Basic GIS tools to enhance efficiency in Logistics
- Arpit Shah
- Jun 7, 2020
- 4 min read
Updated: Dec 4
Maps have progressed from being static visual depictions of geographic information to becoming a full-fledged Visualization + Analytics + Data Management platform. The ability to query large and complex geospatial datasets and extract meaningful insights in seconds can be greatly attributed to advances in computing. With upcoming developments in wireless communication—5G and beyond—expected to spark an industrial revolution of sorts, it is not far-fetched to imagine Mapping Technology evolving into something straight out of Minority Report.
Even today, Mapping Technology is remarkably powerful. One can optimize an entire Supply Chain Network using it. Here's an excellent video showing how General Motors (GM) does so. Drawing on some training material, I aim to highlight a few basic yet highly useful capabilities of Mapping Technology for Logistics Planning.
For Upstream Planning: Consider a packaged food manufacturer—say, a cornflakes brand. The company procures maize from multiple farmers near its factories, and logistics cost is typically proportional to the distance raw material has to travel. Mapping technology can help identify which farmlands should be prioritised.
Geospatial Tool used - Multiple Ring Buffer
I first plotted the farmlands and the manufacturer’s four factories on an online mapping platform. Next, using the Ring Buffer tool, I created distance bands at 15 km, 30 km, and 50 km from each factory. This simple geospatial visual helps identify which farmlands are most cost-effective to source from.
Geospatial Tool used - Create Drive-Time Areas
While ring buffers use straight-line (Euclidean) distance, real travel time depends on road connectivity, terrain, and traffic. The Create Drive-Time Areas tool calculates the maximum area reachable within a chosen time limit—here, 45 minutes.
Unlike the uniform ring buffer outputs, the 45-minute drive-time zones vary significantly. In areas with better connectivity, more distance is covered; in areas with poor connectivity, less distance. This distinction is crucial because two farmlands equally distant in kilometres from different factories may not be equally reachable within the same time window.
For Midstream Planning: Suppose a disruption occurs: processed cornflakes packets typically move from the factories to two warehouses, but due to heavy rainfall and ensuing floods, one warehouse becomes inaccessible. A temporary storage site must be selected urgently.
The large wagon wheel represents the operational warehouse, while the two smaller wheels represent potential temporary storage sites.
Using the Summarize tool, I attached non-spatial attributes—capacity and hiring cost—to the mapped site locations. Using the Combine tool, I computed how many packets each temporary site could handle, based on:
which factories fall within its ring buffer,
their respective production capacities, and
the warehouse’s own storage capacity.
This visual output gives the decision-maker a clear, holistic understanding of the trade-offs—far superior to looking at spreadsheets alone.
Using this approach, the manufacturer can answer questions such as:
How much capacity should the temporary warehouse have?
What are the trade-offs between cost and capacity?
How much safety stock is required for future disruptions?
Given risk levels and growth plans, should a permanent new warehouse be set up instead?
A complete demonstration of this workflow—Supply Chain Modelling—can be accessed here.
For Downstream Planning: The manufacturer wants to optimize deliveries from its two warehouses to seven wholesalers. Two trucks—one stationed at each warehouse—must make all deliveries and return by the end of the day. Each wholesaler requires a 20-minute layover.
Geospatial Tool used - Routing Services
Routing is the same mathematical optimization you may have solved in school—except now automated by the mapping platform. After feeding in the constraints, the tool generated optimal delivery routes:
Green line for Truck 1
Purple line for Truck 2
Alongside the map, the tool produces a detailed Route Plan Attribute Table, such as the one shown for Truck 1:
Additional constraints like vehicle dimensions, freight type, carbon footprint, demand seasonality, reverse logistics, and even live traffic can be integrated. Modern geospatial platforms can therefore visualize, manage, analyse, and optimize entire Supply Chain Operations. Here is a repository of available geoprocessing tools for deeper exploration.
When India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the large financial package on 12 May 2020, he emphasised Supply Chain eight separate times. This underscores how crucial supply chain efficiency is for India in the post-COVID era. Mapping Technology, in my view, is one of the most scientific and impactful ways to achieve this. Happy to be of service. 👇
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Intelloc Mapping Services, Kolkata | Mapmyops.com offers a suite of Mapping and Analytics solutions that seamlessly integrate with Operations Planning, Design, and Audit workflows. Our capabilities include — but are not limited to — Drone Services, Location Analytics & GIS Applications, Satellite Imagery Analytics, Supply Chain Network Design, Subsurface Mapping and Wastewater Treatment. Projects are executed pan-India, delivering actionable insights and operational efficiency across sectors.
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