COMMUNICATIONS + TECHNOLOGY
FOR WORLD LANDMARKS.
April 20, 2009
ATLAS WHITE PAPER: How Atlas InSite Compares with Other Online GIS-based Web Applications for Economic Development
Contact: Ben Wright, CEO, Atlas Advertising | [email protected] | 303.292.3300 x210
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
2
TAbLE OF CONTENTS
About Atlas Advertising........................................................................................................................................................... 2
About Atlas InSite..................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Requirements Users Have for Economic Development GIS Websites.......................................................................... 5
Requirements ED Practitioners Have for ED GIS Websites............................................................................................ 7
Comparing Three Leading Toolsets ...................................................................................................................................... 8 •AtlasAdvertising’sAtlasInSite •GISPlanning’sProspector •FastFacilityFastGIS
Conclusions................................................................................................................................................................................. 9
Appendix:FullReviewTable...............................................................................................................................................12
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
After over a year of due diligence, the Ohio Business Development Coalition selected Atlas Advertising over GIS Planning and others to create Ohio InSite, a web-based site selection system designed to help active capital investors find the optimal location in the state. We chose Atlas because we believe that their marketing and lead generation expertise and the InSite application, which is custom to our state and deeply integrated into our website, will deliver more capital investment leads to our state.”
— Matt McQuade, Ohio Sales Manager, Ohio Business Development Coalition
AbOUT ATLAS
Atlas Advertising builds landmark brands in economic development. We have been successfulbyneversettlingforobviousortiredapproachestoourwork,andweworkbestwithclientswhowanttheirbrand,advertising,GISApplications,andwebsitestoworkharderforthem.
AtlasAdvertisingisledbyBenWright,aformer economic development practitioner. Thefirmhasworkedwith48differenteconomic development clients in 26 states. Our approach and experience means that our campaigns generate anaverageofthreetimestheresponsecomparedtocampaignsdevelopedbyfirmswithoutexperienceineconomic development.
Ourbrandingandwebsiteworkhasbeennamedamongthebestinthecountrybyanumberofnationalandregional marketing groups. Visit us online at www.Atlas-Advertising.com.
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
2
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
AbOUT ATLAS INSITE
Yourwebsiteisdoingmoreworkforyouthaniteverhas.Assuch,yourwebpresenceshouldbethemostefficientandmostcompellingtoolitcanbe.Itmusthaveanoutstandinganddifferentiatedstorytotell.Itmustcontainareasontocallyou.And,itmustcontainthedataandpropertyinformationprospectsandsiteselectorsneedtodotheiranalysisofyourcommunity.
Tomeetyourneeds,AtlasisproudtounveilAtlas InSite,thefirstGISbasedproperty,business,anddatasearchtoolsetthatis100%integratedintoyourwebsite.Thisintegrationmeansabetterexperienceforyourusers,moreleadsforyourorganization,fewertoolsforyourstafftolearnandmanage,andsavingsof20to30percentperyearcomparedtostandalone,cookiecuttersystems.
SEEkING TO REALIzE THESE
BENEfITS, OvER 80 PERCENT
Of ECONOmIC DEvELOPmENT
PRACTITIONERS WHO HAvE
RECEIvED A PROPOSAL fROm
ATLAS AND WHO HAvE
CHOSEN A SYSTEm HAvE
CHOSEN ATLAS INSITE.
www.ohiomeansbusiness.com
3
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
www.indypartnership.com
4
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
REqUIREMENTS USERS (SITE SELECTORS AND PROSPECTS) HAvE FOR ECONOMIC DEvELOPMENT GIS WEbSITES
AccordingtoworldwiderealestatefirmJonesLangLaSalle,intoday’seconomicdevelopmentclimate,whenaprospectorsiteselectorhasreachedyourwebsite,theyhavealreadyreviewed30to50communities,andsettledonyoursasoneoftheirfinalthree.Thisfactisintuitivetoallofus–dealsarenowbeingannouncedwithindaysofwhenwefirstknowaboutthem.And,sophisticateddatasetsarenowavailabletositeselectorsandprospects,allowingthemtodomuchoftheworktheydowithoutourhelp.
