ArcGIS Business Analyst Online

About
Business Analyst Online (BAO) is a Web-based solution developed by Esri that combines GIS technology with extensive demographic information, consumer spending, and business details for the entire United States to deliver on-demand reports and maps. Business Analyst Online gives you detailed information about the demographic makeup of various populations and their lifestyles and buying behavior as well as information about businesses in your market area.



Uses
The BAO software is used to demographically analyze multiple aspects of business. With the help of GIS, it can be used to:


 * Perform density, or threshold analysis; visualize the results in a map; and make more informed and timely decisions about how to adapt and react to changes in your marketplace.


 * Analyze trade areas by understanding what businesses currently exist, how far customers have to travel to reach those businesses, and what your potential is to start a business in a particular area.


 * Evaluate sites that you are considering for expansion or examine your existing sites to gauge whether you are maximizing your revenue potential or service offering.


 * Identify your most profitable customers and find more like them by analyzing current spending versus potential spending.


 * Reach your customers effectively through targeted marketing messages and channels by identifying specific market segments and their preferred media and communication choices.

Generate Reports
With the BAO, there is an option to generate customized detailed reports which can help companies make important decisions easier. Some of the features included in the report are:


 * Business Data - View information such as business locations, major shopping center locations, detailed shopping center maps and retail marketplace profiles


 * Demographics - Narrow the search by comparing data that can be used for comparing business profiles, age by income profile, age by sex profile, age by sex by race profile, census data, demographic and income comparison profile, detailed age profile, disposable income profile, executive summary, housing profile, net worth profile, quarterly demographic profile and tapestry segmentation area profile.


 * Consumer Spending - In order to update the business, companies must also have an update of consumer behavior. With BAO, companies can keep a track of financial expenditures, house and home expenditures, household budget expenditure, medical expenditure and retail goods and services expenditure.


 * Market Potential – Identify areas of growth by segmenting potential markets. Develop market potential for electronic and internet technology, financial investment, health and beauty products and services, restaurants and retail.


 * Geographic Maps and Aerial Imagery - View different types of maps such as dominant tapestry segment maps, site details maps, and site maps with satellite imagery which can be useful to expand into new ventures.


 * Traffic - With BAO, there is also a feature to view information such as the traffic count profiles, traffic count maps, and traffic count close-up maps.

Key Features
With BAO, generating effective reports and maps are possible. Since this is a browser-based application, access is 24/7. It offers the ability to:


 * Analyze the market or service area – using rings, drive times, hand-drawn shapes, or standard geographies, such as state, county, block group, census tract, or ZIP Code.


 * Create custom dynamic mapping - visualize report data on thematic maps or aerial imagery, interact with maps on the screen, and view changes immediately when the parameters have been adjusted.


 * Use fast and convenient report ordering - retrieve reports and maps within minutes via email in PDF or MS Excel format.

Future of BAO
Since the Business Analyst Online uses a GIS interface to produce information, the growth and future of this software is enormous. Many businesses are now moving towards business intelligence tools which can help them to make strategic business decisions with the most accurate data available.

Health Care and Business Analyst Online
BAO can help locate potential areas of growth and development pertaining to general public health and safety. Hospitals and insurance companies can use this software to investigate the challenges involved and statistically analyze information in order to increase efficiency and access to emergency medical care. BAO can help in reducing time delays by emergency responders by identifying the shortest path. With the help of BAO reports, hospitals can get access to detailed information on census data, demographic information, and the number and age range of people living in a particular area.

GIS and BAO in Healthcare
In a study conducted by (Health Services Research) across 16-county regions involving 25 hospitals revealed that in order to integrate patient care, transportation, and hospitals in health care planning, spatial GIS and distance optimization model is used that can record patient discharge data that are geocoded to five-digit zip codes, map hospital locations to their individual addresses, and a develop a transportation network of various types of roads, along with the time taken to travel, to examine patient discharge levels.