Location Intelligence and Business Geographics

Unlike your father’s vintage Chevrolet, the half century old polygon based trade area does not appreciate with age. Sure, there is something that can be said about a “time-tested” model, but retail above all other industries should value an organization’s ability to adopt new technologies and embrace change. Authors David Doering, Shaofei Chen and Jay Ward of Tango Management Consulting take us "beyond block groups and census tracts."

Mapping of potential retail outlets is one of the first steps in putting a distribution channel in place while launching a telecommunications brand. This is the second article in a two-part series on utilizing location intelligence to organize and understand information through a geographical perspective, enabling informed decisions about retail marketing. Author Abhishek Bhardwaj, associate consultant for Infosys, uses Bangalore, India as the setting for his analysis.

What should the satellite companies DigitalGlobe and GeoEye do now that ongoing talks of mergers and acquisitions are a well-publicized fact? It’s a pretty fair bet that something has to happen soon since it looks increasingly like the government will cut spending for commercial remote sensing satellites. Editor in Chief Joe Francica writes an open letter to the CEOs of both companies with some "free" advice.

Location intelligence can enhance sales, marketing and distribution functions in launching a telecommunications brand and establishing retail sites. Mapping of retail outlets provides information about prospective dealer outlets that will establish a network through which products and services can be offered. This is the first article of a two-part series on utilizing location intelligence to organize and understand information through a geographical perspective to make informed decisions about retail marketing. Author Abhishek Bhardwaj, associate consultant for Infosys, uses Bangalore, India as the setting for his analysis.

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Advances in online mapping are making maps almost commonplace on news websites and blogs. Some sites even analyze the map, providing that “value add” that goes beyond “dots on a map.” Executive Editor Adena Schutzberg shares three websites worth watching that help identify the power of maps to provoke discussion and action.

Location intelligence solutions are exploding at the enterprise level and becoming more integrated with business intelligence software. The resources provided here look at how many industry sectors (transportation, retail, real estate and others) are using geospatial information to drive business and secure a competitive advantage.

For the past 10 years, the geospatial sector has experienced what many believe was bubble-like growth. Some would attribute the growth to the U.S. federal government’s support of our military engagements and intelligence gathering initiatives to thwart terrorism. Recently, this growth trend has been abating. Is this good or bad for the geospatial technology sector? Intergraph Vice President Mladen Stojic’s take on this situation may surprise you.

As we continue to introduce you to some of your colleagues in GIS, this week we meet John Corbett, Eonfusion system architect with Myriax.