Accordingtoexperiencedsiteselectors,companiesgothroughthefollowingactionswhenreviewingcommunities:
Themodelaboveillustratesthatourwebsitesareparticularlyusefulwhencompanieshavebeguntheirevaluationofcommunities,particularlyinwhatJonesLangLaSalleprofessionalswouldcalla“deepdive,”whenacompanywhoisinthefinalstagesofmakingaselectionwantstogettoknowtheleadingcandidatecommunitiesverywell.
5
1
2
3
4
5
COMPANY ACTIONS ED ACTIONS
Consistent business evaluation and assessment
Formulating objectives / De�ning search area
Evaluatinglocations
Fieldvisitations
Consistent business evaluation and assessment
Familiarization tours,email, public relations
Relevant branding that gets you on the list
Websites and search marketing that connect and educate
Professional site visits and answering when called
Selecting a community
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
WHAT PROSPECTS ALREADY kNOW WHEN THEY REACH OUR WEBSITES: •Ourrelativelaborcostandavailability,atametrolevel •Ourrelativedemographicmakeup •Ourgeneralcostandtaxstructures •Historicalcrimerates •Marketwiderealestatecosts •Generalbusinessmakeupbyindustry
IT IS OUR jOB TO EDUCATE PROSPECTS AND SITE SELECTORS ABOUT WHICH LOCATIONS INSIDE OUR mETRO AREA ARE SUITABLE TO THEm. THIS INCLUDES: •Identifyinganddifferentiatingsubmarketswithinourregion •Showcasingavailablerealestate •Displayingsubregionalcharacteristicsoftheregion’slaborpool • Skill levels • Wage levels •Availability •Identifyingsynergieswithexistingcompaniesorindustriesinourregion •Differentiatingourcommunitiesbasedonqualityoflifefactors •Demonstratingcurrentandfutureaccesstoeducation •Communicatingwhatisnewandplannedforthecommunity •Connectinguserswithkeycommunityleadershipandexamplesofsuccess
Asdemonstratedbywebsitestatistics,ourclientswhocandeliverthiskindofinformationontheirwebsitewilldrivethemosttraffic,themostengagement,andwilllikelyimproveprospectactivityfortheirregions.
6
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
REqUIREMENTS ED PRACTITIONERS HAvE FOR ECONOMIC DEvELOPMENT GIS WEbSITES
Inresponsetotheneedsoftheircustomers(detailedabove),manyEconomicDevelopmentpractitionershaveputveryspecificrequirementstogetherforthekindsoftoolsetsthatenableuserstounderstandtheirregionatasubregionallevel.Inmanycases,thesesolutionsinvolveusingGIStechnologythatenableuserstodrawradiiordrivetimepolygonsaroundavailablerealestate,employers,orotherassetsoftheregion.Basedontherequirementswehaveseeninthemanyproposalswehavesubmitted(andwon),herearetherequirementsthatmattermosttotheprofessiontoday:
TOP REqUIREmENTS: •Customized,intuitivedesignandinterface,integratedwithEDwebsite •Robustpropertysearchandpropertydatamanagementtools •Robustbusinesssearchtools •Intuitivedatasearchandmapoverlays •Geospatialreportsandanalysis •Proactivemarketingandtrafficbuildingprograms •Intuitivewebsiteutilities,suchasprintablepages,emailablepages •Solidbackingfromthecompanythatprovidesthetoolset
7
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
COMPARING THREE LEADING TOOLSETS
OurmissionatAtlasissimple:Tobuildvitalityinthecommunitiesweserve.Assuch,welivebythreecoreprincipleseveryday,eachoneofwhichgoesintothecreationofourmarketingcampaigns,websites,and GIS toolsets.
1. Innovate: Companies or communities that do not embrace change do not thrive. 2. Customer orientation: Build tools our clients and their customers want and will use. 3. Measure what you do: Be transparent about the results. This is the way you get better.
