August 31, 2018

We hear conversations about GIS all over campus, but GIS tools to engage with maps and data can be hard to use. The Libraries is happy to announce campus-wide access to PolicyMap, online data, mapping and analytics platform with multidisciplinary applications for students and faculty.

Unlike other GIS tools, PolicyMap does not require individual logins, account setups, or downloads. It is easy to incorporate in undergraduate and graduate curricula and has applications for research in social sciences, urban studies, real estate and housing analysis, community and economic development, public administration, public health, policy and political science, education, business, economics, statistics, and geography, among others. Users can leverage thousands of U.S. data indicators in PolicyMap to perform demographic and socioeconomic analysis, from a neighborhood census block group in many cases, up to a national level, as well as create custom regions, for their research and studies.

PolicyMap is a local company, with roots in Philadelphia’s Reinvestment Fund. It counts many federal and regional government agencies as well as academic institutions as customers.