Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/109821
After mapping its current customer base, businesslocation data from sources such as InfoGroup or Hoovers can be used to highlight other local companies that may not be current customers. In addition, drive times can be mapped and combined with target customer and potential-competitor industry information to identify cities that may have the highest potential for successful expansion. Cluster Mapping GIS allows for the selection of potentially successful markets by mapping industry clusters. This is achieved by selecting, mapping and defining concentrations of certain types of businesses. If a given cluster includes a large number of target customers, a company may ramp up its marketing efforts, such as pay-per-click advertising or increased sales presence in that geographic region. If it���s looking to expand, locating near valuable industry clusters can bring the company closer to supplier sources, reduce logistics costs and increase visibility. Companies grasp the real power of geospatial technology when they see how it fits into their environment���business, consumer or natural. GIS can integrate business-level data with geologic formations, weather patterns and health information, to name a few. Most companies aren���t aware of the wealth of information that���s freely available to them, nor can they utilize the information without proper tools or training. For example, there are several oil-and-gas support firms along the Gulf Coast; however, they want to take advantage of the booming oil-shale markets in the Midwest, upper Great Plains and Canada. The U.S. Geological Survey provides oil-shale basin Shapefiles that can be overlaid on business-location data, allowing these support firms to identify potential customers in high-opportunity areas. Others are developing medical devices for physicians working with certain diseases���concentrations of patients can be found using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health and many university sources, allowing a company to concentrate on smaller areas with their product marketing. It���s the combination of all forms of data that help paint the picture of future business success. A company can gain awareness by getting to know who their customers are, where customers can be found and understanding the environmental factors that influence those customers. The benefit of economic gardening is the ability to provide these visualizations to companies that may not yet be able to take advantage of GIS expertise. ���The ability to overlay external information sources, such as cancer-incidence data, with existing business data can help narrow the focus of companies that may have limited resources for outreach. Mapping the Future Twenty-five years later, there are nearly 50 economicgardening projects operating around the nation, ranging from city to regional to full-statewide initiatives. Organizations such as the Edward Lowe Foundation (dwardlowe.org/tools-programs/economic-gardening) and the Florida Economic Gardening Institute are educating municipalities on the best way to implement economic gardening and expanding existing programs to support the growth of more companies. In the GIS profession, capabilities are improving to serve a market that may never have been aware of its existence. The future includes improving the ability for companies to interact with data through Web-based services and improving information sources to better serve B2B companies. Economic gardening offers an opportunity for business owners to understand customers in a whole new way and provides the GIS profession a new arena for improving techniques and sharing capabilities. Clay Smithers is the principal at Upriver GIS and provides GIS services to the Florida Economic Gardening Institute and National Center for Economic Gardening; e-mail: clay.smithers@uprivergis.com. F E B R U A R Y 2 O 1 3 / W W W . G E O P L A C E . C O M 29