IndevelopingAtlasInSite,wehavegonetogreatlengthstolistentoourclients’needs,findsolutionstotheirproblems,andtoconstantlyimproveourselvesandourtoolsets.Incompetingfornewclients,wehaveconsistentlycompetedwithcompanieslikeGISPlanningandFastFacility.Bothcompaniesareexperiencedineconomicdevelopment,andbothhavescoresofclients.
IN OvER 80 PERCENT Of HEAD TO HEAD COmPARISONS THAT HAvE ENDED UP IN A CONTRACT BEING SIGNED, ATLAS INSITE HAS BEEN CHOSEN OvER BOTH GIS PLANNING AND fAST fACILITY. OUR SIDE BY SIDE COmPARISON Of THE THREE COmPANIES’ TOOLSETS TELLS US WHY.
Tocompareeachtoolset,wedevelopeddetailedcriteria(atotalof50+criteria)foreachfunctionalgroupofrequirements,thenratedeachoneonascaleweightedbytheimportanceofeachitem.Wedidourbesttoweighttheseasyouwould.However,werealizethateachclientisdifferent,andifyoudecidetopursueareviewofGISApplications,wewillmakeourspreadsheetavailabletoyouforyouruse.Torequestit,emailBenWright at Atlas at [email protected].
8
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
SUMMARY RESULTS
CONCLUSIONS
1. ATLAS INSITE IS CLEARLY SUPERIOR TO GIS PLANNING AND fAST fACILITY IN THE AREAS Of INTERfACE, BUSINESS SEARCH, AND ADmINISTRATION.
Inheadtoheadcompetition,AtlasInSitescoredhigherthaneithertoolinnineoutoftencategories, andintwoparticularareashaddramaticallydifferentiatedofferings.Theseareasinclude:
CUSTOmIzED, INTUITIvE DESIGN AND INTERfACE WhereasGISPlanningandFastFacilityrequirewebsiteuserstoleaveaclient’swebsitetousetheir
toolsets,AtlasInSitedoesnot.AtlasInSitecanbe100%integratedintoyourwebsite.Further,Atlasprovidescustomdesignandbranding,aswellasdeepintegrationintoclients’websites,sothattheGISapplicationbecomespartofyourwebsite,notaseparateaddon.
CriteriaTotal score available* Atlas InSite
GIS Planning Fast Facility
Customized, Intuitive Design and Interface 16 16 5 2
Property Search/ Property Data 24 20 17 18Business Search 10 10 5 2Data/Thematic Overlays 9 9 7 6Geospatial Report Generator 11 8 9 5Traffic building programs 8 6 4 4User Website Utilities 4 4 4 3Administration 8 8 6 4Company specific criteria 10 8 5 7
Total Scores 100 89 62 51
*Totalavailablescoresarebasedongeneralizedweightingforcriteria,outof100points.SourceincludesmultipleconversationswithEDprofessionals,siteselectors,andindustryconsultants.Scoringisasfollows:Wheretoolpresentsthefeaturefully,fullpointsaregiven.Wheretoolpresentsfeaturepartially,apartialscoreisgiven.Wheretooldoesnotpresentfeatureatall,nopointsaregiven.Inthecompanyspecificcriteria,inareassuchaspriceaffordability,thelowertheprice,thehigherthescore.SeethefullreviewtableintheAppendixforfullscoresandcriteria.Wantthefullspreadsheettoapplyyourowncriteria?EmailBenWrightatbenw@atlas-advertising.com for the spreadsheet.
9
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
BUSINESS SEARCH Weallknowthatoneimportantfactorinlocationdecisionstodayisproximitytoclustersoflike
industries.Theselocationsoftenprovidealargerworkforcepooltodrawfrom,andrepresentsynergiesforlocatingcompanies.AtlasInSiteprovidesafullfeaturedbusinesssearchasprominentlyaspropertysearch,whenGISPlanningandFastFacilitydonot.
