How to Use the Query Data Tool

Use the Query Data Tool to identify geographic areas that meet, exceed, or fall below data thresholds of your choosing. In addition, the Query Data Tool serves as a means of converting Map Room data into tabular form, downloadable as a .csv file. This tool is available to all SparkMap users.

Select a Layer to Query

Run Your Query

Explore and Export Your Queried Data

Step 1 – Select a Layer to Query

The Query Data Tool is only accessible once you add a map layer to the Map Room.

Once you’ve added your layer and zoomed into your location of interest, access the Query Data Tool by clicking the “Tools” tab and scroll to the “Query Data Tool” heading (Figure 1).

*Figure 1 – Query Data Tool selected in Map Room*

Step 2 – Run Your Query

Click the “Select Field” box (Figure 2), and a list of your map layer’s data attributes will populate.

For example, the “Public Charter Schools” map layer contains data on each school’s name, school district, grade levels, school type, operational status, number of students, and more.

You cannot query every attribute of a map layer simultaneously – this would produce an overwhelming amount of information!

Instead, click to select one field in which you are interested, such as number of students.

*Figure 2 – Field Options for “Public Charter Schools, NCES CCD 2020-2021” layer*

Once you select your field, the value buttons may change depending on the field you selected. They might read “contains” or “equals,” or they might provide a set of symbols (=, >, <).

Select the appropriate word or symbol and enter your value of choice (Figure 3).

Example 1: If I am looking for elementary schools in my area, I would select “Grade levels” as my field, press the “contains” button, and then type “elementary” in the following space.

Example 2: If I am looking for schools in my area with less than 200 students, I would select “Total students” as my field, press the < button, and then type “200” in the following space.

Press the “Run Query” button to run your query.

*Figure 3 – Query Data tool set to identify public charter schools with less than 200 students*

Step 3 – Explore and Export Your Queried Data

The locations meeting the requirements set in your query will now be identified in your map (Figure 4).

Figure 4 – Map displaying queried data. All red dots mark a public charter school with less than 200 students.

To view the queried data visible on your map in tabular form, select the “show attributes” button (Figure 5, circled in red).

Query data attributes — *Figure 5 – “Show Attributes” button*

To download your attribute table as .csv file, select the “Download data” button (Figure 6).

Query data table — *Figure 6 – Queried data table*