GBI: More than just providing a map
Posted by Dave Kerr on Mon, Jun 13, 2011
This just in: maps make for better data analysis.
However, it’s not enough simply to provide a map to an end user within your business intelligence software environment. That is not geospatial business intelligence or spatial analysis.
Stephen Few puts it well in his book, Now You See It, when he says:
“Google Maps weren’t designed for quantitative analysis, but more and more visual analysis products are now taking geographical displays seriously and providing functionality that takes advantage of the analytical potential of these displays. The flip side of this coin, unfortunately but not unexpectedly, is that almost every business intelligence software vendor out there now claims to support geo-spatial analysis even though most of them have done nothing more than provide the means to place crude quantitative displays on poorly designed maps.”
Not only do maps matter, but providing the right map with the right functionality and ease of use for the end users and administrators is essential.