Getting Started With Mortgage MarketSmart We are excited that you are using Mortgage MarketSmart and hope that you will enjoy being one of its first users. This Getting Started guide is a work in progress, because we will be making significant improvements and adding a lot of functionality over the next few months. We want to continue to improve based on the feedback we get from users like you. We welcome any feedback you have and will be more than happy to answer any questions you have about how to do things within the application and how to apply the intelligence it provides to what you do every day. We will be updating this guide on a weekly (and sometimes daily) basis, as new data and new functionality is added. Contents: Overview of Mortgage MarketSmart Menus, Toolbars and Tabs 2 1. Getting Started: Building Your Map 4 1.1 Choosing Basemap 1.2 Adding Data to the Map 1.3 Toggling & Sorting Map Layers 1.4 Working with the Legend 1.5 Adding Locations to the Map 1.6 Working with Your Locations 2. Getting Started: Working with Your Map 9 2.1 Refining Data by Drawing on Map (Spatial Query) 2.2 Refining Data Using Attribute Queries 2.3 Creating Markets 2.4 Filtering by Markets 3. Getting Started: Viewing Your Data and Map 15 3.1 Viewing Your Data in the Data Grid 3.2 Changing How Your Map Looks 4. Getting Started: Sharing and Saving Your Work 19 4.1 Saving Your Map 4.2 Printing Your Map 4.3 Exporting Your Map 1
Overview of Mortgage MarketSmart Menus, Tools and Tabs Mortgage MarketSmart (MMS) was built to make it easy to access market intelligence. To start working with MMS, you need to know your way around our application and you need to know how to navigate our maps. Map Controls Use the Map Contents Toolbar to add, remove, query, filter and change the data you see in the map. The Data Grid shows you a table with the data details about the counties, tracts and metro areas you see on the map. Use the Basemap & Navigation controls to change the base map and to move around the map. The Admin menu allows you to access your profile and change and set map preferences, like the default basemap, which map you see when you start the application and other settings. The MarketSmart Toolbar allows you to print the map, access spatial query tools, and in upcoming releases is where you will access reporting and analysis functions. The Map Control slider /navigation tool is used to move around the map. 2
What s In the Map Contents Toolbar Use the Map Contents Toolbar to add, remove, query, filter and change the data you see in the map. It s the heart of Mortgage MarketSmart. Each tab has a different role: 1. Maps Tab: This is where you store all of your saved maps. You can also copy, rename and delete them here. 2. Map Contents Tab: Think of this like your desk, your workspace, your bucket. Every thing you want to see in the map goes here. 3. Datasets Tab: This is where you go to get all of your forecast, HMDA and demographic datasets for the map. Think of it like your data store. 4. Bookmarks Tab: This is where you save, edit and delete your bookmarks. Bookmarks save your map extent, so that you can quickly navigate to your favorite or common places easily. 5. Markets Tab: This is where you can customize the markets and territories that matter to you, and apply them across any and all of your datasets. 6. Query Tab: You can build, edit, copy, access and delete your queries here. 7. Locations Tab: Enter your own point data here: mortgage and bank branch location, referral sources, and even your originations by property address. 8. Documents Tab: Check here for forecast notes, important updates, and just about anything else we write about that we want to tell you about 9. More Info: Not a tab of its own, but an icon you ll often see within the tabs. You can click on it to see more information on the topic, tab, or toolbar next to it. We will keep adding to this in-app help as we can! 3
I. Getting Started: Building Your Map You ve just logged in to Mortgage MarketSmart. The application loads and you see a map of the US. Now what? Since you probably are using Mortgage MarketSmart for more than zooming in and out around a US street, aerial or gray canvas map (although that can be a lot of fun, too), you probably want to start here: Building Your Map. 1.1 Choose Your Basemap Mortgage MarketSmart opens showing the Bing Roads basemap. Bing Roads is a good choice for viewing forecast data, because it references many important elements of public life neighborhoods, schools, airports, and, of course, roads, cities and towns. You have other choices within MarketSmart if Bing isn t your thing: the ESRI Streets map, the Bing Aerial map (which you should try at least once because it looks cool), and the Gray Canvas map, which intentionally provides minimal reference information, so that the data you add to the map is not cluttered by reference data. Change your basemap here using the drop-down windows. You can set the default base map for each time you open Mortgage MarketSmart by clicking on Settings in the Admin menu. 1.2 Add Data to Your Map You can add multiple types of data layers to the map (datasets, markets, queries, and locations), but you will start by adding datasets. Our datasets, which include forecasts, HMDA totals, and demographic data, are categorized by type (MSA, County, and census tract) and market segment (owner-occupied, Hispanic Borrower, Income Level, etc.). For more detail on our specific datasets, read our Dataset Descriptions. 