Bespoke web-based GIS solutions damage the GIS industry

Unscrupulous slick sales people are doing damage to the GIS industry.  By selling quick fix smart phone apps claiming GIS capabilities, with no statistically verifiable data, in fact, with no spatial data whatsoever.  These charlatans are providing grossly averaged out findings that claim to be micro geographic.  On closer scrutiny, none of the data is geocoded or micro-geographic.  Neither is the digital marketing database that the said micro-geographic findings entice advertisers to purchase.   

Therefore a retailer looking for location based demographic data relating to their catchment area, are receiving non-geographic averages, and in purchasing “micro-geographic” customer database marketing, ie sms marketing to the consumers living within the vicinity of the store, are actually receiving a database of consumers within the broader geographic area, and can therefore expect little return on their investment, as this spend is not going to bring about a call to action to consumers living 5-20kms from a store, as opposed to a very real call to action that would be created if the consumers did live within 1-3kms of the location as claimed, given a real value proposition.

The advertiser purchasing this campaign may have little knowledge of the capabilities of a true Geographic Information System nor the power of truly geographic data, and micro-geographic marketing.  Then again, the sales people of this product, too, have as little knowledge.  And as there are few real measures of broad digital media effectiveness, it’s difficult to quantify the lack of response to such campaigns.  

 The uninformed advertiser assumes GIS and Location Intelligence cannot provide the solution to getting more bang for their buck.  Do not be mislead and misinformed.  Contact Spatial Insights as we can, in fact, accurately and scientifically profile micro-geographic catchment areas, as well as measure customer response, and target advertising and marketing messages through efficient media channels within the prescribed geographic catchments areas.