| Location Intelligence where to from here? [message #364956] |
Tue, 02 September 2008 17:37 |
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Originally posted by: info.yellowfin.com.au
Location Intelligence where to from here?
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Most people have heard of location intelligence tools such as Google Maps,
or Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Indeed, mapping technology is used
everywhere and can be accessed easily online, from a phone, and on the road.
But can these applications be used successfully in a business information
and reporting context? The short answer is yes.
Although it is early days, the marriage between location and business
intelligence software is being seen by many commentators as a highly
productive long-term relationship, rather than just a temporary fling.
What is location intelligence?
Traditionally, businesses can spend days, or even weeks physically compiling
data from customer surveys and site visits. Location intelligence software
can drastically reduce this process by mapping data electronically, thereby
freeing up time for other activities.
How does it do this?
Basically, by using common data sources, such as GIS, aerial maps and even
customer records, location intelligence technology can present data
spatially - such as an interactive map format. This is much easier for our
brains to process than traditional charts and tables. For example, by
clicking on a map, managers can quickly gain an insight into any number of
location-based business operations.
There are obvious benefits to this technology, such as tightening up
business processes, improving customer relationships and even boosting
performance and results.
Who uses it?
The applications are endless:
.. telecommunications organisations use it for network planning and design
and market analysis;
.. Government uses it for many purposes, including census updates, urban
planning, weather forecasting and emergency services;
.. retailers use it for site selection, store performance analysis and
demographic research; and
.. media organisations use it for target market identification, media
planning and demographic analysis.
But until recently, using this technology as part of a business reporting
process has mostly been the preserve of experts. This is because it has
operated on a stand-alone basis, rather as part of an organisation's
business intelligence platform. By converging the two technologies, a whole
new level of data analysis can become available to the everyday user.
Yellowfin and location intelligence
The team at Yellowfin has acknowledged the popularity of location
intelligence as a business reporting tool by incorporating the technology in
its latest release, Yellowfin 4.0. This means organisations can now
introduce location-based reporting into the business-decision making process
without requiring GIS expertise.
Yellowfin 4.0 enables a variety of mapping visualisations to be used,
including Google Maps, Heat Maps or fully-enabled GIS data-type rendering.
Of this latest trend in BI software, CEO Glen Rabie says: "With Yellowfin
4.0, we have taken two mature technologies (BI and GIS) and combined them.
One of the most exciting aspects of our latest software is that even the
casual business user can use this technology. This is one of the underlying
principles of our Yellowfin products."
www.yellowfinbi.com
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