1. Click on the Datasets tab of the Map Contents Toolbar. 2. When the list of datasets appears, you will see a + to the left of the dataset name, and the Configure button to the right. 3. If you would like to Configure the dataset, click on the Configure button to the right. See the Configure Data section of this help for more on doing that. 4. If you do not want to configure the dataset before adding it to the map, click on the + sign. 5. There is not a limit to the number of datasets you can add to the map. Add Data to map. Configure dataset. 4
Tips about Datasets: Use the Type dropdown to filter the list of datasets by geography. Use the Search function to filter the list by keyword. You cannot add a dataset to the map more than once. 1.3 More on Map Building: Sorting, Toggling & Deleting Layers The Map Contents tab/window is where you customize your map and analysis. Think of it like your desk or work space. The Map Contents tab allows you to view, toggle, sort, and customize map layers. The Map Contents window has two parts: the Map Contents tab and the Legend tab. 1. You can change the transparency of each layer using the slider bar next to the layer name. 2. You can change the order of the layers on the map by clicking on the Sort Layers button in the bottom right corner of the Map Contents tab. 3. Click and drag on the map layers to place them in the desired order. The layers draw from bottom up, which means that the first layer listed will show on top of the map. 4. To toggle between layers (turn them on & off), use the check boxes next to the layer name in the Map Contents. 5. To delete a layer from the map, click on the Delete button to the right of the layer name. Delete Layers from the map. Toggle between layers to turn them on and off. Adjust layer transparency using the slider bar. Sort Map Layers. 5
1.4 More on Map Building: The Legend You can see the legend by clicking on the Legend tab that you see once you open the Map Contents window. The legend will show any layer in your map that is visible (checked) and will explain the meaning of the map s symbols. To expand the legend, click on the triangle next to it. Tips about Map Building: Don t be click happy. The datasets that draw on the map especially the census tract layers are very complex graphically, so they need time to process. For optimal performance, add the census layers when you are zoomed in. Layers draw from the bottom up. Sometimes when you try to adjust the transparency bar, the data grid opens because you clicked on the layer, rather than the transparency bar. There is an option when printing the map, to print the legend with it. Read more about Changing the Theme (or how the data in the map looks) in Section 3.2. 6
1.5 Adding Your Locations Mortgage MarketSmart gives you the ability to upload your own branch or loan locations either through a batch process uploading your own table of addresses, clicking on the map or by typing in individual addresses. Add New Location Group. Click on Locations tab in the Map Contents Toolbar. 1. Click on the Locations tab in the Map Contents toolbar. 2. Click on the New Location Group button at the top left of the panel. 3. Fill in the Name and Description blanks in the New Location panel. 4. Choose to use Shape or Image for symbolizing your locations on the map, either from the drop-down menu (shape) or the image picker (image). 5. Adjust the opacity, fill color, boundary color and size for shapes, and the opacity and size for images. 6. Browse to the table containing your addresses. See the sidebar on the next page to learn more about the necessary format for your address table. 7. It will take several minutes to geocode (place in the map) multiple locations. Click on the Refresh button at the top of the Locations tab to begin the geocoding process (see diagram on next page). 7
8. When the geocoding is complete, the little circle to the left of the Location Group name will be green. 9. If the circle next to the Location Group name is yellow, it means that there are one or more locations within the batch that were not placed. Typically, this occurs when an address is not complete or is incorrect. 10. You can continue to work in MarketSmart while your locations geocode. About Your Address Table: Your address table needs to be in a.csv (comma-delimited) format. It must include fields for the following: Name (or unique ID), Address, City, State Abbreviation, Zip. It can include other columns, which you will need to identify using the Customize Fields button at the top of the Locations tab. 1.6 Working with Your Locations Refresh button begins and refreshes the geocoding process. Delete Location Group. Edit Locations Edit Location Group. 1. Click on the Locations tab in the Map Contents toolbar. 2. Click on the Edit Location Group button to the right of the group s name to: Change the image or shape of the locations on the map Change the size or color of the locations on the map. Change the description or the name of the Location Group 3. Click on the Delete Location Group button to delete the location group. 4. Click on the Edit Locations button to the far right to view and edit specific locations. Edit a specific location within the group. Add a location to the group. Delete a specific location from the group. 8
