up, click the x in the top right corner of the pop up window.
Step 5.1 of the map room. The picture shows a screenshot of the Tools menu. Users can activate the tools menu by clicking the "Tools" button in the left menu. Users can click on any of the available tools to use it or learn more.

STEP SIX: Download, export, and share your map.

–> Click the “Export” button in the left menu to download your map in your file format of choice.

–> Click the “Share” button in the left menu to share your map via shortlink, email, or social media.

Step 6 of the map room. The picture shows a screenshot of the Export menu. Users can export and share maps by clicking the "Export" and "Share" buttons at the bottom of the left menu. Users can export maps in a variety of sizes and formats. Users can share maps via a shortlink or on social media using the "Share" button.

Need assistance? Email us at help@cares.missouri.edu