QUARTERLY LOCATION BUSINESS NEWS
Here are the most interesting or important articles from the Web, according to Location SmartBrief readers:
LOCATION ECOSYSTEM
1. U.S.GeospatialIndustryTalliesEstimated$73BillioninRevenues
August 7, 2013
The U.S. geospatial industry has generated $73 billion in revenues and saved organizations that use geospatial services around $1.4 trillion, according to estimates from Boston Consulting Group. The industry also has created a half million high-paying jobs. Globally, the geospatial industry has generated $274 billion in revenues, according to a separate study from Oxera. http://bit.ly/1eJfPF6
2. Analysis: Nokia’s Here Platform Could Compete with Google
Sept.4, 2013
After selling its handset business to Microsoft, Nokia will retain three divisions that interim CEO Risto Siilasmaa says will carry “a much stronger balance sheet.” These are the Nokia Solutions and Networks telecom equipment unit, the Here location-based services division, and an Advanced Technologies arm focused on sensor materials and cloud and Web technologies. Nokia’s Here platform, with its mapping, A/R and navigation capabilities, could be a contender against Google and its Glass device, David Meyer writes. http://bit.ly/18rkzWw
3. Forrester Analyst: Location Offers Mobile Marketing Advantages Far Beyond Mapping
July 3, 2013
The fact that consumers spend as much as 90% of their time indoors complicates the use of GPS for location-based marketing, acknowledges Forrester Research Senior Analyst Tony Costa. But marketers should still take advantage of the technology, because location means much more than maps and can include enhancing the consumer’s indoor experience by using analytics to deliver personalized service. http://bit.ly/16f453U
INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS
1. Graduate Student Educates about Online Privacy with Twitter Mapping App
August 28, 2013
Master’s degree student Chris Weidemann has developed an application that mines geospatial information shared by Twitter users and analyzes it using Esri’s ArcGIS software to create a geospatial picture of a specific Twitter user or a region’s users as a whole. Weidemann next plans to take his app, Twitter2GIS, a step further and allow Twitter users to test the app and see what it can deduce about their movements. “My intent is to educate social media users and inform the public about their privacy,” Weidemann said. http://bit.ly/18twkBU
2. GIS Mapping Provides Clues to Gettysburg Conflict
July 3, 2013
An inability to see the terrain of Gettysburg properly might be one of the decisive factors that led to the defeat of Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Confederate troops, according to a digital map of the battle put together by researchers. Middlebury geography professor Anne Kelly Knowles used GIS mapping to combine battlefield reports of troop movements with modern data as well as an historically accurate map stored in the National Archives’ Treasure Vault to create an interactive picture of what happened. http://bit.ly/16f453U
3. SAP Adds Location-based Analytics to Financial Industry Products
July 17, 2013
SAP will use services from location-analytics firm Esri to add decision-making tools based on location information to its product suite for financial service providers. The tools will allow companies to determine where to increase resources and efforts in locations that might process more loans when local or national laws change, SAP’s Marie Goodell said. http://bit.ly/1dkx5MX
BUSINESS AND STRATEGY PLANNING
1. What Areas of the U.S. Have the Best High School Graduation Rates?
June 19, 2013
This analysis looks at high school graduation data by U.S. county and looks at the relationship between graduation rates and per capita income, plus access to health insurance. http://bit.ly/16f7Arg
2. The Big Business of How Americans Have Fun
June 5, 2013
Major theme parks such as Walt Disney World and Universal Studios draw diverse visitors from across the country who plan their vacations around park visits. Resort ambiance such as spas, luxurious rooms and fine dining broadens the parks’ appeal to more affluent groups. Companies that know who their visitors are can continually update their attractions, encouraging their loyal visitors to return. http://bit.ly/16au77u
3. Researcher Visualizes Manhattan’s Wealth Gap with Esri Data
August 21, 2013
Web researcher and artist Nickolay Lamm built a 3D map of Manhattan that visualizes the island’s income inequality with building height. Lamm used demographic data from the 2010 census and made available on the Esri website to show how the wealthy neighborhoods surrounding Central Park tower over the low-lying neighborhoods of Harlem and the South Bronx. http://bit.ly/1992P4t
