The advent of geodata and its use in the enterprise is evident in the advancements we’re seeing in the cloud computing space.
This past week ArcGIS Beta launched. It’s an online mapping service that provides tools for making maps. You can share maps or build maps with other community members. It’s an example of how geodata is being used to create a new generation of data services that have multiple uses in the enterprise.
Today Alteryx launched a new platform-as-a-service, or PaaS, that uses geospatial data for business intelligence.
Alteryx mashes up data from transactional databases, spatial data formats, data warehouses and other formats to provide business intelligence. For instance, in the retail world, it uses geographic data to determine if a location fits into a retail franchise’s criteria for expansion.
The geospatial business intelligence market includes a number of companies, including VisTracks , which is a PaaS, and Microsoft, which is not. Integeo applies its map intelligence to spatial platforms, like Google Earth, Google Maps, ESRI and MapInfo, and business intelligence platforms, like SAP, IBM/Cognos and Microsoft Excel. Spatialytics.com is also an open-source geospatial business intelligence application.
Open Source Geospatial Business Intelligence (Geo-BI)
We expect more services to evolve as business intelligence platforms become more Web oriented, and the use of collaborative tools become easier for the non-technical person to use.
