Easy step 2: Identify the data you need

31 October 2011

(Step 2 of 7 of eSpatial’s “Get started using GIS in 7 easy steps” series.)

In Step 1, you created and then prioritised a list of questions that you’d like to answer. In the blog post, we counselled you to think big, and not be limited by considerations like data.

Now’s the time to think about data!

Identify the data you need on a question-by-question basis
Working through your prioritised list, you need to identify the different pieces of data required to answer each question.

For example, if your top 3 questions are:

1. Where are our highest-spending customers located?
2. Will a product aimed at a certain demographic do well in a certain area?
3. Are revenue figures negatively impacted when our competitors are located next to our retail outlets?

You’ll need the following data for each question:

1. Where are our highest-spending customers located?
   • Customer addresses.
   • Amount spent by each customer within a given period.
2. Will a product aimed at a certain demographic do well in a certain area?
   • Demographic data for the area – like age, income & gender statistics.
3. Are revenue figures negatively impacted when our competitors are located next to our retail outlets?
   • Addresses of all your retail locations, and revenue figures for each.
   • Addresses of your competitors’ retail locations.

Identify whether your organisation already has the data
Now that you know what data you need to answer your questions, it’s easy to see whether this already exists within your organisation, or whether you need to look for the data from an external source.

Here’s our example again:

• Customer addresses: Available internally, from our CRM.
• Amount spent by each customer within a given period: Available internally, from our CRM.
• Demographic data for the area – like age, income & gender statistics: Don’t have this internally.
• Addresses of all your retail locations, and revenue figures for each: Available internally, from various sources.
• Addresses of your competitors’ retail locations: Don’t have this internally.

Identify potential sources for data you don’t already have
If there’s data that you don’t already have, don’t worry! There is a wealth of data available, and it’s likely that whatever you need will be available from someone, somewhere.

What’s important is that you now identify where you might get this data from – and what costs might be involved. Some data is available for free – but you may need to pay for more specialised data.

If you simply can’t find what you’re looking for, speak to your GIS vendor and see if they can give you some helpful advice.

 
And that’s it for step 2! Check back next week for our in-depth look at Step 3: Gather & format your data.