Symbol and Chart Sizes

For numerous analyses, you can set size properties, such as height, width or area. Depending on the type of analysis, EasyMap provides the following options:

Uniform or Fixed Size

When this option is selected, the user may define a common size for all charts or symbols. The size of the charts or symbols is then independent of the underlying data.

If, however, you wish the size of your charts or symbols to reflect the values of your data, please use one of the following options.

Classified

In this case, value classes are generated for the data which is to determine size. Each value class is assigned a particular size. This data-driven method for symbol-sizing usually results in more readable map displays, than when the size is proportional to data values. Example: You have a few major customers with up to 20 million € turnover per annum, but also many small customers with an annual turnover of less than 100.000€. The smallest of these has a turnover of 10.000€. With this range of values, it would be diffcult to find a suitable proportional factor beween turnover and symbol size. Classifying customers by turnover class, however, solves the problem: all customers with a turnover of less than 100.000€ are allocated a small symbol, those with a turnover of between 100.000€ and 5 million € a middle-sized and those with a turnover of over 5 million € a large symbol.

Size Proportional to Data

This setting in EasyMap calculates the size of charts or symbols from data values, according to a proportional factor specified by the user. The user may choose between two types of size calculation:

Data-Driven Height/Width

The chart’s or symbol’s height and width are calculated in linear proportion to the data value. This may lead to chart or symbol size widely varying. The reason for this is obvious. Imagine for a moment that the symbol to be used is a circle: In this case, the Values define height/width option implies that a circle with twice the data value will also be double the height. However, a circle with double the diameter has a fourfold area! You should take this into account - and also the fact that the eye subconsciously perceives the size of many shapes through their surface area, rather than through their height or width.

Value specifies area

With this option, the area of a chart or symbol is calculated in linear proportion to the data value. Even when the data spans a wide statistical range, this does not usually lead to chart or symbol sizes greatly varying. Please refer to Data-Driven Height/Width to learn why this is the case.

Dynamic resizing of Data Change for a diagram or Symbol analysis

If you change the data column(s) on which a diagram or symbol analysis is based, the new data values may have a completely different range of values than the previous data column. This may lead to the proportionality factor previously used for the size determination becoming inappropriate as the new diagrams or symbols now being displayed as either being too big or too small. In such cases, it becomes necessary to choose among the options under Dynamic Sizing. This is because it is not the continuation of the proportionality factor but about keeping the maximum size for clear visibilty of contents on the map.

Resizing by Zoomautomatism

If Zoom automatic is activated, EasyMap can adjust the size of diagrams, symbols and other signatures independently of the magnification scale. You have the following options:

  • Preserve scale: The zoom-in enlarges the objects in the same ratio as the map.
  • Slightly enlarge: The zoom-in enlarges objects to a lesser extent than the map.
  • Barely enlarge: The zoom-in enlarges the objects to a much smaller extent than the map.
  • Fixed size: Irrespective of the zoom of the map, the objects on the screen are always displayed with the same size.

The three variants of non-scaled magnification are used to set an "ideal" size independent of the zoom of the map. They are particularly useful if you work with the map mainly on the screen and frequently change the map section. These settings are also possible for Reports.

These different options for Resizing by Zoomautomatism in EasyMap is available for the following map content:

  • All analyzes in which the user set sizes or data-dependent control (e.g., symbols, charts, lines or text)

  • Locations

  • Point Layers

  • Point geometries as base map (as shapefiles)