Exercise: Site Selection: Choosing The Right Location

The Location Advantage MOOC
Exercise
Site Selection: Choosing the Right
Location
Section 3 Exercise 1
April 29, 2021
Site Selection: Choosing the Right Location
Instructions
Use this guide and ArcGIS Business Analyst Web App to reproduce the results of the
exercise on your own.
Note: ArcGIS Business Analyst Web App is a dynamic mapping platform. The screen
captures that you see in course materials may differ slightly from the version of Business
Analyst Web App that you will use.
Time to complete
Approximately 30-45 minutes.
Technical note
To take advantage of the web-based technologies available in ArcGIS Business Analyst
Web App, you need to use a fairly new version of a standard web browser, such as Google
Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Microsoft Edge. Older web browsers may not display your
maps correctly.
Introduction
In this week's lesson, you learned about evaluating sites to identify the ideal location for a
new or expanding business. There are multiple business questions associated with this
situation, and you can answer many of them using geospatial techniques and the four-step
question-model-analyze-interpret workflow. In this exercise, you will use the analysis tools
available in the ArcGIS Business Analyst mapping platform to support decisions related to
business-site evaluation and selection. You will visualize data variables on a map to match
your target characteristics. Then, you will identify the best location.
Exercise scenario
In this scenario, you are a business analyst at Natural Foods, a fictitious natural and organic
grocery store. Corporate management has asked you to find the best site for a new store
location around the cities of San Bernardino and Redlands in California.
Copyright © 2021 Esri. All rights reserved. 1

You have been provided with a list of the parameters that Natural Foods typically uses for its
new stores. You will need to consider these criteria in your site optimization analysis. The new
store site should be located in an area with these attributes:
• A high percentage of residents with a bachelor's degree or higher

• Appropriate commercial zoning
• Space for a 25,000- to 50,000-square-foot store
• Space for 100 to 250 parking spaces (4 to 5 parking spaces per 1,000 square feet of
store)
• A cost range of $3 to $7 per square foot per year (roughly between $10,000 and $20,000
per month)
• Above-average household incomes and home values
• High traffic volumes for better site visibility
In this exercise, you will use Business Analyst Web App to perform these tasks:
• Create a web map to show the demographics of an area, including household income,
home values, education level, and propensity to shop for natural or organic foods
• Search for possible competition in an area
• Import map layers with city zoning and real estate information
• Create a report with extra information, such as traffic counts
Approach
You will again use the question-model-analyze-interpret workflow for decision-making so that
you can standardize the approach to optimizing business decisions.

Formulate the Question

Using location information can help you with almost any business decision. For this exercise,
Natural Foods' management needs you to recommend a location for the newest store. You
know that location information and geospatial techniques can assist you, so the first step is to
frame the larger business decision by identifying a business question. You can frame the
question for this scenario as follows:
Within a chosen area, what is the ideal location for your business?
Model the Solution
Modeling the solution to this question consists of gathering the data (including the locational
component that you need) and identifying techniques to use to answer the question.
What is the locational component?
As you evaluate different sites for your business, you will find yourself asking questions with a
location component: Where do the people who might shop at your business live? Where can
a store or business be located with respect to zoning? Where are the areas of heavier traffic
located, to increase a store's visibility to potential customers? The location component is the
"where" in each question.
What data do I need for my map?
Site optimization uses a large amount of data to model, analyze, and learn about the areas
and the consumers who live in the areas where you want to locate your business.

To create a map that shows potential Natural Foods sites that meet management's new-store
criteria, you will need several types of data:
• Demographic information about the population around the cities of San Bernardino and
Redlands in California
• City zoning information
• Information about the competition (other grocery stores) in the area
• Available real estate leasing information
• Traffic information
Where can I get the data I need?

