Retail mapping helps build relationships with customers, but there are other ways retailers can leverage Big Data. For instance, the UK supermarket chain Tesco has a huge amount of data. Much of this is collected through its customer loyalty card scheme. Tesco recently introduced a free online streamed TV service for these customers. Clubcard TV shows programmes and films that are interrupted by targeted advertisements based on the buying habits of Clubcard users. While, on one level, this can be applauded as...

In this digital age of interactive maps and mapping software, there is still much to learn from what's gone before... 1. The Treasure Island map – revealing the importance of location data mapping Plot your key location data and then arrange all the other data around it. In this case, the key data is “X” (where the treasure is buried). Secondary data is the information that surrounds the primary data. Mapping this data will allow you to work out what resources you need...

Is there any other business where time and allocation of resources matter so much as in healthcare and hospital management? Life and death scenarios are dealt with on a daily, hourly and even minute-by-minute basis. While carers and providers want to supply the best care possible, they must also manage precious resources. Many studies (see article in Directions magazine) have shown that a high percentage (80% ) of the decision-making processes in healthcare management has a location-based component. It therefore...

We love Google Maps Engine Lite, and we think it's a brilliant introduction to data mapping and visualization. Much like our own eSpatial Free account, it allows you to upload your Excel data, visualize it on a map, and then share that map online. That said, we have to acknowledge its current limitations, particularly when set against heavy-hitting alternative online mapping software like our own eSpatial Pro account. Unlike our product, Google Maps Engine Lite comes with no territory mapping, no...