Data Visualized: Manhattan is brought to life with Excel Power Map

For some, the beauty and power of data can be hard to visualize. Luckily, thanks to technology from Microsoft; we can manipulate large amounts of data with a single click of the mouse. Daniel Witriol, a Senior Program Manager on the Excel Power Map team, showcased a bit of data magic utilizing his home of Manhattan as a starting point.

Excel Power Map allows users to manipulate data quickly and create visual representations of what they wish to convey. Witriol started with a blank map of Manhattan and applied data from the city’s “PLUTO” dataset to see what he could create. PLUTO is a collection of data produced by the Department of City Planning, and includes a plethora of information on each building including the owner’s name, number of floors, garage area, retail/office areas, and more.

Witriol first plotted a point at the address of each building on the map, then he decided to plug the number of building floors into the Power Map function – in a stunning picture of beauty, it created a 3D map that represented the city quite well. In addition, Witriol had the ability to hit a ‘Play’ button and see the map grow in front of him as it used the dataset’s information on when each building was constructed.

Lastly, Witriol went on to plot other data including how Office Space was distributed across the city. We recommend checking out the video above to see Witriol’s work in action. You can also download the Excel file itself via the download link below.