System and method for geographic based data visualization and extraction

A method employed with regard to a computing system having a processor and a memory, the memory for storing instructions and the processor for retrieving the instructions from the memory and executing the retrieved instructions, the instructions comprising actions taken by the computing system to implement the method including:

• displaying a map on a display associated with the computing system;
• overlaying the displayed map with a map-based graphical user interface (GUI), the GUI providing a translucent view corresponding to the displayed map, the view being associated with a particular dataset, the GUI also providing interlocked queries and analysis tools to probe the dataset, the view comprising a polygon layer corresponding to the displayed map and a point layer corresponding to the displayed map, the polygon layer and the point layer working in tandem to simultaneously display both aggregated and disaggregated data across the displayed map;
• the point layer overlaying the displayed map and showing for each of a plurality of specific items a location of the specific item on the displayed map, each shown item being tied to and listed in a selectable point list displayed by the GUI on the display;
• the polygon layer overlaying the displayed map and showing a thematic display of information aggregated to sub-regions on the displayed map, the aggregated information for each sub-region being derived from the items in the point layer located on the displayed map within the sub-region;
• receiving from the user a selection of one of the specific items of the point layer or one of the sub-regions of the polygon layer;
• and
• modifying both the point layer and the polygon layer in response to the received selection and according to the dataset so as to provide additional selectable information relating to the dataset corresponding to the received selection and also to provide additional selectable information relating to the dataset that may be of interest to the user,
• modifying both the point layer and the polygon layer in response to the received selection and according to the dataset comprising rendering both the point and polygon layers such that a sub-region related to the selection is highlighted and all points located inside the highlighted sub-region are displayed, retrieving from the dataset information relating to the displayed points, generating from the retrieved information a list of entities, each entity corresponding to a displayed point, generating from the retrieved information a statistical summary of the highlighted sub-region, and displaying along with the map the generated list of entities and generated statistical summary.