The ability to generate business intelligence from geolocation information is accelerating at an astonishing pace. This phenomenon is stimulated by the rapid advancement of several complementary technologies which in combination creates more market analytical potential than can be absorbed by businesses. In addition, other contemporary electronic media such as social media giants Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, and X (formerly Twitter) enrich their market value by supplementing their main offerings with geo-enabled features for both entertainment and advertisement. Who isn't surprised and then pleased to receive a discount notice from the cupcake shop that we just walked past?

In this lesson, we will explore together a range of technologies that are accelerating the usefulness, span of awareness, and market expansion of geo-location supported businesses. Each advance opens new opportunities for novel consumer retail and industrial business models, which at the same time radically disrupt standard businesses. Our aim is to gain an appreciation for these many new technologies and develop our critical thinking skills so we can identify and evaluate the next set of radical changes that are sure to continue to amaze us in the future.

At the conclusion of Geography, Why It Matters, Murphy describes the connection and importance of geography, knowledge, and an awareness of our environment (2018:p.132).

Geography has important contributions to make to all of these ends. It offers people critical insights into the organziation and character of the world around them, and it allows individuals to understand technologies that are affecting their lives. Geography yields insights that can help students of the discipline understand the changes unfolding around them and learn how to use tools for assessing and adapting to those changes. Moreover, it opens people's eyes and minds to the richness and wonder of the surrounding world; it heightens awareness of - and by extension concern for - distinctive places and environments; and it fosters curiosity that is rewarding in its own right. Geography is, in short, a key to making sense of our increasingly connected, crowded, environmentally fragile, and rapidly changing world.

What is due for Lesson 9?

Lesson 9 will take us one week to complete. There are a number of required activities in this lesson listed below. For assignment details, refer to the lesson page noted.

Note: Please refer to the Calendar in Canvas for specific time frames and due dates.

Requirements for Lesson 9

But first, don't forget to return to your classmates' Term Project Presentations and offer feedback. Use the Term Project Discussion Forum - Peer Feedback on Progress Update located in the Term Project module in Canvas to submit your feedback. You'll find completed Term Project Presentations embedded on the next page of the course text.

Then continue with Lesson 9.

With increasing amounts of geospatial, imagery, and business information, a new paradigm is needed to develop location intelligence assessments. Geospatial analysts need the knowledge and capabilities that allow them to spend less time preparing foundational databases and more time analyzing and understanding the activities, relationships, and patterns discovered from primary sources.

Investments in mobile technology, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), connected sensors of the Internet of Things (IoT), and indoor analytics create intelligent systems to improve situational awareness, solve complex problems, and identify interconnected location factors for business decision making.

As you read the above articles, and prepare to investigate your own topic further, consider the following questions:

1. How would you explain this technology to your classmates and/or others in business?
2. What key terms/terminology are important to know and understand?
3. What is the timeframe that you see this technology becoming widespread and impacting the market? (e.g., is this going to take 5, 10, 15, . . . years to have a significant impact, or are there stages along the way? Will it impact the business internally, its suppliers, or its customer.)
4. What new business location intelligence opportunities might this technology provide?

This week, you're going to be a content "expert" on one of the key trends or technologies listed in this section. You will begin with pre-selected readings, after which you'll research your selected topic with a critical eye for selecting additional readings to share with your classmates.

The activity will culminate in you providing a brief Executive Summary of your topic in Canvas to the Lesson 9.2 - Emerging Trends Executive Summary forum. Everyone in the class will be able to read your Executive Summary.

Step 1

Review the list of technologies listed below on this page.

Step 2

Log in to the Canvas Lesson 9.2 - Emerging Trends Executive Summary forum (Ungraded) and indicate your topic of interest. It is okay if up to 3 people are interested in the same topic; however, it is an individual effort, so everyone will have to submit their own Executive Summary.

Research:

Step 3

Read the pre-selected articles (if you have not done so already) to provide a context for your chosen (assigned) topic. (By all means, don't consider these articles as boundaries for your topic discussion--the articles below should start you thinking, however.)

Step 4

Find additional sources which you think would help your classmates understand the topic. (NOTE: Two or three high quality sources are the goal--you will be pointing your classmates to these additional sources as reference points for the material.)

Present:

Step 5

Prepare a brief presentation of your topic (PowerPoint, Word, or PDF). As always, be as brief and concise as possible, answering the questions from section 9.1 (listed again below):

• How would you explain this trend/technology to your classmates and/or others in business?
• What key terms/terminology are important to know and understand?
• What is the time frame that you see this trend/technology becoming widespread and impacting the market? (e.g., is this going to take 5, 10, 15, . . . years to have a significant impact, or are there stages along the way? Will it impact the business internally, its suppliers, or customers?)
• What new business opportunities might this trend/technology provide?

Your grade will be based upon your success in balancing a thorough answer with a concise yet appealing presentation of the material you deem essential.

Suggested Topics:  

Cloud computing

• Eric Knorr.2022. What is Cloud Computing? Everything you need to know. InfoWorld. Online. 22 Jul 2022.
• Overview of Amazon Web Services: What is Cloud Computing? Amazon Web Services: AWS White Paper. 2024.

Social Networks

• Social Media Analytics. UNHCR. Feb 2022.
• Troy Lambert. 2016. Social Media is Crucial for Market Research and Your Social Strategy. GISUSER.
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Introduction to Social Network Analysis. NOAA: Office for Coastal Management, Digital Coast. 2020.