Most of the location information that you need for this type of analysis is demographic and
competitor information, which is available in Business Analyst. Zoning district information is
available from government agencies and can be uploaded to ArcGIS Online. Recall that your
ArcGIS Online content is accessible from Business Analyst Web App. The Natural Foods Real
Estate department has already acquired real estate information. This information is in a hosted
feature layer that was created from a shapefile and stored online as a .zip file. A URL has been
provided for importing the file into Business Analyst Web App. A shapefile is a storage format
for geographic features, like a spreadsheet of tabular data with point locations that have
already been geocoded and are ready to place on a map.
Which techniques will I use?
To inform your decisions related to site selection for a business, you will use several
techniques, including visualization and overlay. You will use the Color-Coded Map tool to
learn about the region, followed by the Smart Map Search tool to identify areas that match
the important parameters specified by the new store criteria. You will then analyze commercial
zoning, locations of competitors, and buildings available for lease to identify the areas that
meet your criteria.
Perform the Analysis
The analysis will provide you with the information you need to help answer the business
questions and make decisions about the selection of a new store site. Obtaining the best,
most complete answers sometimes requires an iterative approach to analysis. After obtaining
your initial results, you may need to refine the methodology or modify the variables. During
your analysis, always consider what can be modified in the modeling, within upper-
management's specified parameters, to refine or improve your final results.
In this exercise, you will create a map of the area of San Bernardino and Redlands, which has
been targeted as a desirable area based on a market planning effort previously performed by
Natural Foods. You will use Business Analyst tools to locate the best sites in that area based

on the company's criteria for a new store. You will examine the local consumer population.
Then, you will analyze the level of competition in the area. Finally, you will add additional
layers to your map for analysis, including zoning districts or areas and real estate information,
such as available leases (with cost, square footage, parking, and so on). The results of the
analysis can be reviewed and interpreted as part of the larger decision about where to locate
a new store.
Interpret the Findings
After following the analysis workflow steps to reveal your findings, interpret the resulting
information to inform decision-making efforts. You will be armed with accurate and useful
information about the location, potential customers, and competitors.
Step 1: Sign in to Business Analyst Web App

ArcGIS Business Analyst Web App is part of Esri's cloud platform that includes business and
demographic data, along with different mapping and analysis tools.
a Open a new private or incognito browser window.

Hint: Enable private browsing: https://bit.ly/2qTQdQL
b To access Business Analyst Web App, click ArcGIS Business Analyst Web App or navigate
to the URL https://bao.arcgis.com/esriBAO/login/.
c Click Sign In.

d Sign in to Business Analyst Web App using the same credentials that you use to access
ArcGIS Online for this course.
The user name and password are the same as for the ArcGIS Online organizational site for this
course. Because Business Analyst Web App is available as an extension to ArcGIS Online, it
uses the same login information, although it has its own web address.
If you have more than one ArcGIS Online account, be sure to use the account created for
this course. You can only access the maps and data for the exercises if you are signed in to
the ArcGIS Online organization created for the course.
Note: The Section 1 Exercise 1 PDF explains how to determine your ArcGIS Online credentials
(user name and password) for this course. If you have trouble signing in, please refer to the
Common Questions list on the course Help tab.
Your previous project opens by default.
Step 2: Create a new project

You will begin your site optimization analysis by creating a project to contain your new maps
and analysis.
a If necessary, click the Home tab.
b Click Create New Project.
c Give the project a name similar to Natural Foods Southern California.
d Click Create.
e After the project has been created, click OK.
f Point to the Natural Foods Southern California project thumbnail and click Open.
After the project is created and opened, the Maps tab opens with a preselected basemap.
g If necessary, clear any layers maintained from previous exercises.

Hint: From the tool palette on the right side, click the Clear Map button . In the pop-up,
check the All box and click Clear to remove any layers.

You will configure the map to show the area of interest—in this case, the area of San
Bernardino and Redlands in southern California.
h In the upper right, above the search field, verify that the country is set to USA.
i In the upper right, in the search field, click the down arrow and choose Zoom To An Area.
j Begin typing San Bernardino, CA.
k From the results list, choose San Bernardino, CA, USA.
l Click the Basemaps button and choose Streets.

m Click the Basemaps button again to close the basemap options window.
Natural Foods conducted some initial market planning and analysis to discover potential areas
for the new store. The area bounded by San Bernardino to the west (to the left on the map)
and Redlands to the southeast was identified as the most desirable in the greater southern
California region. This area is most likely to contain a site that meets all your criteria. You will
start with this area and narrow down your options to the best actual site locations by using the
process of site evaluation and selection.
First, you will learn a little more about the area of San Bernardino and Redlands.

