In 1998, Microsoft announced its intentions to join in the mapping fray with MapPoint and put into motion changes that would forever alter the course of “business geographics.” The notion of off-the-shelf standard mapping products would inevitably be redefined as their simple, easy-to-use, sub-thousand dollar package (including data) took the labor and risk out of first tier geographic solutions. Like it or not, business users are now aware of this program and many a small geographic consulting practice is now out of business because a relationship predicated on doing “simple” geographic analytics no longer commands (or even hints at) a premium.

The recent purchase of Thompson Associates by MapInfo signaled something of an epiphany that business opportunities within the geo-business area from here out would be based less on the technical offerings of the geo-business community and more on the notion to how well it provides solution offerings. This is a profound shift and likely to create conflicts at MapInfo when sections of their sales team are selling data/software with the recommendation to build your own solution and another faction is saying that they have the answer. From my vantage point, this makes for an awkward situation – it seems to me that schizophrenic times are ahead as the company represents both positions to sales prospects who are already uncertain, perhaps dazed, about what the shift to geographic paradigms even represents.

I have taken a position for some time that solutions and only solutions are it. This might upset those who have GIS careers within Fortune 500 companies, but the reality, pure and simple, is that it is inevitable that the industry will eventually provide almost solely solutions. I say that because there are obvious inefficiencies with resolving the client companies’ needs by creating career paths in GIS functions. No matter how strong team resource might be, they simply can't encounter the full range of technical challenges and business requirements with one internal corporate organization that those within the trade will encounter serving many clients. This follows global organization strategy trends toward thinning down staff to focus on core competencies and frankly, very few companies are ultimately going to identify geographic data management as one of the competencies.

As I reflect about the industry's status, I draw from our own organization's development with our proprietary SpeedTM mapping and market analysis system solution. The system was admittedly born serving one client and probably initially represented sound methods for location analysis to only one client. As time evolved, however, we adopted the platform to several other clients in different industries and the result was that all our clients prospered by having access to the latest approaches and methodologies in place across several industries. For example, we have created standard analytic components to hunt out the next best retail location, either across a market or across the country, either on a clean slate (as if no other retail points existing) or next point (incremental to the current network) methods.

Such an application represents a very potent and competitive solution to the automotive industry, where such applications are sought for dealer planning. It represents a totally innovative avant-garde solution to many other retail and service industries, where such analytics are uncommon.

Above: Sample SpeedTM map pinpointing next best locations

SpeedTM now reflects best cross-industry practices for site selection, market analysis and marketing rolled into one with outstanding automated mapping and trade area computation features. Suffice it to say, we never would have reached this elegant position without having to attend to multiple industries.

Frankly, for those in the know, the emergence of solutions is a welcome development that repositions our focus right where it should have been all along. Helping clients identify the next big thing should indeed by our industry's next big thing.