When visualizing and exploring geographic data, you can use Microsoft 3D Maps in Excel to project and analyze the data in a more meaningful way.

Excel includes the Microsoft 3D Maps, a brand new tool to plot 3D charts using geographical data. This tool is available to Excel users from the 2016 version of Microsoft Office. Microsoft 3D Maps tool enables you to explore geodata in a new and effective approach.

Use of Microsoft 3D Maps in Excel

You can utilize Microsoft 3D Maps to plot temporal data or geospatial data in Bing 3D maps. Additionally, you can apply themes and custom maps to modify the visualizations as per your company or institutional needs.

Scholars and professionals mostly use Microsoft 3D Maps in the following scenarios:

1. Plot Larger Geographic Data

You can visualize millions of data rows in vibrant models of Bing 3D maps. You can effortlessly include data in such maps from an Excel Data Model or Table.

2. Look at the Data from New Perspectives

Microsoft 3D Maps plots your data in geographic spaces to reflect the most meaningful intelligence from data sets. You can also add timestamps to your data to visualize how the data perform over time.

3. Data Visualization for Storytelling

When you need to share or present large and complex data to a mass audience, you can use the video and audio options of Microsoft 3D Maps.

How to Prepare Geospatial Data for Microsoft 3D Maps

To create a flawless and intuitive 3D chart using geographic data in Excel, you need to apply structural modifications to the data sets. For that, focus on the following points:

A. Restructuring Data for the Microsoft 3D Maps Tool

The input data for Microsoft 3D Maps should have rows that represent distinctive records. It is good to add texts in the row headings or column headings so that the tool can plot geographic coordinates accurately. You can select the entire data set and then apply any of the followings:

1. Apply Excel table formatting by pressing Ctrl+T.

Apply Excel table formatting

2. Add data sets to the Data Model by selecting the entire data set and then click on Insert in the Ribbon.

3. Now, click on Pivot Table and then select the checkbox beside Add this data to the Data Model.

Add data sets to data model

B. Add Date or Time

In most cases, you may want to create Microsoft 3D Maps to visualize data changes over time. To accomplish this, you need to include at least one Time or Date field per data row.

You need to format the Time or Date column by selecting the column and then right-clicking on it. Now, click on Format Cells. Choose either Date or Time and then click Ok.

Add Date or Time in geo data

C. Include Geographic Values in a Meaningful Way

You need to include one or more geographic values per data row to create 3D Maps in Excel. Therefore, you can add any of the following values in the rows:

  1. Region/Country.
  2. Zipcode/Postal code.
  3. Latitude/Longitude.
  4. Province/State.

Your 3D Maps will be more accurate if you include a variety of geographic values. Additionally, the 3D Maps’ accuracy will also depend on the search results of Bing 3D maps.

Related: How to Create Self-Updating Microsoft Excel Charts in Easy Steps

How to Create a 3D Chart Using Microsoft 3D Maps in Excel

This section will show the steps to create 3D charts by plotting historical electricity usage data from Dallas, USA. You can try your own data sets or download any of the three Excel workbook samples from Microsoft.

1. Open the Excel workbook containing the geographic data sets you want to visualize in Microsoft 3D Maps.

2. Now, click on any of the cells within the data sets.

3. Click on the Insert option in the Ribbon to open a menu that shows elements like Tables, Charts, Sparklines, etc.

4. On the extreme right-hand side, you will see 3D Map within the Tours section of the Ribbon.

5. Click on the dropdown menu of the 3D Map button to find the Open 3D Maps option.

Click on the Open 3D Maps to activate Microsoft 3D Maps in Excel for the first time.

Add 3d maps from ribbon in excel

6. If you are using the example data sets from Microsoft, you will see the Launch 3D Maps screen with previously added tours.

How the launch 3d maps screen look

7. For now, select the (+) New Tour icon at the bottom of the Launch 3D Maps screen.

8. It will open a 3D globe with geocoded data from the input data sets. Here you will see the first Layer Pane.

The view of 3d globe with geo data

8. You need to review the Layer Pane to ensure that the input data sets got the correct mapping.

9. You can use the dropdown menu to map fields to the correct geographic properties in the Layer Pane.

How to view layer pane drop down menu

10. When data sets map correctly on the 3D globe, you will see 3D bars or 3D dots on the map.

Finalized view of a sample 3d maps

Related: How to Add Sparklines in Excel

Exploration of Geospatial Data in Microsoft 3D Maps Tool

Microsoft 3D Maps tool’s tour feature can visualize the relationship between a geographic location and its data based on the time change. This feature is handy in many studies such as:

  1. Ecological changes in the counties of a state.
  2. Weather changes across geographies.
  3. Public transport utilization over private vehicles.
  4. Power or gas usage in a metropolitan area based on localities.

In Microsoft 3D Maps, you can save visualizations in the form of tours and scenes. By creating the first 3D map chart in any geographic data sets, you can automatically add a tour to it. If you want to add a new tour:

  1. Close the existing 3D globe screen.
  2. Select any cell within the formatted data.
  3. Click on Insert and then click on Open 3D Maps. You will see the option to create a New Tour.

While you are within the tour screen, you can modify several elements of the 3D map chart by clicking on the Layer Options. You may also add multiple filters to change the data representation of the geocodes.

Layer pane and filter modifications

You can also add multiple scenes within a tour and then play those sequentially to the audience. From the Scene Options, you can make the following customizations:

  • Scene playing duration.
  • Add transition effects.
  • Add start and end date.
  • Modify the speed of the scene.
A view of the Scene Options

Excel provides multiple 3D globe themes within the Microsoft 3D Maps tool. On the Ribbon above the 3D globe screen, click on Themes, and you can choose the theme you like from 12 options.

3D Maps multiple theme choices

Related: New Features on Excel for the Web to Up Your Productivity

Use Microsoft 3D Maps for Next-Gen Geospatial Data Presentation

By following these steps, you can create great 3D map charts using the Microsoft 3D Maps tool, enhancing geographic data presentation.

Although Microsoft 3D Maps is the preferred visualization method, you can also use a scatter plot in Excel to visualize geospatial data.