Mobile computing, mobile devices, geofencing

• Laskowski, Nicole. 2023. SMAC (social, mobile, analytics and cloud). TechTarget: CIO Strategy. online.
• National Safety Council (NSC). 2024. NSC Releases Research on Location Geofencing Technology to Help Advance Workplace Safety. NSC: In the Newsroom. 9 May 2024.
• O'Connor, Meghan & Giovannini, Ashleight. 2023. USA: New geofence technology laws. OneTrust DataGuidance. Online.

Big Data, Blockchain

• Divya Singh. 2019. A Beginner’s Guide to Big Data and Blockchain. Data Science Central. 14 Mar 2019. Blog.
• Stores Contributor. 2019. Trust and Courage. National Retail Federation Magazine. 18 Feb 2019. Online.
• Following Digital Breadcrumbs to ‘Big Data’ Gold, by Yuki Noguchi, November 29, 2011, National Public Radio

Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality

• Carmen Apostu. 2018. How Location-Based Augmented Reality is Creating App Experiences. Koombea: Resources Hub. 19 Nov 2018. [15]
• Fabricius, T.; Hansen, R. 2023. ArcGIS: Extended Reality(XR). Esri User Conference. Video. 2 August 2023.
• Galvao, M., et al. 2024. GeoAR: a calibration method for Geographic-Aware Augmented Reality. International Journal of Geographical Information Science, Vol.38, Iss.9, pp1800-1826. 20 May 2024.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML)

• Hitchens, Theresa. 2024. NGA slates $700M for AI data labeling; launches standard model push. Breaking Defense. 3 Sep 2024.
• Kantor, Marianna. 2024. The Rise of AI Meets the Golden Age of Geography. Forbes. 22 Mar 2024.

5G

• Rysavy Research. 2022. 5G Mid-Band Spectrum: the Benefits of Full Power, Wide Channels. For CTIA.org.
• McCann, Kieran. 2023. The Impact of 5G on Maps and Location Intelligence. Mapbox. 10 May 2023.

Customer Tracking, Bluetooth Beacon, Wi-Fi Analytics, Indoor Mapping

• Murray, Peter. 2017. Three Ways Retailers Increase Revenue with Location Intelligence. CARTO Blog. 13 Feb 2017.
• Mappedin. 2023. How to Create Indoor Navigation Maps and Experiences. Mappedin: Blog Resources. Online.
• Garcia, Manuel. 2022. Location-Based Marketing Using Mobile Geofencing: Lessons Learned from a User-Centered Application Development Research. International Journal of Technology Marketing, DOI 10.1504/IJTMKT.2022.10047566.

Internet of Things (IoT), Connected Sensors

• Forbes Council. 2024. Consumer-Facing IoT: 20 Devices Poised to Make a Big Impact. Forbes: Innovation, Expert Panel. 12 Mar 2024.
• DiGi. 2024. IoT Applications for Smart Buildings: Use Cases and Top Benefits. Digi Guest, blog. 7 Jun 2024.
• Leland, Travis. 2024. GIS and Advanced Analytics: The Future of Property & Casualty Risk Management. Hitachi Solutions, blog.

There is no specific deliverable for your term project required this week, but you really should be aiming to make some progress on your project this week!

Spend approximately 50% of time this week on your term project, (and the other 50% on your emerging trend/technology activity).

1. At this point in the project, you should have completed a first pass at data gathering and report/map generation.
2. You will receive feedback from both the instructor and your peers on the progress of your term project (if you haven't already done so). Make sure you return to your presentation from Week 8 to view this critique (and perhaps incorporate suggestions.) You are likely making a second pass at data/reports/maps as a result of the feedback from Week 8.

Thinking ahead about the written report—Lesson 10

Guidelines for completing your term project paper:

You have quite a bit of flexibility in terms of the final product—your format and tone should match your individual case. The report can read like a white paper, an academic paper, or a consultant's report. However, as you're all likely concerned with some basic guidelines, please consider the following broad requirements (which can be amended with reason):

• Make sure you include these key elements:

1. Cover page with title, course, your name, date.
2. Executive summary or abstract (this should be succinct—one or two paragraphs).
3. Background on the case/question (enough detail so it makes sense to the reader).
4. Data/methods/steps.
5. Your findings/conclusion/proposed solution (short and to the point).
6. Perhaps a look forward to next steps or items you couldn't complete.
7. References/Bibliography

• 5-7 pages of text, non-inclusive of maps/charts/reports—In rare circumstances, your paper might be shorter. Please, as always, make sure you convey your information as clearly and concisely as possible, which is part of your grade. Also make sure you Write AND Proofread.
• Title - make sure your title is descriptive of your research including reference to the general data being used, geographic location, and time interval.
• Delivered as Word document (.doc or .docx) or PDF.  
• Maps must be legible, titled, and have a key.
• Reports may be included as appendices and referenced as such in your text, or you may export/capture portions of reports for inclusion. (Appendices do not count towards your suggested page count.)
• Make sure you consider how an image will fit into your document when you screen capture or export an image.
• Use simple APA citation guidelines (unless you are more comfortable with MLA). While I will not grade citation formats, I do expect any outside sources (and data!) to be cited, at the very least in a short bibliography.

Above all else...

Remember, your term project is your chance to convey an understanding of the material AND your ability to concisely and effectively present your case and findings—assuming you successfully achieve these two broad goals, your term project report will be successful!