2. Getting Started: Working with Your Map Now that you ve loaded the datasets and locations you want to examine, you are ready to use the query tools and the data grid to filter your data, create scenarios, create markets, compare markets, and get more details from the map and data grid. 2.1 Refining Your Data By Drawing On the Map (aka Spatial Query Tools) Spatial Query tools make it easy to create or filter markets and data around locations and geography. Let s say you have a branch in Haverford, PA and you want to know the projected loans in the market around that branch. Use the spatial query drawing tools to create the market, and view the data in or export it from the Data Grid. Access the tools for a spatial query by choosing Selection Tools under the Map Tools menu item in the MarketSmart toolbar. 1. Choose the dataset you want to query from the drop-down menu in the Selection Tools. 2. Choose how you would like to view the layer. Results in New Layer allows you to see the query you draw on top of the original dataset. Filter Current Layer reduces the dataset you are querying to show only the selection you ve made. 3. Select what you want to do with the features you select. Choose New if you are creating a new query, Append if you are going to add more features to your selection and Remove if you want to remove the features you are selecting from the query. 4. Choose your drawing tool. Any feature that the tool you are using intersects (touches) will be selected for the behavior you chose in #3. 5. Your spatial query results or spatial query filter will be in your Map Contents. 9
2.2 Refining Your Data with Attribute Queries Attribute queries make it easy to create or filter markets and data based on the attributes or fields -- of the geographies in the data. Here s an example: you are a Regional Manager and you are trying to select specific markets from your five-state region that have more than 2,000 loans and have an average loan size < $250,000. Use an attribute query to find these markets. Use the Query Builder tool under the Map Tools menu and the query builder window opens. 1. Choose the dataset you want to query from the drop-down menu in the Query Builder. 2. Select filters for your query. Choose an attribute (field) and the qualifier from the drop-downs, and enter your desired text or value in the blank. You can add as many filters as you want by clicking on the Add Criteria button and then specifying And or Or from the menu in the box that appears. 3. You must provide a name and description for your query. 4. Choose how you would like to view the layer. Results in New Layer allows you to see the results of your query on top of the original dataset. Filter Current Layer reduces the dataset you are querying to show only the results. 5. Choose what you want to do next. Choose Run Query if you only want to apply this query for one time and Save & Run Query if you want to save it, too. If you click Save you will save the query but not see any results on this map. 6. Your query results or query filters will be in your Map Contents. 10
2.3 Creating A Market Let s say you just finished drawing a spatial query around a new branch at the census tract level OR you just ran an attribute query for all of the tracts with average loan sizes greater than $150,000. You like the results and think they should be named Northside Branch Market. You want to know the purchase totals for that market for Black-African/American lending, but you don t want to redraw the query on another new layer or have to fill out the query builder again. What should you do? Create a market. 1. Click on the Create Market button at the bottom of the Map Contents tab. The New Market window will appear. 2. Select the map layer (dataset, query, filter layer) for your market and its geography level. 3. Decide if the selected features (which show in the right column) will be part of a new market or if you are going to add them to an existing market. 4. Click on the Save Changes button to save this market. 5. The market will be saved in your Markets tab, but will not automatically be added to the map. Click on the + next to its name to add it back. Click on Create Market button at the bottom of Map Contents window. These are the component features of the market. If they are checked, they will be included in the market. Choose which map layer is the basis of your market. 11