ADmINISTRATION Allthreetoolsetsofferwaysforclientstoupdatethecontentintheirapplication.Atlasistheonlyone
ofthethreethathasbuiltitsInSiteapplicationintotheindustry’smostadvancedwebsitecontentmanagementsystem,makingthemaintenanceofyourwebsiteandyourbusinessandpropertydataavailable through the same toolset.
2. ATLAS INSITE HAS SOmE OTHER DIffERENTIATED fEATURES IN THE REmAINING AREAS, BUT ALL THREE TOOLS ARE COmPETITIvE IN THE REmAINING AREAS.
Allthreetoolsetsoffersimilarfeaturesetsonthefollowingcriteria,butineach,Atlasoffersdifferentiatedfeatures that are expected to drive adoption and usage.
PROPERTY SEARCH / PROPERTY DATA AllthreetoolsetsoffersimilarfeaturesetsforPropertydata.Theseincludebasicandadvancedsitesearch,
multiplewaystouploadrealestatedata,andmore.However,onlyAtlasInSiteenablesclientstofeaturecertainpropertiessothattheycomeupfirstinsearchcriteria.Thisenablesyoutomakesurethatyourcertifiedsitesorotherkeypropertiesgettheattentiontheyneed.
DATA / THEmATIC OvERLAYS Allthreetoolsetsoffersomedataoverlays,suchasthematicdata,polygonssuchaspowerlines,enterprise
zones,andmore.However,onlyAtlasInSiteenablesuserstooverlaythematicdata,suchasunemploymentrates,costofhousing,andmoreoverspecificpropertylocations,enablinguserstonarrowtheirpropertychoicesbyvarioussubmarketcharacteristics.
10
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
GEOSPATIAL REPORT GENERATOR Allthreetoolsetsofferradiusreportsaroundproperties.However,onlyAtlasInSiteandGISPlanning
enabledrivetimeanalysis,radiusanalysis,andclusteranalysisofcompanies.FastFacilitydoesnotoffertheseadvancedtoolstoyourusers.
TRAffIC BUILDING PROGRAmS FastFacilityandGISPlanningbothoffernationalwebsitesthattheybelievewilldrivetraffictoyour
locality.However,Atlasoffersfarmorerobustfeaturesintheareaofdirectleadgenerationforyourcommunity.Thesefeaturesincludeanapplicationthatissearchengineready,afullsuiteofanalytics,andotherprogramsattheready.Further,Atlashasplanstolaunchanationalwebsiteforallclientsattheendof2009.
USER WEBSITE UTILITIES Allthreetoolsetsofferusersavarietyoftoolsthathelpthemhaveamorepleasurableexperienceonline.
Theseincludetheabilitytoprint,email,andsavereportsforlateruse.
COmPANY SPECIfIC CRITERIA Allthreecompaniesareexperiencedineconomicdevelopment,havemultipleeconomicdevelopment
clients,andoffervariouslevelsoftrainingandsupporttotheirclients.However,FastFacilityandAtlascanbothprovidetheirtoolsetsatdramaticallylowerpricesthanGISPlanning,often20to30percentlessonan ongoing basis.
