Location Intelligence: A Supply-Side Analysis

Table of Contents

• Executive summary
• In a nutshell
• Key messages
• LI opportunities abound: plan to support growing demand
• Don' t try to shift boxes: sell solutions to business problems
• Look to embed LI into applications rather than offer tools for end users
• It' s critical to get the data layer right first
• Make sure you support access to all appropriate data sources
• Understand what your LI-enabled business users really want and need
• Make LI a natural extension to traditional BI
• The enterprise market favours ‘stack-centric' LI/BI vendors
• But LI also needs to be differentiated from BI
• Work with, not against the existing IT infrastructure
• SOA is a key market driver
• Keep a close eye on technology and development trends
• Targeting LI at the business mainstream
• The need to address real business problems
• Slicing up LI vertically
• Supply chain, logistics and transportation
• Government
• Retail
• Insurance
• Telecommunications and utilities
• Who sells LI technologies?
• It' s a highly fragmented vendor landscape
• LI specialists
• Pitney Bowes/MapInfo: demonstrating strong breadth and depth
• ESRI: building on its leadership in GIS
• GeoVue: opting for a narrow application focus
• Integeo: a partner-friendly approach
• MetaCarta: pulling unstructured location data into the mix
• Safe Software: exclusive focus on spatial ETL
• SRC: complex spatial data management in a seamless workflow
• BI vendors
• IBM Cognos: BI just one of several LI integration points
• Information Builders: an eye on mashups
• MicroStrategy: maintaining a close alliance with PBBI
• Netezza: pre-bundling spatial as a function of an appliance
• Pentaho: an open source option
• SAP BusinessObjects: betting on ESRI, for now at least
• SAS Institute: potential to fulfil a high-end LI gap
• Tibco Spotfire: visualisation prowess ideally suited to LI
• Database and ERP suppliers
• Oracle: leading the spatial charge among database vendors
• IBM: starting to pepper spatial across its vast portfolio
• Microsoft: continuing to commoditise LI
• SAP: using partners to bring geospatial capabilities to ERP applications
• Systems integrators
• Market dynamics
• Influencers
• Better availability of geographical information sources
• More mobile devices, more location data
• Consumer mapping tools have set the standard for commercial use
• SOA starting to address sticky integration and interoperability issues
• Mashups now offer a quick, easy and cheap way to LI
• Data standards are starting to gel
• Market challenges
• LI still viewed as a highly specialised niche
• Making location data more accessible and affordable
• Data quality remains a hurdle
• Slowly evolving standards
• The old perceptions of maps and complex technology