Retail Site Selection And Geographic Information Systems

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are becoming more widely available and interest in their use for ht purpose of site selection is increasing. One major advantage in their usage is that planners are no longer tied to geographic units, such as zip codes, that do not adequately represent market areas. One such GIS is described here in regard to the data needed to make it work and how its output can be utilized in planning for retail development. The particular advantage of this system is that it links a GIS to a demographic database that is updated frequently. Population and household forecasts generated from the system are combined with transportation and purchasing information to generate demand forecasts for retail and restaurant space.