Leading site selection firm Global Location Strategies (GLS) has developed a cloud-based analytic platform for location benchmarking. Called Site Shepherd, the digital app allows users to screen, score, and financially assess location data in an effort to deliver optimal location recommendations from anywhere in the world.
Location benchmarking is the process of comparing location advantages and disadvantages to determine the most competitive regions, sites, or buildings for new business operations.
Site Shepherd is the brainchild of GLS Founding Principal Didi Caldwell who says, “Site Shepherd was developed as a way to tame the big data tsunami that is required to make clear, strategic location decisions. What previously took weeks and multiple spreadsheets to decipher may now be achieved in a single platform often in a matter of days or even hours with Site Shepherd.”
With Site Shepherd, users eliminate the need for spreadsheets by importing site-specific data into their personal cloud-based storage. The smart technology platform analyzes and scores sites based on user-defined criteria and provides visual insights and recommendations on the optimal location for a new business. Using data-driven analytics, Site Shepherd eliminates human bias and strategically mines a high volume of data points to pinpoint potential locations.
Also Read: AI and Digital Transformation in 2021
In addition to saving time, Site Shepherd also offers:
High-volume location data management. Users may upload their own location data or import it from Lasso, a location data collection application.
Full customisation. You determine the locations you want to compare and develop the criteria that are important for your decision.
Project Templates. Don’t start from scratch. Start with a project profile built-in with detailed project criteria by industry sector and subsector.
Fatal flaw analysis. Screen locations for fatal flaws first with the “must” analytic.
Weighted comparative scoring of locations. Compare locations across any criteria and with any scoring scale
Financial analysis for operating cost, investment cost, revenue, and ESG cost.
Geospatial visualisation powered by Mapbox.
Site Shepherd is geared toward those that prefer to self-perform the site selection process. Primary users include corporations, economic development organisations, architects, engineers, contractors, real estate brokers, real estate developers, and site selectors.
Caldwell says GLS has been developing the technology for the past five years and after 12 months of successful beta testing, she is confident of Site Shepherd’s accuracy and market demand.
“There will still be many enterprise-level companies that require the personal services of a professional site selection consultant for location analysis, but for the vast majority of companies there is Site Shepherd,” she says.
