Location intelligence: a supply-side analysis

Published by: Ovum Plc

Published: Aug. 12, 2009 - 26 Pages

Table of Contents

Executive summary

In a nutshell

Key messages

LI opportunities abound: plan to support growing demand

Don’t try to shift boxes: sell solutions to business problems

Look to embed LI into applications rather than offer tools for end users

It’s critical to get the data layer right first

Make sure you support access to all appropriate data sources

Understand what your LI-enabled business users really want and need

Make LI a natural extension to traditional BI

The enterprise market favours ‘stack-centric’ LI/BI vendors

But LI also needs to be differentiated from BI

Work with, not against the existing IT infrastructure

SOA is a key market driver

Keep a close eye on technology and development trends

Targeting LI at the business mainstream

The need to address real business problems

Slicing up LI vertically

Supply chain, logistics and transportation

Government

Retail

Insurance

Telecommunications and utilities

Who sells LI technologies?

It’s a highly fragmented vendor landscape

LI specialists

Pitney Bowes/MapInfo: demonstrating strong breadth and depth

ESRI: building on its leadership in GIS

GeoVue: opting for a narrow application focus

Integeo: a partner-friendly approach

MetaCarta: pulling unstructured location data into the mix

Safe Software: exclusive focus on spatial ETL

SRC: complex spatial data management in a seamless workflow

BI vendors

IBM Cognos: BI just one of several LI integration points

Information Builders: an eye on mashups

MicroStrategy: maintaining a close alliance with PBBI

Netezza: pre-bundling spatial as a function of an appliance

Pentaho: an open source option

SAP BusinessObjects: betting on ESRI, for now at least

SAS Institute: potential to fulfil a high-end LI gap

Tibco Spotfire: visualisation prowess ideally suited to LI

Database and ERP suppliers

Oracle: leading the spatial charge among database vendors

IBM: starting to pepper spatial across its vast portfolio

Microsoft: continuing to commoditise LI

SAP: using partners to bring geospatial capabilities to ERP applications

Systems integrators

Market dynamics

Influencers

Better availability of geographical information sources

More mobile devices, more location data

Consumer mapping tools have set the standard for commercial use

SOA starting to address sticky integration and interoperability issues

Mashups now offer a quick, easy and cheap way to LI

Data standards are starting to gel

Market challenges

LI still viewed as a highly specialised niche

Making location data more accessible and affordable

Data quality remains a hurdle

Slowly evolving standards

The old perceptions of maps and complex technology

Abstract

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