Use GIS to shortlist suitable Sites

My recent posts have focused on using Remote Sensing to extract information about Earth Observation parameters such as pollution, heating and subsidence. Satellite imagery is immensely useful when one needs insights about environmental challenges involving land, water or air. But it is also a highly technical field—extracting accurate information from Earth Observation datasets requires training and familiarity with established methodologies. In my previous posts, I applied researcher-developed techniques to my areas of interest.

However, satellite imagery alone is not sufficient to address many of the challenges faced by private organizations and institutions. For instance, Remote Sensing is not typically used to visualise supply chain operations, detect bottlenecks, gain competitive advantage, reduce costs, or increase profits—areas that for-profit organizations prioritise deeply.

Fortunately, the broader world of Mapping includes many tools that can meet these business needs. A Geographic Information System (GIS) can store, analyse, and visualise any geospatial dataset—that is, any data with a location or positional attribute.

A simple example is a physical address. This can be plotted on a map by obtaining coordinates through geocoding. If additional attributes—such as resident demographics, income, or purchasing behaviour—are linked to the address, they too can be visualised and analysed through GIS.

A Business Scenario: Siting a New Mobile Phone Launch Market

Consider a mobile phone manufacturer looking to identify the best markets in India to launch a new model designed specifically for female users.

The desired parameters might include:

• A sizeable female population

• Above-average population density

• Residents with purchasing power above a certain threshold

• High spending on electronics and IT products
  

Using modern Mapping technology, these parameters can be applied to publicly available location datasets to identify high-potential markets-

Figure 1: High-potential markets to launch the new mobile phone for female users. Output from- Esri's ArcGIS Business Analyst (a specialized GIS Location Analytics module)

The geospatial version of Solver narrows down the entire country to nine promising pockets that match the desired criteria. These results are dynamic—you can tweak constraints to be more conservative or more aggressive, and the GIS system updates the output instantly.

Now imagine enriching this with your own organizational datasets: distribution networks, competitor locations, supplier information, and existing customers. The resulting output becomes even more tailored and powerful.

For an advanced example of GIS-based siting, you can explore this article of mine (contains a video walkthrough).

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Another Example: A Canadian Bank Planning U.S. Expansion

In Figure 2, I have plotted the existing branches of a Canadian bank in Toronto. The bank’s leadership wants to expand its branch footprint across the U.S. border into a thriving financial region.

The preferred criteria for new branch locations include:

• High population density

• Above-average household size

• Large percentage of residents with savings accounts

• High median disposable income

  
  

The bank also has data on competitors’ branch locations in the U.S.—useful indicators of attractive markets where it may want to co-locate.

Figure 2: Existing branches of a Canadian bank (blue) in Toronto, and competitor branches (orange circles) and headcounts (red) in the U.S. Suitable pockets for new branches are outlined in blue polygons. (Datasets and tutorial by Esri through the Location Advantage MOOC.)

The geospatial system evaluates both internal and external datasets and shortlists suitable parcels of land (blue polygons) for setting up new branches. Beyond the map, the data can be visualised in charts and graphs—similar to Excel—within the GIS tool itself, enabling stronger decision-making for new market entry and branch siting.

Isn’t this business-analytics-driven Mapping technology powerful?

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A Simple Case Study: Siting a New Hospital

Here’s a video prepared by an intern at my firm, Tanisha Jain, demonstrating a basic example involving the siting of a new hospital. It shows how GIS incorporates operational parameters and constraints within a geospatial format to produce meaningful results.

Video 1: Using GIS to find a suitable location for siting a new hospital. Prepared by Tanisha Jain, intern at Intelloc Mapping Services

Final Thoughts

In my opinion, Geospatial Site Suitability Modelling—when combined with spreadsheet-based modelling—is immensely valuable for any site-selection workflow: new retail stores, bank branches, hospitals, service centres, factories, and more. GIS is relatively straightforward to use, and its geospatial analytics and visualisation capabilities provide a perspective that traditional tools alone cannot offer.

I must emphasise: the higher the quality of geospatial data, the more useful and relevant your siting output will be.

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ABOUT US - OPERATIONS MAPPING SOLUTIONS FOR ORGANIZATIONS

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.

My firm's services can be split into two categories - Geographic Mapping and Operations Mapping. Our range of offerings are listed in the infographic below-

Range of solutions that Intelloc Mapping Services (Mapmyops.com) offers

A majority of our Mapping for Operations-themed workflows (50+) can be accessed from this website's landing page. We respond well to documented queries/requirements. Demonstrations/PoC can be facilitated, on a paid-basis. Looking forward to being of service.

Regards,

Arpit Shah