Where does GIS fit into business intelligence?

We often hear that GIS is moving beyond its traditional user base. Business applications of the technology are a new and exciting area; integration with SAP and Cognos, location analytics and Esri Maps for Office …..

Increasingly more of my time is now spent discussing business location intelligence. These are not your standard GIS conversations. Firstly the term GIS is never used; location technology, location platform, location strategy are all preferred. Second, these are often discussions on what is missing in current business intelligence systems (BI). The short video below steps through a business case for location technology in the outdoor advertising space:

We reference Tableau in the video. This is a popular BI platform. Providing a plethora of tools to help identify, develop and create new business opportunities. Tableau recognise the importance of geographic data, and have built in mapping capabilities. We’ve included their mapping software Web page below:

This is a nice addition to the Tableau core offering, but as we know, a map is an intuitive way to visualize geographic data. The missing element in most BI platforms is in depth location intelligence or:

“the capacity to organize and understand complex phenomena through the use of geographical relationships inherent in all information”

These new conversations with business leaders are very exciting. Location intelligence can provide deeper insight into their data, helping to dramatically improve their business opportunities.

Tags: business intelligence, ESRI, GIS, location intelligence, outdoor advertising

Categories: ArcGIS Online, cloud GIS, Mobile ArcGIS, Web and mobile GIS

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