You're distilling reality. Also, mapping is like seeing the future. When I drive the streets, I know what's going to happen next. Mapping is like seeing the future. Yellow Freight is using a map I made as a placemat for a large dinner they are hosting.
Maps boil down all data to one sheet, one graphic.
It helps people plan visually. I was working with a women's health clinic and they had me shade the census tracts by population density according to age. It turned out their targeted age group lived right in the area they wanted to locate. They also had to consider the doctors in the area. I plotted that too and it all matched up.