Creating and downloading a shapefile from simplyanalytics.com

This walkthrough shows how to (1) sign in, (2) build a map view for a location and geography, and (3) export that geography as a shapefile with up to 10 appended data variables.

Prerequisites

• Access to your institution’s SimplyAnalytics instance (e.g., Stanford’s).
• A project/view already started or you’re ready to create a new one.
• An email address you can receive downloads at (exports are delivered by email).

1) Sign in

1. Open your institution’s SimplyAnalytics login page.
2. Choose Sign in with your account and enter your credentials.
3. Click Sign In.

2) Start a new project

1. In the top menu bar, click New Project.
2. A New Project dialog will appear asking you to search for one or more locations.

3) Select your location (example: Santa Clara County, CA)

1. In the location search box, start typing your target area (e.g., Santa Clara).
2. Select the correct result from the list (example shown: Santa Clara County, CA).

4) (Optional) Choose “seed” variables, then create the project

1. After selecting a location, SimplyAnalytics may prompt you to pick “seed” variables (these help auto-generate initial maps/reports).
2. Leave the defaults checked, or adjust as needed.
3. Click Create project.

5) Confirm the map view and pick a geographic unit

Once the project loads, you’ll see a thematic map.

1. Use the geography dropdown (top bar) to choose the output geography you want.

   • Example shown switching from Zip Codes to Census Tracts.

6) Choose the data variable you want mapped (example: income)

You can change the mapped variable in two common ways:

Option A: Quick variable dropdown

1. Click the variable dropdown in the top bar.
2. Select a variable (example shown: Median Household Income, 2025).

Option B: Use the Data panel for deeper searching

1. Click Data (left sidebar).
2. Filter/browse categories (example: Income).
3. Select the variable you want (example shown: Average Household Income).

7) (Optional) Adjust the map classification/legend before exporting

This won’t change the exported geometry, but it’s useful if you’re trying to match a cartographic look before export.

1. In the legend panel, click Edit.
2. Choose a Classification Method (example shown: switching to Natural Breaks (Local)).
3. Click Done.

8) Export the shapefile

1. In the top bar, open View Actions.
2. Click Export Shapefiles…

9) Configure the export

In the Export Shapefiles dialog:

1. Select a Location (example: Santa Clara County, CA).
2. Select a Geographic Unit (example: Census Tracts).
3. Append up to 10 data variables (check the ones you want included as attributes).
4. Confirm the Email to: field is correct.
5. Click Send.

10) Download and use the shapefile

1. Check your email for the export message from SimplyAnalytics.
2. Download the attached file or linked download (commonly a .zip).
3. Unzip it—you should see the standard shapefile components (typically .shp, .shx, .dbf, and .prj).

4. Add the .shp to your GIS (ArcGIS Pro/QGIS).

   • If anything looks “in the wrong place,” confirm the .prj came through and the CRS is being recognized.

     Example: Santa Clara County Census Tracts Dataset

Original exported filename:

SimplyAnalytics_Shapefiles_a697ee0b73511873a2a00b2ca24a0b385591024499fbc67070322d874d17bbc8.zip

Renamed for clarity:

Santa_Clara_Census_Tracts.shp

Downloaded files include:

• Santa_Clara_Census_Tracts.shp — geometry (polygons for each census tract)
• Santa_Clara_Census_Tracts.shx — spatial index
• Santa_Clara_Census_Tracts.dbf — attribute table with 10 demographic variables
• Santa_Clara_Census_Tracts.prj — projection information (typically WGS84/EPSG:4326)
• Santa_Clara_Census_Tracts_variable_names.txt — lookup table for variable meanings

Variable names and descriptions (from variable_names.txt):

VALUE0  # Total Population, 2025
VALUE1  % Age | 65 years and over, 2025
VALUE2  % Educational Attainment | Bachelor's degree or higher, 2025
VALUE3  Median Household Income, 2025
VALUE4  % Household Income | $100,000 or more, 2025
VALUE5  Average Per Capita Income, 2025
VALUE6  # Housing Units, 2025
VALUE7  % Housing Tenure | Owner occupied, 2025
VALUE8  % Housing Tenure | Renter occupied, 2025
VALUE9  Average Household Income, 2025

Key notes:

• Cryptic original filename: SimplyAnalytics generates long hash-based filenames—rename for sanity
• VALUE0-VALUE9: Generic column names in the DBF attribute table; use the variable_names.txt to decode
• 10 variable limit: This export includes the maximum (10 variables); additional exports needed for more variables
• 2025 data: Future-projected estimates based on Census Bureau data and SimplyAnalytics models

Notes and common gotchas

• Variable limit: The export supports up to 10 appended variables per shapefile export (as shown in the dialog).
• Attribute naming: Long variable names may be shortened in the shapefile attribute table—this is a shapefile limitation, not you doing something wrong.
• Repeatable workflow: If you need more than 10 variables, export multiple shapefiles and join them later using the shared geographic ID (tract/ZIP identifier).