GIS Case Studies

For a consumer services firm, we developed a geo-demographic tool that the company could use in order to identify and prioritize geo-markets dynamically. The company used this tool to select and pursue markets through direct marketing and advertising, in coordination with its national retail/franchise presence.

For an association, we used geo-spatial analysis to identify spatial correlation and general clustering of some attributes of their stakeholders to help the association optimize the allocation of resources.

For a federal agency, we used geographic information systems to identify clusters of communities in the nation with the highest incidence of a potential health issue.

Additional GIS Uses

EurekaFacts makes extensive usage of GIS tools to provide additional insights to you about the matter under study. GIS can be used to enhance data sampling, data analysis, or data visualization.  

 GIS as a sampling tool  

• GIS can be applied to population sampling in many ways. 
• A spatial random sample can be used to reduce sampling bias when location matters. In effect, close locations are more likely to be similar (in terms of their attributes) than distant ones, so that location-based sample units need special handling to provide a representative sample. For an assessment of flooding risks, for example, a spatial random sample of areas at risk of flooding is a cost-effective way to estimate the magnitude of the eventual disaster under given circumstances.  
• When dealing with a non-location-based phenomenon, GIS can be used to visualize the spatial distribution of a sample compared to the spatial distribution of the target population, hence help assess the representativeness of the sample. This can be used to estimate the population at risk of flooding given certain circumstances. 
• GIS can be used to identify geographies with dominant demographics usually associated with low response rate, and over-sample units from such geographies to arrive at a sample of a complete representation of the target population. 

GIS as an analysis tool 

• GIS can be used to estimate the unknown value of a parameter at a given location based on the value on known value of the same parameter at different locations with similar characteristics. More specifically, a statistical model for flood risk can be implemented using a well-defined spatial sample of areas at risk, and the results confidently inferred to all areas at risk controlling for specific conditions in each area. 
• GIS can be used to evaluate the spatial correlation between different locations, hence reduce data collection cost. 
• GIS can also be used to analyze the differential impact on people and landscapes of flood risk factors considering different scenarios. 

GIS as a visualization tool 

• GIS can be used as a means to present the spatial disparities and similarities of a parameter of interest or of some characteristics of the population, or within a geographic pocket in terms of flooding risk or flooding insurance coverage. The distribution of a parameter beyond its mean or median can help better assess the impact of the variable of interest within an area. 
• GIS can provide a more visual comparison between the distribution of the parameter of interest and the distribution of the population to help prioritize public intervention for example in case flooding emergency. 
• A GIS map is always a snapshot at one point in the time of the value of a parameter in a given geography. It, therefore, provides immediate comparison, for a given geography, of the evolution of the parameter of interest for different measurements in time. 

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