Maps are a powerful visualization tool for displaying the spatial distribution of data. In Stata, the ability to make maps was first introduced in 2004 by Maurizio Pisati, as the tmap command, which was upgraded in 2014 to the shp2dta and spmap commands. Stata 15 formally integrated both of these commands as spshape2dta and grmaps respectively in 2017 as part of its support for spatial analysis.
In this guide, will be learn how to create the following COVID-19 Policy Stringency Index map:
In order to follow this guide, a basic knowledge of Stata is assumed including a familiarity with the Stata interface, dofiles, and code syntax. The guide here will introduce shapefiles, map projections, merging datasets from different sources, followed by the commands to generate customized maps, customized color schemes, and the use of locals for code automation.
Understanding shapefiles
Spatial data comes in different formats. The most common version of map data are called shapefiles that was developed by ESRI, the makers of ArcGIS, which is also the standard industrial software for mapping and spatial analysis. ESRI has also developed the now well-known dashboard used…
