“Visualizing”Site Selection

Our third (and final) blog on technology in site selection is on the topic of data and site visualization. Normally, visualizing data and visualizing a site require very different technologies. In the world of site selection, however, they go hand-in-hand to help project teams evaluate potential locations.

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Site (Location) Visualization

Take, for example, the power we now have to perform site reconnaissance remotely, via platforms like ESRI, Google Earth, and Google Maps or with drone photography and videography. Each of these new technologies is exceptionally affordable and easily deployed; and the benefits can be immediate. In one example, the day after a nearby hurricane caused flooding in some areas, economic developers in Brunswick, GA flew a drone over our short-listed site to prove the property remained dry. Also, many property owners and economic developers make effective use of drone footage in their marketing materials. Here are a few examples:

• Stark Farms, Ohio
• Platte County, Kansas Sites
• Terre Haute Development, Louisiana
• Northwest Manatee Skyway Industrial Park, Florida
• Madison County Megasite, Mississippi

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Example of Elevation Analysis, Another Site Visualization Tool

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As these technologies continue to improve, they are enabling site selectors to perform ever more meaningful evaluations prior to fieldwork and are having a direct and positive impact on project budgets and timelines. While on-the-ground fieldwork remains essential to site selection, there is little doubt that we know that the adoption of these virtual reality technologies will become even more prevalent.

Data Visualization

In our recently published blog on Geographic Information Systems, and above, we discussed how maps and illustrative exhibits make site information more intuitive and enable more efficient evaluation. However, data visualization tools are not limited to GIS. Site selectors now have at their disposal everything from Excel (though its main purpose remains data calculation) to interactive platforms such as Microsoft PowerBi and Tableau that can create dynamic dashboards and visualizations that allow users to engage directly with data without being overwhelming.

The most powerful application of these interactive applications, however, is their ability to enable client teams to conduct sensitivity tests of the various stated priorities that are driving a site selection decision. For example, a manufacturer reliant on imports might wish to see a re-ranking of potential locations if the emergence of a domestic supplier reduced the need to be close to a deep-water port.

The Big Picture

As we wrap up our series on the topic of technology in site selection, here are the takeaways. The integration of emerging technologies is changing the location selection process for businesses by delivering data-driven insights and advanced analytics that can make good location decisions quicker and more efficient. Although technology plays a key role in optimizing the process, and will no doubt growin importance, human oversight, interpretation and intervention will, for the foreseeable future, ensure a thorough understanding of the context, nuances, and unique considerations of each site—things that technology alone can’t always capture. Without human capacity to interpret and optimize the features of the technology, the outcome is unlikely to produce the best results for the business. A balance between technological innovation and human judgment remains essential for selecting the best location.

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See the previous installments of the Technology in Site Selection Series here:

• Disruption is CertAIn
• The Future is Geospatial