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first published week of: 04/06/2015
Geographic information systems have been around for decades, but simplified tools aimed at traditional business users are spurring greater adoption.
At a recent fundraiser for Medair, a U.K.-based aid organization that provides relief to people affected by natural and man-made disasters, data-rich maps did most of the talking.
One worker found himself talking with a French attendee who spoke limited English. The language barrier made it hard to explain why the organization's work was worth supporting. But when the attendee saw a map with data illustrating how much money and other resources went to help refugees from the Syrian crisis who had settled in Lebanon, he got it.
"Data is powerful when presented in a way that's interesting," said Rob Fielding, Medair's technology and innovation officer. "When you show that to a donor, it just makes sense right away. It would be hard to see this in an Excel table."
It's not just aid organizations who see value in location intelligence software. In recent years the tools have become simpler to use, which is driving growth in adoption and spurring more businesses to see what location data can do for them. continued…