GfK GeoMarketing‘s Spain Map Edition 2012 encompasses 20 individual maps that fit together seamlessly without gaps or overlaps. The maps include coverage of Spain’s approximately 11,000 five-digit postcodes (the country’s most detailed postal level) and 54 postcode regions (two-digit postcodes). The map edition also includes coverage of the country’s 8,124 municipalities, 54 provinces and 21 regions as well as supplementary topographic maps.
Applications
GfK’s digital maps of postal and municipal boundaries comprise the basis of sales territory, expansion and marketing planning for companies across a diverse range of branches. This usage requires maps that feature seamless, overlap-free coverage of the latest boundary status. Company data and data on regional market potential can then be visualized, aggregated and further analyzed using geomarketing or data mining. Digital maps are typically integrated into databases and BI solutions to conduct highly complex place-based analyses of large data quantities. Specific applications include optimizing sales territories and planning branch networks.
Changes since 2011
GfK GeoMarketing annually updates its maps of Europe due to the thousands of changes each year to the continent’s postal and administrative regions. In the previous year, there were 12 name changes on Spain’s municipal level and 16 changes to the country’s postcodes. Postcode changes are especially significant when it comes to place-based analyses and planning endeavors.
“Analyses are usually carried out with postcode maps, as postcodes are ideal for linking company data with maps,” explains Klaus Dittmann, head of cartography at GfK GeoMarketing. “The simple reason for this is that every address includes a postcode. Inaccuracies result if customers use outdated maps, because these will not reflect the latest boundary status. For example, if some postcode regions are dissolved or added, errors will occur when customers import their data. This is why we update our maps of Europe every year.”
As part of its updates, GfK GeoMarketing also enhances the detail of its maps using the latest available information sources. For example, the new maps of Spain render the regional boundaries in the country’s cities at street- or even house number-level precision. Topographic details such as bodies of water and streets were also cross-checked against satellite imagery to ensure precise digitization. The scale of the maps corresponds to 1:2,000 in city centers and 1:50,000 in rural regions. This high level of detail is crucial when the maps are used by the reinsurance industry, because insurance risks vary widely over short distances. Even just a few hundred meters difference in the location of a building can significantly change the level of required coverage for storm and flood damages.
All cities and towns featured in GfK GeoMarketing’s new maps of Spain have also been subdivided according to the latest population data and five city size categories.
Coverage and availability
GfK GeoMarketing offers worldwide digital maps of an unparalleled level of quality and coverage. The maps are available in all standard map file formats and can be immediately incorporated into solutions by ESRI, MapInfo, the GfK software RegioGraph and Oracle Spatial applications. GfK GeoMarketing’s maps are created by its own in-house cartographers, which ensures a consistently high-quality, up-to-date product that offers comprehensive coverage. GfK GeoMarketing was named “Professional Service Provider of the Year” at the 2011 Worldwide Reinsurance Awards in London.