TO LEARN mORE ABOUT ATLAS ADvERTISING AND ATLAS INSITE, CONTACT:
BEN WRIGHT Chief Executive [email protected]|303.292.3300x210
11
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
CriteriaTotal score available* Atlas InSite
GIS Planning Fast Facility
Customized, Intuitive Design and Interface 16 16 5 2Seamless integration with current website 4 4 1 0
Customized look and feel 4 4 1 0
Basic integration with ED websites 2 2 1 1
Advanced Integration with ED websites 2 2 0 0
Attractive, Intuitive Interface 4 4 2 1
Property Search/ Property Data 24 20 17 18Basic search 2 2 2 2
Advanced Search 4 4 4 4
Search for property using radii or drive time 2 Avail. Summer '09 0 0
Featured properties 2 2 0 1
Multiple real estate upload options
! Real time editing one by one 2 2 2 2
!"Batch upload from a file 2 2 2 2
!"Automated web service from an outside server 4 4 4 4
Enable attachments to property records 2 2 1 1
RSS Feeds of property data 2 2 0 0
Street View property content 2 Avail. Summer '09 2 2
Business Search 10 10 5 2Featured businesses 2 2 0 0
Search for individual businesses 2 2 1 0
Map industries (major characteristics) 2 2 2 1
Map industries (Six digit NAICS) 2 2 2 1
Run data reports around business locations 2 2 0 0
Data/Thematic Overlays 9 9 7 6Data for county, zip code, census tract 2 2 2 2
Overlay points and thematic layers on same map 2 2 0 0
Add local data, such as enterprise zones, universities, etc. 2 2 2 2
Aerial imagery as well as street base map options for displaying maps. 2 2 2 2
Demographic heat map 1 1 1 0
Geospatial Report Generator 11 8 9 5Radius analysis 2 2 2 1
Drive time analysis 2 2 2 1
Industry cluster analysis 2 2 2 1
County or Community reports 2 1 1 1
Custom polygon tools 1 Avail. Summer '09 1 0
Exports to various formats (Word, Excel, PDF) 2 1 1 1
Traffic building programs 8 6 4 4Search Engine Ready 2 2 0 0
Programs to drive traffic to sub regional entities (cities, counties) 2 2 1 1
Analytics of usage 2 2 1 1
National website 2 Avail. Winter '09 2 2
User Website Utilities 4 4 4 3Printable pages 1 1 1 1
Emailable pages 1 1 1 1
User saved reports for future recall 2 2 2 1
Administration 8 8 6 4Web based administration 4 4 4 2
Real time publishing of changes 2 2 2 2
Uses same tools used to manage your website 2 2 0 0
Company specific criteria 10 8 5 7Affordable Price Point 7 5 2 4
Multiple ED clients 1 1 1 1
Training 1 1 1 1
Documentation 1 1 1 1
Total Scores 100 89 62 51
APPENDIx: FULL REvIEW TAbLE
12
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
TO LEARN mORE ABOUT ATLAS ADvERTISING AND ATLAS INSITE, CONTACT:
BEN WRIGHT Chief Executive [email protected]|303.292.3300x210
CriteriaTotal score available* Atlas InSite
GIS Planning Fast Facility
Customized, Intuitive Design and Interface 16 16 5 2Seamless integration with current website 4 4 1 0
Customized look and feel 4 4 1 0
Basic integration with ED websites 2 2 1 1
Advanced Integration with ED websites 2 2 0 0
Attractive, Intuitive Interface 4 4 2 1
Property Search/ Property Data 24 20 17 18Basic search 2 2 2 2
Advanced Search 4 4 4 4
Search for property using radii or drive time 2 Avail. Summer '09 0 0
Featured properties 2 2 0 1
Multiple real estate upload options
! Real time editing one by one 2 2 2 2
!"Batch upload from a file 2 2 2 2
!"Automated web service from an outside server 4 4 4 4
Enable attachments to property records 2 2 1 1
RSS Feeds of property data 2 2 0 0
Street View property content 2 Avail. Summer '09 2 2
Business Search 10 10 5 2Featured businesses 2 2 0 0
Search for individual businesses 2 2 1 0
Map industries (major characteristics) 2 2 2 1
Map industries (Six digit NAICS) 2 2 2 1
Run data reports around business locations 2 2 0 0
Data/Thematic Overlays 9 9 7 6Data for county, zip code, census tract 2 2 2 2
Overlay points and thematic layers on same map 2 2 0 0
