X Marks the Spot: Integrating Mapping and Data Analysis to Find Hidden Trends, Patterns and More

07/27/10

Look at a map, and you know it’s all about location, location, location. Whether for real estate or for retail, location can make it or break it for your business, and leaders need to understand how location plays into performance. While most analytical software packages do not offer effective geospatial analysis capabilities, most geographic information systems (GIS) packages are too complex and too focused on geography to be useful to the everyday business analyst. This paper describes the importance of integrating geospatial analysis into your data analysis and the major geospatial analytical capabilities to look for in your mapping software.

You know the adage: location, location, location. It can make or break your business, and leaders must understand how location affects performance. Maps help people visualize their environment and orient themselves, and they're the best format to visualize geographic data. Unfortunately, most businesses haven't been able to incorporate geographic data with their business data.

Smart analytics departments continually ask questions about their data, and increasingly that has a geographical component: Where are my products selling the strongest? Where am I losing money? Until now, maps have been mere static backdrops to a mess of data, or the more complicated mapping applications have required specialists to run them, which then interrupts the analytical flow. There are very few “people-friendly” analytical mapping tools. This white paper explores geospatial analysis and what features are important in mapping software.

Sponsored By Tableau Software

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