2.4 Applying or Filtering by Market Markets are the foundation of Mortgage MarketSmart because they are also the foundation of your business. Mortgage MarketSmart not only makes it easy to create markets, it also makes it easy to view the market intelligence you want to see for only one market (or two, or three or more). Let s say you create and save markets that match your regional configurations. You can view and work with the data for each region: change the symbols, export the data grid, perform queries. Here s how:. 1. Navigate to the Map Contents tab to view your datasets. Click on the Configure the Content Item button to the right of the layer name. 2. Two visible tabs will open up below the Configure Dataset section. Click to access the Markets tab. 3. Check the box(es) next to the market(s) you would like to apply as a filter. On the map, your dataset will change to reflect only the geographies within the checked markets. Click on Configure Content Item button. Click on Markets tab. Choose the market or markets to apply as a filter. The map reflects the market you have chosen. 12
You can also see your data filtered by multiple markets at the same time. Now you can symbolize your markets how you would like to see the data by clicking back to the Symbols tab. 4. You can change the symbology of your market s dataset by clicking on the Symbols tab (next to the Markets tab) and following the same steps as indicated on page 14, under Section 3.2. 13
NOTES about Markets: A Market can be used across maps and datasets. It is a collection of saved geographies. This means that you can always reference your saved markets, even when you are adding a new dataset. A Market can be applied UP, but not down. This means that if you create a market using a dataset that is comprised of CBSA(MSA)s, you can apply this market to counties and to census tracts. If you create a market that is comprised of counties, you will be able to use it on census tract layers, but NOT on CBSA (MSA) layers. CBSA Markets can be applied to County datasets. CBSA Markets can be applied to Census Tract datasets. County Markets can be applied to Census Tract datasets. County Markets CANNOT be applied to CBSA datasets. Census Tract markets CANNOT be applied to County or CBSA datasets. After you configure your dataset to filter by your markets, the data grid will reflect only the selected market(s) data. To view the entire dataset on the map or the grid, you will need to return to the Configure your Dataset tabs and un-check the boxes next to the market names. 14
3. Getting Started: Viewing & Exporting Your Work Mortgage MarketSmart wants to make it easy for you to see, understand and apply our market data in your maps and in your tables. 3.1 Viewing & Exporting Your Data The data grid provides you with an easy way to access the details of what you see in the map. To open the data grid, you can either click on the Data Grid tab at the bottom of the application to activate the window or you can click on any layer in the Map Contents tab to view its data in the grid. See the picture below to see all of the things you can do with the data grid. Toggle between different datasets using this drop-down. Export your data to Excel. Sort by field. Choose to view your data by table, summary or bar chart. Use the page options, the scroll bar, and even determine which columns to freeze. REMEMBER: you can customize which fields are visible in the data grid using the Configure button for each dataset in the Dataset tab. 15
3.2 Changing What Your Map Shows Mortgage MarketSmart maps were meant to help you see and understand market data in a meaningful way without needing the skills of a cartographer. Changing what and how the data is viewed is called changing its theme or symbology. Here s an overview of what you do when you want to change the theme in a particular map. Click to configure the map layer. 1. In the Map Contents tab, click on the Configure button to the right of the layer name. The Symbols tab should be open; if not, click to view it. 2. You will have two options: Use Default Theme and Use Custom Theme. The Default theme will apply the original symbology of the dataset. 3. If you choose Use Custom Theme, the window will provide you with dropdown menus to define your custom theme. 4. Using the Field drop-down, choose which attribute you want to symbolize. 5. To choose the colors to use, use the Color Theme options in the drop-down. 6. Specify a border color and a border thickness. 7. Now you must choose a classification type. This choice will greatly impact the trends and patterns you see in your data. Here are the formal descriptions of the three classification methods: Quantile Classification Method: This method classifies data into a certain number of categories with an equal number of units in each category. Equal Intervals Classification Method: This method sets the value ranges in each category equal in size. The entire range of data values (max - min) is divided equally into however many categories have been chosen. Natural Breaks Method: This method is designed to determine the best arrangement of values into different classes. This is done by seeking to minimize each class s average deviation from the class mean, while maximizing each class s deviation from the means of the other groups. In other words, the method seeks to reduce the variance within classes and maximize the variance between classes. 16