Step 3: Create a Color-Coded Map

The Color-Coded Map tool can show differences in one data variable, or parameter, over an
area. The tool applies your choice of statistical methods to categorize data and help you
explore the area visually. You will examine a variable that shows where people who buy foods
labeled as natural or organic reside. This criterion is key to your target market.
a From the Maps tab, click Create Maps and choose Color-Coded Maps.
b In the left pane, in the search field, type natural/organic and press Enter.
c The Data Browser dialog box opens.
d If necessary, in the Variables column, expand the 2020 Health (Market Potential) result.
e For the 2020 Buy Foods Specifically Labeled As Natural Or Organic variable, click the
percent button to map the variable as a percentage rather than as a quantity.
f Click the variable row to create the map.

The map now shows the percentages of people who buy natural or organic foods, symbolized
by color.

You can see that, particularly to the east (to the right on the map) and southeast, the area has
consumers who buy natural or organic foods—your target demographic. The information from
this map agrees with the market planning analysis and supports the decision to choose a
location in this area. Further, the map suggests specific locations to start with.
Obtaining the right data can be the most difficult part of analysis. For the most accurate,
reliable results, having good data is just as important as having good software tools. Ideally,
the data comes from a known, reputable source and includes metadata that describes how
and when the data was collected.
The following link describes the large dynamic dataset included with Business Analyst: https://
doc.arcgis.com/en/business-analyst/web/data.htm
You can also read through the following presentation to learn more about data quality:
https://sway.office.com/vFHqEIn3iGojHF29
Note: If you ever lose your map, or if you need to sign out and sign in again, you can still
access your latest work. Click the All Projects icon, point to the project, and click Manage
Items. This area contains all your recent sites, polygons, and other layers, which are
automatically saved when you make updates.

Step 4: Refine the map appearance

The Color-Coded Maps tool includes settings that you can use to change the appearance of
your map. In this step, you will explore different options for visualization.
a In the left pane, click the Style tab.
b Change some settings, such as the symbolization or transparency of the overlay, to see
how the settings affect the map display.
You can also change Method, which is the statistical method used to classify the data.
Classifying data means breaking it out into classifications or categories so that different
symbols or colors can be used to visualize the data on a map. Most methods used to create
the classification schemes consider a statistical property, called the distribution of the dataset,
to best show the differences or similarities among values in the areas on a map. Business
Analyst allows you to classify the data in three ways: natural breaks, equal intervals, and
quantiles.
Note: To learn more about using classification methods, see ArcGIS Business Analyst help:
Color-Coded Maps > Method.

c Next to Labels, check and uncheck the Place and Road boxes to see how labels display
over the data and the basemap.
Labels can help you get oriented or present information.
It is important to remember these map visualization settings when preparing a map for saving,
printing, or sharing.
d After you are finished exploring various settings, proceed to the next step.
Step 5: Add zoning areas to your map

A possible next step in a site-selection study might be to examine zoning in the area to
determine where a store location may be allowed. You obtained zoning district data from the
city of Redlands and added the data as a feature layer in ArcGIS Online. In this step, you will
import this zoning layer into Business Analyst Web App.
a On the right, from the toolbar, click the Clear Map button.
b Check the All box, and then click Clear.
c From the Maps tab, click Add Data and choose Web Maps And Layers.
This option shows you items in your Business Analyst and ArcGIS Online content, along with
shared items from your organization and the general public.
d At the top of the Web Maps And Layers dialog box, click ArcGIS.
e In the search field, type RedlandsZoning and press Enter.
f Under Item Type, click Feature Layers.
g Point to the RedlandsZoning feature layer owned by EsriTrainingSvc and click Open.

