Your SpotOn the IBM Cognos Edge

They say nature abhors a vacuum.

So do managers of enterprise solutions, separated by a void, that can and should integrate with one another. Like, say, IBM Cognos business intelligence and Esri enterprise GIS.

It's hard for us to believe that it's been only a couple of months since we introduced our latest offering for SpotOn Vantage Maps,  the Vantage Maps Starter Kit. This offering fills a void between these two complementary technologies. This is especially true for IBM Cognos customers:

• whose applications require interactive maps;
• who do not currently have access to Esri map servers, and,
• who lack the time, resources, or budget to implement a full enterprise mapping development project using a solution like the Google Maps API

We made some pretty bold statements about time to result in the two webinars we held on this new offering late last year.

We're happy to report: one of our early customers was up and running with this solution in their development environment in a matter of hours, from the time they started installing and configuring the software until they had their first geospatial business intelligence reports built. In fact, they caught us a little off guard when very shortly thereafter they indicated they were ready to take the next step and install it on their production servers.

How's that for quick turnaround, and instant extension of value for IBM Cognos business intelligence?

(the mini-series...)

We are often asked whether SpotOn can integrate Google Maps with Cognos reports, like we do with Esri map services.  Two part answer:

1. Yes we could;
2. We choose not to...

Arrogant, hard-headed, downright dumb?  Quite possibly, but here is the 30 second rationale.  Firstly, there are lots of folks exploring Google Maps - Cognos integration - and at SpotOn we tend to "go where they ain't."

More importantly, we don't believe that the Google Maps is the right choice for IBM Cognos clients.  Google Maps is simply the mapping solution that everybody knows - like the guy who loses his car keys at night and only searches under the street lamp because that's where the light is...

Google Maps has raised incredible awareness of the value of information presented spatially.  Who hasn't planned an outing, short or long, without first getting a lay of the land through Google Maps.  "Where the nearest dry cleaner, and can I get a Starbucks along the way, and drop Roofus at the Doggie Spa."

"Google Maps is my consumer mapping solution; why wouldn't I marry it with my Cognos business analytics?"  

The nutshell answer is that enterprise class BI demands enterprise class mapping.   

There are numerous supporting points to this argument, which I intend to explore in this "Google Maps Mini-Series".  The point to leave you with today:

Google Maps is a visualization solution, enterprise mapping (supported by GIS technologies) covers visualization but also enables data analytics.

Cognos BI users are used to the self-service capabilities afforded by reporting prompting, drill-downs, and drill through target reports.  Once these users began to see information presented spatially, they begin asking "spatial" questions: "show me the points inside of this 5 mile radius; now drive my list report from these spatial results."

If you have trouble visualizing the difference, I would highly recommend checking out these moving pictures.

In our next installment of the Case Against Google Maps in Cognos: Can't We Do More Than Dots on the Map...?

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Enterprise vendors, it would seem, speak pretty much the same language.

Being essentially the "glue" that binds IBM Cognos enterprise Business Intelligence with Esri GIS, we at SpotOn are always very interested in what these companies have to say about their offerings, and how they fit together.

So recently we looked at the "Industry" pages for both of these organizations:

IBM Industry solutions for IBM Business Analytics

Esri Industries GIS Mapping Solutions for Industry

It was not surprising to see a degree of overlap. After all, these are both global enterprise vendors in leadership positions in their respective domains.

What was most interesting was the extent of the overlap in what both IBM and Esri actually say. For example, if you take a moment to compare the descriptions related to banking on each site, you'll quickly discover that they both describe (among other things) improved insight into risk management, operational efficiencies, and a single view into customers and markets for better insight.

So here we have two global enterprise vendors, both aiming to make data analysis and understanding easier for managers in virtually every industry. Both of whom are recognized leaders in their fields. 

It's nice to see our strategy and products validated.

If you are an IBM Cognos customer, and you need maps in your BI and analytical applications, you may well be considering Google Maps as a solution. We love Google Maps -- for consumer applications and qualitative (as opposed to quantitative, crunch and the numbers and analyze them) spatial work and usage. We're not so convinced that it's been designed from the ground up to solve the problems inherent in secured, "behind the firewall" business data analysis. You can probably make it do that, with enough time and coding resources, but that's not the sweet spot for Google Maps. That is clearly the sweet spot for combined IBM Cognos BI and Esri solutions. 

Not convinced? Take just a few minutes to see how quickly you can integrate maps into your IBM Cognos reports.

It's no secret that governments manage a lot of information. Responsible management of large-scale budgets, infrastructure, and projects demands that governments understand where precious tax dollars are being spent, on what, by whom, at what rate, and with what impact or benefit to citizens.

Note the somewhat casual inference based on the word "where" in that last paragraph, almost as if all those other classifications (what, whom, and so on) answer the question: where are tax dollars being spent. In fact, they answer everything but where.

The "where" aspect of both business and government are often  subsumed by these other elements. That's where geospatial analysis comes in pretty handy, especially when that power is harnessed in conjunction with business intelligence and analytics.

Governments at all levels are among the largest users of geospatial information systems (GIS) to answer those key questions concerning "where". From the simple dissemination of census data, to transportation, to health, to security -- governments at all levels actively use GIS to understand and communicate key measures in these various domains. They likewise use business intelligence to manage performance.

So our participation in the upcoming January 28th IBM Business Analytics Forum for Government in Ottawa was a natural, and we're happy to be a sponsor at this event. We know IBM Cognos business intelligence. We know Esri GIS. And we have the products that bring them together in ways that nobody else can match.

Oh... and did we mention we also have Gantt charts for enterprise-scale project management based on BI data as well?

Looking forward to seeing you on January 28th!

Our message about the incredibly high value of combined GIS and Business Intelligence is spreading, and our partners are doing a great job helping organizations realize that value.

For anyone who was unable to attend the December 1 webinar conducted jointly by SpotOn Partner Assimil8 and Esri UK, you can view the recorded webinar content at the link below.

The webinar provides powerful examples of real-world scenarios involving Geospatial Business Intelligence -- spatial information combined with important business information in ways that make performance clear. Several applications involving large organizations are showcased, together with the huge savings these organizations have realized using GIS together with other enterprise data:

• DHL shaved 200,000 to 400,000 driver hours per year off their delivery fleet by optimizing routes. 
• The co-operative food organization optimized marketing based on geographic segmentation, and has gained visibility into national revenue potential across their entire network of 2000 stores.

These are just couple of highlights. There are a lot more. 

The demo presented in the Webinar shows not only how easy it is to use SpotOn Vantage maps directly within IBM Cognos reports, but it also shows how data from IBM Cognos business intelligence applications can be leveraged within Esri GIS tools. If you combine the ease of adding maps directly to Report Studio (which we showcased earlier in this demo) together with BI data intgrated within Esri tools, you get a complete bi-directional exchange of data between two highly complementary enterprise applications. You also get the potential to realize huge ROI on your IT investments.

If you're currently using IBM Cognos BI, and you're considering using maps of any kind to perform spatial analysis, take a few minutes to view the Webinar recording.