Complex market research project needs hope
August 16, 2012 9:19 AM Subscribe
How can I use some sort of GIS or market analysis software in the project I've been assigned?
So here's the scenario: I work for a company that is currently marketing itself to ~4000 targets spread across the US, ~400 of which we've deemed "priority" targets. We are about to hire 4 sales reps and would like to place them in or near major cities so that they have the maximum number of targets within a 4-5 hour driving radius (this could also be a straight-up mile radius if need be).
The "priority" targets would of course receive some sort of weighting so that we'd prefer to hire a sales rep in Charleston if it has 50 priority targets and 300 regular targets in range rather than hire a rep in St. Louis if it only has 350 regular targets in range.
Now, I already have a giant spreadsheet with all the relevant information about each of these targets, including contact info, address, lat/long coordinates, priority status, email address, and so on. The trouble is that I don't know which system, if any, will let me consolidate all of this into a presentable format and then make a decision on where to place our 4 sales reps.
I can map everything and determine how many targets are within a given mile radius using Quantum GIS, but that's not very reproducible for others who might not be technically savvy, nor does it display the secondary data (email address, contact name, etc.) in any decent way. I can do drive time radii with my Esri Business Analytics Online demo account, but I can't get it to tell me how many of my targets are inside those radii. I can see everything on a presentable and easy-to-understand map using BatchGeo, but it doesn't have the radius functionality.
If you can't tell, I'm sort of at my wits end here. I feel like I have access to all the right systems, but I can't figure out how to combine them correctly to get to my end goal. General suggestions would be very welcome, and please ask me for clarification if needed. Half of the problem is that the process is still working itself out in my brain, but if you're aware of a tool that might be able to help, please let me know.
Thanks!
So here's the scenario: I work for a company that is currently marketing itself to ~4000 targets spread across the US, ~400 of which we've deemed "priority" targets. We are about to hire 4 sales reps and would like to place them in or near major cities so that they have the maximum number of targets within a 4-5 hour driving radius (this could also be a straight-up mile radius if need be).
The "priority" targets would of course receive some sort of weighting so that we'd prefer to hire a sales rep in Charleston if it has 50 priority targets and 300 regular targets in range rather than hire a rep in St. Louis if it only has 350 regular targets in range.
Now, I already have a giant spreadsheet with all the relevant information about each of these targets, including contact info, address, lat/long coordinates, priority status, email address, and so on. The trouble is that I don't know which system, if any, will let me consolidate all of this into a presentable format and then make a decision on where to place our 4 sales reps.
I can map everything and determine how many targets are within a given mile radius using Quantum GIS, but that's not very reproducible for others who might not be technically savvy, nor does it display the secondary data (email address, contact name, etc.) in any decent way. I can do drive time radii with my Esri Business Analytics Online demo account, but I can't get it to tell me how many of my targets are inside those radii. I can see everything on a presentable and easy-to-understand map using BatchGeo, but it doesn't have the radius functionality.
If you can't tell, I'm sort of at my wits end here. I feel like I have access to all the right systems, but I can't figure out how to combine them correctly to get to my end goal. General suggestions would be very welcome, and please ask me for clarification if needed. Half of the problem is that the process is still working itself out in my brain, but if you're aware of a tool that might be able to help, please let me know.
Thanks!
Best answer: Seconding arcmap, and you should use miles instead of drive time. Miles are more intuitive, and don't change with traffic patterns.
posted by oceanjesse at 10:10 AM on August 16, 2012
posted by oceanjesse at 10:10 AM on August 16, 2012
Best answer: Your strategy in Quantum GIS is probably the most straightforward, in spite of the limitations of the linear distance, and then exporting via a table or something fancier.
If you were to do this in ArcGIS, it would be done by selecting sites by location from within a "service area" operation originating from each potential target city (using the Network Analyst extension, which would also require you to prepare transportation network data for each location as well--could be worth the demo).
Cursory googling reveals that exporting the service area polygons from Esri BAO has been suggested but not yet implemented. Perhaps another can confirm whether ArcGIS online or the BAO suite allow for selecting by location within this framework.
posted by zachxman at 12:22 PM on August 16, 2012
If you were to do this in ArcGIS, it would be done by selecting sites by location from within a "service area" operation originating from each potential target city (using the Network Analyst extension, which would also require you to prepare transportation network data for each location as well--could be worth the demo).
Cursory googling reveals that exporting the service area polygons from Esri BAO has been suggested but not yet implemented. Perhaps another can confirm whether ArcGIS online or the BAO suite allow for selecting by location within this framework.
posted by zachxman at 12:22 PM on August 16, 2012
Response by poster: Thanks for the input everyone! I've installed the ArcGIS Desktop demo, so once I learn their interface I'll hopefully be able to get this thing knocked out.
posted by aheckler at 5:13 AM on August 20, 2012
posted by aheckler at 5:13 AM on August 20, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Forktine at 9:59 AM on August 16, 2012 [2 favorites]