When maps speak: How GIS and AI are transforming location decisions

Why we reimagined our location analysis

Choosing an office location is anything but trivial. Various factors such as accessibility, infrastructure and the surrounding environment play a major role. At the same time, these factors have a direct impact on employees, projects and, ultimately, on the company’s success.

We at adesso, too, previously relied on individual manual analyses. These were carried out on an ad hoc basis and often involved a great deal of effort. Results were not always directly comparable and had to be reprocessed time and again.

Our aim was therefore clear: we wanted to make location decisions simpler, faster and, above all, transparent.

This led to clear objectives:

• Systematically compare locations
• Make decisions transparent
• Make analyses reusable
• Involve non-experts as well

Today, we use a central, data-driven application that enables exactly that.

What lies behind our solution

At its core is a geographic information system (GIS), which we use to analyse and visualise spatial data. We rely on ArcGIS from Esri as our technological foundation and are developing our own application on top of it using the ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript.

However, the crucial difference lies not in the technology itself, but in the way we use it:

• We consolidate all relevant data into a central platform
• We create a uniform evaluation logic
• We make analyses permanently available and reusable

The result: instead of isolated individual analyses, we now work in a data-driven, comparable and structured manner, with a clear basis for informed decisions.

Accessibility as a key factor

A key factor in our location analysis is accessibility. This is because it plays a decisive role in determining how attractive a location actually is to employees.

We consider various ways of getting to work – on foot, by bike and by car – and analyse, above all, the time required.

This enables us to answer specific questions:

• How many employees can reach a location within 30 minutes?
• What differences arise depending on the mode of transport?
• How does accessibility change with a new location?

The major advantage: instead of making assumptions, we base our decisions on reliable data and make the implications immediately visible.

Making complex analyses easy to use through AI

A common obstacle with GIS applications is usability. Many solutions require in-depth specialist knowledge, thereby excluding a large proportion of potential users.

That is why we have deliberately designed our application differently. In addition to manual analysis, we have developed a user interface supported by integrated artificial intelligence (AI).

Users can simply ask their questions in natural language and are guided step by step through the analysis. The result is a structured report with clear conclusions.

The key advantage: even without GIS knowledge, complex analyses can be carried out – quickly, intuitively and comprehensibly.

What we are already solving with it today

Our solution is no longer just a concept; we are actively using it in practice.

We use it to answer specific questions relating to management and site planning, for example:

• Which office location best suits our current workforce structure?
• What are the implications of relocating within a city?
• How do catchment areas and accessibility change?

The combination of data analysis and AI is particularly helpful here: via our integrated chatbot, analyses can be initiated using natural language, ranging from individual queries to complete evaluations via prompts.

The result: well-founded decision-making bases in significantly less time and without complex manual evaluation steps.

Figure 4: Process of a query via the AI chatbot using natural language and evaluation of this query within a few seconds.

More than just accessibility

As important as accessibility is, it is only part of the bigger picture. That is why we are continuously expanding our location analysis to include further factors that make a location truly attractive.

These include, amongst others:

• Public transport links
• Proximity to key infrastructure such as railway stations and airports
• Amenities in the immediate vicinity, such as restaurants and shopping facilities
• Green spaces and quality of life
• Parking situation

Step by step, this creates a holistic picture of a location, going far beyond mere accessibility analyses.

What our experience means for our clients

The key difference with our solution: we developed it for ourselves and use it every day.

This means: we are not only familiar with the technological possibilities, but also with the real-world challenges encountered in practice. It is precisely this experience that we bring to projects with our clients.

The potential applications are diverse and span multiple sectors:

• Branch and site planning in the retail sector
• Network and logistics optimisation
• Site decisions in public administration

Wherever spatial relationships play a role, data-driven analysis creates a genuine competitive advantage.

Combined with AI, this creates a particularly effective approach: data is not merely analysed, but presented in an understandable way and made directly usable.

In this way, we help our clients make better decisions – well-founded, transparent and future-proof.

Conclusion

Choosing the right location is a strategic success factor, yet is often fraught with uncertainty.

With our data-driven location analysis, we at adesso have found a way to make these decisions in a more informed, transparent and significantly faster manner. By combining GIS and AI, we make complex analyses accessible to everyone – not just experts.

The key difference: we use the solution ourselves in our day-to-day work and are constantly developing it further. It is precisely this practical experience that we pass on to our clients.

This leads to better decisions – data-driven, transparent and offering real added value for companies and employees.