Welcome to the Location Data Blog!

Pandemic-fueled lockdowns and disruptions in transportation systems hit the supply chain and logistics industry hard. From empty shelves to skyrocketing prices, disrupted supply chains have brought on inflation all over the globe. According to the Labor Department’s consumer-price index, inflation in the U.S. alone rose above 8.5 % after averaging about 1.7% for the past decade.

Point-of-Interest (POI) data is instrumental in facilitating the operations of businesses such as food and last-mile delivery companies, those that develop mapping and navigation software, ridesharing companies, and many others. In other industries, such data is harnessed to derive insights to inform decision-making around site selection and supply chain optimisation.  

However, procuring good quality POI data is a significant challenge.  

Point-of-Interest (POI) data is the digital representation of physical spaces that are of interest to individuals, businesses, and governments – such as malls, restaurants, train stations, residential complexes, hospitals, and schools. In other words, a POI can be anything that someone wants to find on a map. POI data acts as the lynchpin of operations in several industries, including ridesharing, last-mile delivery, logistics, real-estate, retail, marketing and the public sector. Even companies whose business model is not primarily built on POI data can still harness it to glean insights that offer a tangible, competitive advantage. Data scientists generate meaningful insights on the distinct characteristics of neighbourhoods, people’s movement patterns, and an area’s vulnerability to natural disasters by analysing POI data alongside mobile location data, demographics, purchase data, and environmental records.

Point-of-Interest (POI) data is the foundation for digital maps that enable on-demand service delivery models in navigation, logistics, and other industries. POI data is instrumental for businesses to dynamically match consumers with the right services and places with relevant context. The application and analysis of POI data should be a top priority for all location-based businesses to improve operational efficiency, save costs, and stay ahead of competition.

For several millennia, human beings have delved into alternative realities to entertain themselves and cope with the pressures of everyday life.Until recently, the mediums that enabled these experiences included fictional storytelling, music, art, movies, and TV shows. However, due to the exponential increase in computing power, the last decade has witnessed the rise of the most immersive forms of such mediums to date: Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR). This blog post sheds light on this growing industry and discuss how Quadrant’s POI datasets can enrich AR and VR platforms – now and in the future.