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How to create territories using geo-library
How to create territories using geo-library

Learn how to create territories out of state, provinces, counties and postal code areas

Sergey Shurygin avatar
Written by Sergey Shurygin
Updated over 8 months ago

Apart from drawing your territory on the map, you may also define a territory's geography by selecting existing administrative areas like states, provinces, counties, and postal codes from the geo-library:

1- Create a new territory with the Geo-library mode

After specifying other territory properties, click Save, and the Geography selector will open automatically.

2- In the Geography selector, select the desired area level

Note. You may include areas from multiple different area levels in one territory shape at once. To do this, after selecting areas at one level, switch to another level and continue to select areas.

Important note about US Zip codes

The geo-library's US Zip areas are in fact US Census Bureau's Zip Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs), which are generalized areal representations of USPS ZIP Code service areas (which are not areal features but a collection of mail delivery routes). While for the vast majority of ZIP codes, there is a one-to-one relationship between a ZCTA and the corresponding USPS ZIP Code, this is not always the case, and some USPS ZIP Codes may be missing in the geo-library.

3- Select the areas to be combined into the territory

To do it, you can use either the "Hand" tool or the "Lasso" tool:

  • when the "Hand" tool is active, clicking an area toggles the area (includes into or excludes from the territory);

  • when the "Lasso" tool is active, draw the lasso through the desired areas to select those inside the lasso into the territory.

After a lasso is drawn, Mapsly automatically switches to the "Hand" mode, so you can immediately adjust the borders of your territory by toggling areas one by one. Select the Lasso tool again if you'd like to use the lasso again.

Alternatively, you may search areas by their name/code or select multiple areas at once from an entire list of names/codes, for example, from a list of zip codes. To do this:

(i) Click Add from list:

(ii) On the From list tab, paste your list of names/codes, and click Save:

You can also paste a list of County/State pairs separate by a semicolon (;), or one County, State per line.

4- If necessary, deselect areas using the Lasso/remove tool, or from the list of selected geographies

At any time, you may use one of the two options to deselect areas:

(a) Click the Lasso with the "minus" button and draw a lasso line:

All areas that are partly or entirely within your lasso shape will be deselected.

(b) Click the "... geographies selected" to see the list of selected areas:

and then remove them by clicking the Trash icon:

6- When you're done selecting areas, click Save in the geo-selector to save your territory's shape

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