Proceeding From 2011 Esri Business Summit: Read How Starbucks, Edward Jones, Cisco, And Others Use GIS

Transforming Business With Geographic Knowledge
Starbucks Coffee Company’s Patrick O’Hagan, manager of global market planning for the world’s largest retail coffee chain, served some great advice to executives at the 2011 Esri Business Summit: don’t put the buggy before the horse.

When Starbucks first began using GIS technology and data in the late 1990s, the company’s GIS staff flooded its staff members with data, especially those working with real estate. The employees needed to understand their trade areas to make vital business decisions about their stores.

O’Hagan’s team created an ArcReader application that allowed staff members to access all the geodemographic and topographic data available for use in the company. While it was important to allow staff to have access to the data they requested, this approach didn’t quite catch on.

Streamlining Business Processes
Warner de Gooijer, strategic analyst and project manager for global supply chain operations at Cisco Systems, Inc., also spoke at the summit, explaining how his company uses GIS. Cisco is the worldwide leader in networking, offering products and services that help companies share data and information securely anywhere in the world through a variety of ways. The organization is adopting Esri GIS technology and data to help streamline its global supply chain and continue to provide high levels of customer service.