Thematic Mapping was once a specialist process for analysing statistical data spatially. GI Professionals understood how to do it, why they were doing and how to interpret the results. Thanks to the proliferation of API’s from the Web 2.0 world, Thematic Mapping API’s have become readily available and accessible by any developer with basic technical know how. You don’t have to be a GI Professional to create an impressive looking Thematic Map of your data. This presentation attempts to discuss how increased accessibility to geospatial processes is a good thing, BUT, you need to understand the underlying principles of geospatial analysis if you are going to leverage this technology