h Zoom and pan to the Redlands area as necessary to see the different zoning
classifications.
Zoning data is available from the city of Redlands in accordance with its open data policy.
Many government agencies publish location data under similar open data policies, so such
data is increasingly available on the internet.
Note: Open data refers to the growing practice of providing data for others to use without
restriction. Goals of this practice include furthering scientific knowledge and increasing
transparency in government. Location data is useful in both scenarios, as well as in business.
You can easily obtain such data to further increase your location advantage.
Esri facilitates the distribution of open data through a product called ArcGIS Hub. Hub
promotes engagement and collaboration with communities. This link takes you to the hub site
used by the city of Redlands: https://opendata-coredlands.opendata.arcgis.com.
For this exercise, the dataset has been simplified to eliminate needless complexity and allow
clearer conclusions.
i In the Legend pop-up, click the Map Contents tab.

Note: If you previously closed the Legend pop-up, click the Legend button on the tool
palette.

j To the right of the RedlandsZoning layer name, click the More Options button .
k Point to Transparency, then drag the slider to the right as needed to see the basemap
underneath the layer.
l After you are finished, click Close.

After examining the zoning information, you are closer to knowing which areas might be the
best for your new store. The candidate areas meet these criteria so far:
• More consumers with a propensity to buy organic or natural foods

• Zoned for commercial use
• Near residential areas
Having identified and mapped some of the criteria for a new store location and further
narrowed down the search, you will learn about the degree of potential competition in the
area.
Step 6: Search for competition

Another variable you might investigate in a site-selection study is whether there are similar
businesses near the locations you are interested in. If many similar stores are competing for
the same customers, that market might be too saturated and you should consider looking in a
new area. Or, as discussed in this week's lecture, you could use a follow strategy, which would
actually encourage you to locate stores near competitors' stores. Your decision depends on
your overall business goals and strategies, as well as other factors such as supply chain details
or the risk of natural or man-made interruptions.

You will create a search for grocery stores in the area to learn more about the possible
competition.
a From the Maps tab, click Create Maps and choose Business And Facilities Search.
b On the Business And Facilities Search pane, in the search box, type grocer and click Go
or press Enter.
Your map display updates. There seem to be several potential competitors in the area. The
stores are displayed as clusters on the map. If you click one of the numbers, a pop-up will
display information about the stores in each cluster.
On the left, you can scroll through categories for filtering the data. Under Business Name, you
could filter out grocery stores that you know do not focus on natural or organic foods. By
setting parameters for Number Of Employees and Sales Volume, you could find stores that
are similar in size to Natural Foods.
c At the bottom of the Business And Facilities Search pane, click Next, click Next again, and
then choose Save Layer.
d Name the layer Grocer Competition and click Save.

Note: If you receive a warning about credit consumption, click OK, and then click Continue.
e If you have download capabilities, click Export To Excel to see the competition layer with
full attribute information. Save the spreadsheet locally on your computer in an easily
accessible location.
f On your own, examine the Excel spreadsheet to discover details related to your
competition.
g In the Business and Facilities Search pane, click I'm Done.

Next, you will add real estate information from Natural Foods' Real Estate department to
locate some available leases in the area.
Step 7: Import real estate data

You have provided the Natural Foods Real Estate department with a description of what you
need: a building with 25,000 to 50,000 square feet of space; and 100 to 250 parking spaces,
based on a requirement of 4 to 5 spaces per 1,000 square feet of store space.
Your colleagues have found a handful of listings that meet these requirements. The listings
vary in price, available space, and parking capacity. The Real Estate group has provided you
with the listing data in the form of a shapefile. You will import the shapefile to see where the
property locations are and which might make the best site.
a Open another tab in your browser, and go to the RedlandsRealEstate shapefile (https://
bit.ly/3xk3S3O).
b On the right side of the page, click Download.
c Save the zipped shapefile to an easily accessible location on your computer.
d Close the browser tab with the RedlandsRealEstate shapefile and return to Business
Analyst Web App.
e From the Maps tab, click Add Data and choose Import File.
f In the Import File pane, click Browse.
g Browse to the location on your computer where you saved the zipped RedlandsRealEstate
shapefile, select the file, and click Open.
h In the Import File pane, click Import.
i Uncheck the Cluster Points box.

