Location is pervasive in enterprise information and business processes, from point of sale to manufacturing plant locations. When combined with business intelligence and data visualization, location in the form of what is termed location intelligence can bolster strategic business activities.

Primary benefits of location intelligence:

• visualization
• advanced analysis & reporting
• data enhancement

When we talk about visualization in relation to location, we usually mean mapping; maps are an easy and intuitive way to see and understand data. What may otherwise be complex information can be simplified using a map. For instance, three separate tables in Excel representing customers, competitors, and demographics may not tell you much if viewed in a tabular format, but the same three tables geocoded, or referenced to the surface of the earth, and then overlaid on a map, can quickly show you where your best customers are, where they are in relation to your competitors, and where those regions are that represent the most potential based on the underlying demographics. The visual power of maps reveals trends, patterns, and insights that are not as easily detected in other data presentation formats such as tabular views, or even the ubiquitous bar and pie charts.

But location intelligence is more than mapping. It also includes advanced analysis related to spatial relationships. Spatial analysis allows you to ask “where?” questions, and when combined with Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) in your business intelligence systems, the location component can be the dimension in your analysis that leads to better, more focused decision making. Spatial analysis asks questions in terms of location: Show me all the available land parcels within 30 miles of a major city. Find me the nearest supplier to this proposed site. Where is the best warehouse location for transporting merchandise to its market?

Another linchpin of location intelligence is data enhancement; that is, enhancing enterprise information through combinations with other data sources. Location data is fabulous for this, as geography can be used as common attribute to combine otherwise dissimilar data sources. In site selection, for example, customer location data, combined with rail networks, power lines, and road network geography integrated on a map could quickly show where you might locate a manufacturing plant. These are the areas that IDV Solutions has seen the greatest increase in demand for emerging markets.