7.4 Additional Sectors

Skim the following material about Location Intelligence applications. While reading, think about the applications and the possibilities for other sectors.

Insurance

Breading, Mark. 2018. The Most Important (and Overlooked) Tech. Location Intelligence Archives – Insurance Thought Leadership. Blog (web). 24 Jul 2018.

Insurers should consider an enterprise location strategy which improves the use of GIS to store georeferenced demographic and connected sensors data, new spatial technologies for indoor and 3D mapping, and open platforms to gain improvements through collaboration. The data scientist role is emerging in insurance with significant access to open source and third-party data on weather events and forecasts, geographic location attributes, and consumer behavior. 

Healthcare

Murray, Peter. 2018. Meet the growing demand for senior care facilities with a modern site planning approach. CARTO. Blog. 13 Jun 2018.

Healthcare site planning now considers population behavioral patterns and human geography. The author indicates a trend where more seniors are moving to cities and metro areas to retire close to adult children. Location intelligence provides decision makers criteria, optimal sites, and recommendations to locate new healthcare and assisted living centers to meet future senior needs.

Banking

Voorhees, John. 2018. Secrets to Successful Branch Distribution. Peak Performance consulting Group. 23 Aug 2018. Webinar.

Banks consider both location and site to grow and/or consolidate their branch banking operations. Locations and trade areas optimize where people shop, live, and commute; sites attract customers and align with local businesses. The financial intuition which creates the most convenient network will gain a greater share of customers and deposits.

Sustainability

Denchak, Melissa (2018). Flint Water Crisis: Everything You Need to Know. Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). 8 Nov 2018. https://www.nrdc.org/stories/flint-water-crisis-everything-you-need-know

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). (2020). New Report Presents a Framework for Assessing the Sustainability of Monitored Natural Attenuation. USGS: Environmental Health – Toxic Substances Hydrology Program. Online https://www.usgs.gov/publications/usgs-toxic-substances-hydrology-program-2010

Wiitala, S.W., Vanlier, K.E., & Krieger, R.A. (1963). Water Resources of the Flint Area Michigan. Department of the Interior, USGS: Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 1499-E. The preservation of natural resources is not just a 21st-Century concern.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) monitors water quality in surface waters and groundwater aquifers to study the availability, use, and quality of water for residential, business, industry, agriculture, energy production, and recreation access. Water is critical to balancing sustainable development and societal-environmental interdependence. Businesses and communities share a responsibility for the appropriate use of natural resources—to include water—without damaging the environment, conducting illegal activities, or drawing an unfair share of resources from society and nature. The Flint River crisis in Flint, Michigan highlights a recent example of harmful lead contamination in the public water sources impacting the health of citizens relying on their community.

Murphy reinforces tracing the connections of human-environment dynamics and understanding that what happens in one place affects or is affected by activities elsewhere (2018: pp.102-103). Geospatial analysis is central to modeling and confronting environmental sustainabilty challenges.

"Consider the local organic foods movement that has taken root in the United States and Europe over the past couple of decades. The movement was driven by a desire to promote sustainable local farms, undermine the power of corporate agriculture, and reduce the environmental impacts of the long-distance transport of consumables."

Utilities

Emison, Bill. 2018. myWorld: A radical approach to location intelligence for non-GIS users in utilities. SPAR3D. 1 Nov 2018.

The Utility sector includes facilities management, power generation and distribution, utility companies, and municipalities controlling infrastructure operations. The entire concept of Smart Cities highlights the connection of utilities, sensors, location intelligence, mobile communications, enterprise and cloud computing, and the ability for field workers to access accurate geospatial data.