j Next to Symbol, click the down arrow.
k At the top of the pop-up, enable Classic Symbols and choose the green flag.
l Click Done.
m At the bottom of the Import File pane, click Next.
n Under Choose Column For Site Name (Optional), click the down arrow and choose
Details.

o Click Save.
p If necessary, zoom out to see all five locations in context.
Examine where the real estate locations appear on the map and how the locations relate to
both the zoning areas and the competition. Look for sites that are located in or near the areas
noted earlier as being both close to target customers and within an area zoned for
commercial use. Which sites should be analyzed further? Can any be ruled out?
q Click each point to view the information in the pop-up.
r Compare the sites on these criteria: leasing cost, size, and amount of parking.
Recall that you need between 25,000 and 50,000 square feet, less than $20,000 per month in
cost, and at least 100 parking spaces.
Hint: Criteria can be found at the top of the pop-up.

s Close any open pop-ups.

The real estate information gives you more information for your search. There are other tools,
with additional parameters, for comparing the areas. In addition to the attribute information
on these real estate points, you can use the point locations to create areas, or sites, for further
analysis.
Step 8: Create sites from real estate points

Now that potential real estate listings have been added to the map, you will create sites from
the imported point layer. For this scenario, you are interested in learning more about areas
around each potential store location that can be reached with a short walk. You will create a
15-minute walk time analysis for each potential real estate listing.
a In the Import File pane, click Organize Sites.
b If necessary, expand Other Layers and locate the RedlandsRealEstate imported points
layer.
c To the right of the RedlandsRealEstate layer, click the More Options button and
choose Setup Layer.

To create sites from point data, you can create rings with a set radius from each point. You can
also create sites based on drive times for cars or delivery trucks from each point or based on
walk times.
d In the Setup Layer pane, under Use Field As Item Name (Optional), click the down arrow
and choose FullAddres.
e Under Create Buffers Around Selected Points, click the Walk Time tab.
f Change the time in the first box to 15, and delete the numbers in the other two boxes.
This step creates a single walk time area that shows what is reachable by foot within 15
minutes.
g Click Setup Layer.
h If necessary, zoom and pan the map display to see all five sites.

After the new site layer is created, you have the option to use it for further analysis.
Step 9: Create a suitability analysis

The real estate data contained attributes, such as leasing costs and square footage, for each
point. Using additional data variables, you can learn more about the areas around each point
by creating sites based on the real estate data. A suitability analysis is an optimized way to
target areas that meet your business criteria. A suitability analysis is effective for comparing
areas based on multiple parameters or data variables, allowing you to change the weights for
each one.
With the Suitability Analysis tool in Business Analyst, you can use multiple data variables to
gain more insight into the possible locations to lease within the different zoning areas.
Note: The Smart Map Search, used in the Section 2 exercise, is similar to a suitability analysis.
You can use a Smart Map Search to target geographical areas and then filter the levels of the
multiple different data variables added from the Data Browser. The main difference between a
suitability analysis and a Smart Map Search is that the Smart Map Search uses general
geographic areas like counties or block groups, whereas a suitability analysis uses sites from
your project. The result is that the areas analyzed are more customizable and specific to your
project.
In this step, you will use suitability analysis to rank the sites that you created and highlight the
more desirable areas.

a In the Setup Layer pane, click Suitability Analysis.

Note: If you closed the Setup Layer pane, from the Maps tab, click Run Analysis and choose
Suitability Analysis, then click Add Sites From Project.
b If the Add Sites window appears, click Cancel or Close.