Here is the same map, with different methods: Quantile Classification Method: creates classes with the same number of features in each. Equal Intervals Classification Method: creates classes that have the same range of values (ranges of 65 loans for example. Natural Breaks Method: creates classes that try to group features that are similar in value with each other (like with like). 17
Changing the symbology is probably the most technically challenging of the functions in Mortgage MarketSmart. A best practice when you are changing the symbols is to try out the various classification methods, and to try them with different numbers of classes. You ll probably decide that one of these alternatives works best for you, but while looking at all of them, chances are you will find some interesting patterns about your markets. NOTES about CHANGING MAP THEMES/SYMBOLOGY There is a LOT more to come with this functionality. Here is what to expect: Color ramps showing instead of text More color ramp choices The ability to create your own class breaks The ability to change symbols for just one class (instead of only a ramp) Ability to symbolize non-numeric fields You can change the map symbology in both the Map Contents Tab and using the Configure tab next to the dataset in the Dataset tab. What s the difference? Changing it in Map Contents changes it only in that map. Changing the symbology in Datasets allows you to create your own default symbology for this dataset for each time you add it to any map. If you don t want to change the symbology, you can always return to the Mortgage MarketSmart defaults. The defaults are: Census tract datasets: 2014 Loan Counts using heat map color (blue to red), Natural Breaks, 6 classes. County datasets: 2014 Loan Counts using heat map color (blue to red), Natural Breaks, 10 classes. MSA datasets: 2014 Loan Counts using heat map color (blue to red), Natural Breaks, 8 classes. 18
3.3 Configuring Your Datasets Using the Configure Datasets. Configure dataset. 1. In the Map Contents tab, click on the Configure button to the right of the layer name. The Symbols tab should be open; if not, click to view it. 2. You will have two options: Use Default Theme and Use Custom Theme. The Default theme will apply the original symbology of the dataset. 3. If you choose Use Custom Theme, the window will provide you with dropdown menus to define your custom theme. 4. Using the Field drop-down, choose which attribute you want to symbolize. 5. To choose the colors to use, use the Color Theme options in the drop-down. 6. Specify a border color and a border thickness. Add Data to map. 19
4. Getting Started: Sharing and Saving Your Work You ve done a lot of work. You want to share it with others. And, you don t want to do it all over again the next time you log in. What can you do? 4.1 Saving Your Map You can save a map in Mortgage MarketSmart the same way that you save a document or spreadsheet to your computer, except that it is stored in your MarketSmart account. Use the Maps tab of the toolbar to create, edit, access, save, and delete your maps. When you save a map, Mortgage MarketSmart will save the map s extent, along with the layers visible in the Map Contents, including dataset layers, spatial and attribute query layers, filters, locations, and the symbology you chose for each of those. 1. To save your work, click on the Save Map button at the top of the Map Contents tab. You will be prompted for a name. 2. Click on Save Changes. 3. If you are working in a map and choose to start a new one, click on the New Map button at the top of the Maps tab. Be aware that if you have a previously saved map loaded when you click on to create a New Map, it will remove the contents of that map from the Map Contents. 4. Use the three buttons to the right of the map in the Maps tab to: Edit the name of the map Make a copy of the map Delete the map from your account. 5. You can search your saved maps. The Maps tab includes a Search function that allows you to search your list of saved maps to easily find the correct one. Simply type in a string or word that is contained in the map name and all related results will appear. Edit, copy and delete your saved maps. 20
4.2 Printing Your Map 1. From the Map Options menu on the Mortgage MarketSmart Toolbar, click to Print Map. Print map. 2. The Print Map Preview will open and you will be prompted to : Choose a title for your map Zoom in using the + and buttons to get the view you want. Choose your style (with legend, map only, etc.) Choose paper size. 21
4.2 Exporting Your Map 1. From the Map Options menu on the Mortgage MarketSmart Toolbar, click to Export Map. Export map. 2. The Export Map Preview will open and you will be prompted to : Choose a title for your map Zoom in using the + and buttons to get the view you want. Choose your style (with legend, map only, etc.) Choose file type (JPG, PNG) NOTE about EXPORTING MAP: You will need to choose either the Gray Canvas basemap or Streets basemap to export your map. This is a known issue with Bing maps, and will have a solution shortly. 22