MapPrez: The Indezine Review
Author: Geetesh Bajaj
Product/Version: PowerPoint 2010
OS: Windows 7 / Vista / XP
Date Created: January 23rd 2012
Last Updated: January 23rd 2012
Excerpt/Capsule: Learn about MapPrez, a PowerPoint add-in that lets you add high quality geographical maps inside PowerPoint.
Introduction
Using MapPrez
Pricing and Support
Conclusion
Introduction
MapPrez is a PowerPoint add-in that enables you to insert maps, and add place locations as labels directly on inserted maps. All these actions can be done through a dedicated MapPrez tab in PowerPoint's Ribbon. All maps are sourced from Google -- and you can thus insert brilliant satellite and cartographic imagery with a click or two. In addition, MapPrez lets you superimpose vector maps on top of the inserted maps.
MapPrez is from GMARK, a company based in the UK. You can learn more about MapPrez and their other products from their site. My contact at GMARK for this review was Jamie Garroch - thank you, Jamie.
Using MapPrez
Before you use MapPrez, here is some information about the maps and credits you need know to access these maps. All maps and place locations are provided under license from Google Inc. and require low cost credits -- your credits are deducted as you insert maps -- the trial version of MapPrez includes 10 credits, and a full license of MapPrez includes 250 credits. All credits can be topped up, as required. Vector maps are not subject to credits, and you can insert any number of these without diminishing your credit balance.
Download the installer from the link given above, and run the setup routine. Even if you do not download and install MapPrez, you can follow this walkthrough to understand this add-in better:
- Launch PowerPoint. Most of the time, PowerPoint opens a new presentation with a single slide -- you can change the slide layout to Blank or Title Only by selecting Home tab | Layout | Blank or Title Only. This provides a nice blank slide area -- an ideal canvas to place a map.
- Now, access the MapPrez tab of the Ribbon, highlighted in red in Figure 1. Within this tab, click the Insert button (highlighted in blue in Figure 1).
Figure 1: MapPrez tab of the Ribbon
- This opens the Select Map Type dialog box, as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2: Select Map Type dialog box
The Options within the Select Map Type dialog box are explained below, as marked in Figure 2 above:
- Choose the type of map you require: This section provides three radio buttons which enable you to choose maps by Country, Continent, or World. For both Country and Continent, you can click the downward pointing arrow to bring up a drop-down list, as shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3: Country drop-down list
Make a choice based on your requirements. Note that the Maps marked with an asterix(*) comprise a vector map (PowerPoint shape) in addition to the raster (image) map.
- Map type: Click the downward pointing arrow to summon a drop-down list of map types, as shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4: Map type drop-down list
Once the choices are made, click the OK button.
- Choose the type of map you require: This section provides three radio buttons which enable you to choose maps by Country, Continent, or World. For both Country and Continent, you can click the downward pointing arrow to bring up a drop-down list, as shown in Figure 3.
- This brings up the Map Editor window with your selected map open, as shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5: Map Editor window
Within the Map Editor window, you can perform the following tasks:
- Change the Map Type as required. If you do not want the vector map, deselect the Include Vector Map check-box. Remember that all vector maps are native PowerPoint shapes and their fills, outlines, and effects can be formatted as required.
- Resize the window and zoom/pan the map until you see exactly what you need. Note that zoom/pan options do not work when you select the Include Vector Map check-box (refer to point A). This happens because zooming and panning would change the alignment between the the Google map and its vector counterpart.
- You can add places to your map in one of three ways:
- Right-clicking the map,
- Typing an address (or partial address eg. city name, or longitude/latitude coordinates), or
- Loading a list from a file.
- Change the Map Type as required. If you do not want the vector map, deselect the Include Vector Map check-box. Remember that all vector maps are native PowerPoint shapes and their fills, outlines, and effects can be formatted as required.
- Once the map is inserted in your slide (see Figure 6), you can use all the standard PowerPoint editing tools.
Figure 6: Map added on the PowerPoint slide
Pricing and Support
MapPrez costs $199.00. Multiple licenses are available.
Support options include phone, email and online demo movies.
Conclusion
MapPrez is a very extensively planned product that covers all your bases as far as inserting geographical maps are concerned. Although the interface mentions Country, Continent, and World as options, you can easily select any Country and then zoom and pan in the Map Editor to any zoom level that Google allows. In fact, we could zoom to the exact building where our office is located! And it is so cool that you can do this right within PowerPoint!