Add local data, such as enterprise zones, universities, etc. 2 2 2 2
Aerial imagery as well as street base map options for displaying maps. 2 2 2 2
Demographic heat map 1 1 1 0
Geospatial Report Generator 11 8 9 5Radius analysis 2 2 2 1
Drive time analysis 2 2 2 1
Industry cluster analysis 2 2 2 1
County or Community reports 2 1 1 1
Custom polygon tools 1 Avail. Summer '09 1 0
Exports to various formats (Word, Excel, PDF) 2 1 1 1
Traffic building programs 8 6 4 4Search Engine Ready 2 2 0 0
Programs to drive traffic to sub regional entities (cities, counties) 2 2 1 1
Analytics of usage 2 2 1 1
National website 2 Avail. Winter '09 2 2
User Website Utilities 4 4 4 3Printable pages 1 1 1 1
Emailable pages 1 1 1 1
User saved reports for future recall 2 2 2 1
Administration 8 8 6 4Web based administration 4 4 4 2
Real time publishing of changes 2 2 2 2
Uses same tools used to manage your website 2 2 0 0
Company specific criteria 10 8 5 7Affordable Price Point 7 5 2 4
Multiple ED clients 1 1 1 1
Training 1 1 1 1
Documentation 1 1 1 1
Total Scores 100 89 62 51
CriteriaTotal score available* Atlas InSite
GIS Planning Fast Facility
Customized, Intuitive Design and Interface 16 16 5 2Seamless integration with current website 4 4 1 0
Customized look and feel 4 4 1 0
Basic integration with ED websites 2 2 1 1
Advanced Integration with ED websites 2 2 0 0
Attractive, Intuitive Interface 4 4 2 1
Property Search/ Property Data 24 20 17 18Basic search 2 2 2 2
Advanced Search 4 4 4 4
Search for property using radii or drive time 2 Avail. Summer '09 0 0
Featured properties 2 2 0 1
Multiple real estate upload options
! Real time editing one by one 2 2 2 2
!"Batch upload from a file 2 2 2 2
!"Automated web service from an outside server 4 4 4 4
Enable attachments to property records 2 2 1 1
RSS Feeds of property data 2 2 0 0
Street View property content 2 Avail. Summer '09 2 2
Business Search 10 10 5 2Featured businesses 2 2 0 0
Search for individual businesses 2 2 1 0
Map industries (major characteristics) 2 2 2 1
Map industries (Six digit NAICS) 2 2 2 1
Run data reports around business locations 2 2 0 0
Data/Thematic Overlays 9 9 7 6Data for county, zip code, census tract 2 2 2 2
Overlay points and thematic layers on same map 2 2 0 0
Add local data, such as enterprise zones, universities, etc. 2 2 2 2
Aerial imagery as well as street base map options for displaying maps. 2 2 2 2
Demographic heat map 1 1 1 0
Geospatial Report Generator 11 8 9 5Radius analysis 2 2 2 1
Drive time analysis 2 2 2 1
Industry cluster analysis 2 2 2 1
County or Community reports 2 1 1 1
Custom polygon tools 1 Avail. Summer '09 1 0
Exports to various formats (Word, Excel, PDF) 2 1 1 1
Traffic building programs 8 6 4 4Search Engine Ready 2 2 0 0
Programs to drive traffic to sub regional entities (cities, counties) 2 2 1 1
Analytics of usage 2 2 1 1
National website 2 Avail. Winter '09 2 2
User Website Utilities 4 4 4 3Printable pages 1 1 1 1
Emailable pages 1 1 1 1
User saved reports for future recall 2 2 2 1
Administration 8 8 6 4Web based administration 4 4 4 2
Real time publishing of changes 2 2 2 2
Uses same tools used to manage your website 2 2 0 0
Company specific criteria 10 8 5 7Affordable Price Point 7 5 2 4
Multiple ED clients 1 1 1 1
Training 1 1 1 1
Documentation 1 1 1 1
Total Scores 100 89 62 51
*Totalavailablescoresarebasedongeneralizedweightingforcriteria,outof100points.SourceincludesmultipleconversationswithEDprofessionals,siteselectors,andindustryconsultants.Scoringisasfollows:Wheretoolpresentsthefeaturefully,fullpointsaregiven.Wheretoolpresentsfeaturepartially,apartialscoreisgiven.Wheretooldoesnotpresentfeatureatall,nopointsaregiven.Inthecompanyspecificcriteria,inareassuchaspriceaffordability,thelowertheprice,thehigherthescore.Wantthefullspreadsheettoapplyyourowncriteria?EmailBenWrightatbenw@atlas-advertising.com for the spreadsheet.
13