Esri SA demos how to uncover insights around any location

Esri South Africa, a provider of geographic information system (GIS) technology and location intelligence solutions, has launched an interactive online experience designed to help businesses better understand the value of location in everyday decision-making.

Called Know What’s Around You, the experience uses a series of automated maps to show how starting with something as simple as a street address can uncover meaningful insights about the surrounding environment. From customer demographics to competitor presence and nearby points of interest, the experience highlights how location adds context to business data.

Most business data is connected to a physical place. Customers live in neighbourhoods, products are sold from stores, deliveries move along routes, and assets are located at specific sites. Location acts as a common thread that links information across customers, markets, operations, finances, assets and risks.

The initiative aims to demonstrate that maps are not just static visuals or highly technical tools reserved for specialists. Instead, they are practical, accessible tools that can help organisations make more informed decisions by revealing patterns and relationships that are often hidden in traditional reports and spreadsheets.

“Businesses already have access to large volumes of data, but much of it is still viewed in isolation,” says Patrick McKivergan, MD of Esri South Africa. “When that data is mapped, it becomes easier to see how different factors relate to one another. Location provides the context that helps organisations understand not just what is happening, but where it is happening and why it matters.”

Understanding “where” plays a critical role in business growth and efficiency. It can influence decisions about where to expand, where to improve operations, where customers are concentrated, where competitors are active and where risks may exist.

For example, a retailer evaluating a potential new store location may initially focus on the property itself. However, mapping the surrounding area can reveal important insights about nearby customers, competing businesses and local dynamics that could impact performance.

This approach applies across industries. For example, financial services organisations can better understand customers and property-related risks, Insurers can assess geographic exposure, Telecommunications companies can analyse network coverage and customer distribution or Logistics businesses can optimise routes and manage operational costs more effectively.

Maps also help bring clarity to complex or disconnected data. Information such as product sales, delivery costs, customer locations and operational incidents may appear unrelated when viewed separately. When mapped, these datasets can reveal patterns, highlight areas of concern and identify opportunities for improvement.

“Location is one of the most powerful ways to connect different parts of a business,” says McKivergan. “A map allows decision-makers to see relationships that are difficult to identify in a spreadsheet. It shifts the question from simply ‘Where is this?’ to ‘What surrounds it, and what does that mean for the business?’”

The interactive article has been created using ArcGIS StoryMaps, a platform that combines maps with narrative content in a clear and engaging format. It is designed to make location intelligence accessible, without requiring specialised GIS knowledge.

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