In the Suitability Analysis pane, by default, all five of the sites are selected for suitability
analysis.
c Click Next.
d In the Suitability Analysis pane, click Add Criteria and choose Add Variables From Data
Browser.
e Add the following data variables:
1. From the Income category, add 2020 Median Household Income (Esri).
• Hint: Click the Income category icon and look in the popular variables.
2. Add 2020 Median Home Value (Esri).
• Hint: In Categories, search on home value and expand the 2020 Home Value
category result.
3. Add 2020 Education: Population Age25+: Bachelor's Degree (Esri) as a percent (%).
• Hint: Click the Education category icon and change the type to percentage
before checking the box.
4. Add 2020 Buy Foods Specifically Labeled As Natural Or Organic as a percent (%).
• Hint: In Categories, search on natural/organic and change the type to

percentage before checking the box.
Above-average income, home values, level of education, and percentage of people who
prefer natural or organic foods represent the more detailed population characteristics that
Natural Foods wants near the store site it chooses.
Note: If you need help or more detailed steps for finding variables using Data Browser, refer
to the Section 2 exercise.
After you add these data variables, the Selected Variables count in the Data Browser window
should show four selected variables.

f Click the Selected Variables count and verify that you have the correct variables, and that
the college-educated people and people who buy foods specifically labeled as natural or
organic variables are set to percent (%).
g Click Save.
h In the Save Criteria dialog box, name the list Natural Foods suitability.
i Click Save.
j If necessary, zoom or pan the map display to see all the sites.
The default color ramp shows darker colors for the more desirable sites, which refer to the
15-minute walk-time areas around each real estate point.
k If necessary, expand the Suitability Analysis Results table at the bottom to learn about the
weighted and final scoring for each site.
Note: Pausing your pointer over a row in the table highlights the area on the map.
l In the Suitability Analysis pane, move the sliders for each of the four criteria.
Note: You can use either the sliders or the text boxes to set the weights. To type in the text
boxes, you may need to use the number keys at the top of your keyboard rather than the keys
on your number pad.
m Notice the changes in both the features in the map and the scores in the table.

You can see that increasing the weight of one variable automatically decreases the weights of
the others so that the weights always add up to 100 percent. The weights are what make
some areas appear more desirable than others. For example, increasing the weight of the
median home value variable shows that the areas to the east are more desirable. If Natural
Foods places greater importance on the percentage of natural/organic food shoppers and
higher education levels, however, the areas to the west appear more desirable.
You can click More Options under each variable for more settings. You can also click the lock
icon to lock a variable so that it doesn't automatically adjust.
You now have more information about which specific areas around each real estate
opportunity may or may not be ideal for your new store location. You can export these results,
either as a spreadsheet or as a new suitability layer.
n At the bottom of the Suitability Analysis pane, click Export.
o Select Export To A New Suitability Layer and check the box next to Include All Site
Attributes In The Suitability Analysis Export.
p Click OK.
q If you see a credit usage warning, click OK.

The layer is stored in your project under Other Layers, where it can be reopened or copied
into another project.
Another factor that could help you make a final decision about the best location for a new
store is traffic in the prospective areas. On average, how many people drive by a particular
location in one day? This information can allow you to gauge how many potential customers
may visit your store. You can find this information by creating a traffic count report.

Step 10: Create a standard report

Business Analyst has multiple reporting functions, including standard, comparison, and
custom reports and infographics. In the previous lesson, you created a comparison report for
the Toronto bank expansion scenario. In this next step, you will run a report to show the traffic
count at the prospective store location you think is best.
a On the map, click the point that seems like the best possible site for a new store location.
It can be any of the five points.
b In the pop-up, click Reports.
c Under Choose A Report To Run, click the down arrow, and then scroll all the way down
and choose Traffic Count Map.
d Leave the default format of PDF, and click Run Report.

The report is saved to your project in Business Analyst and also to your BA-My Reports folder
under My Content in your ArcGIS Online organization.
e When the report finishes processing, click Open Report.

The report will open in a new browser tab as a fully formatted PDF document. The numbers
represent the average number of cars that pass a location each day. Higher values are shown
in blue, and lower values are shown in yellow.


You can print or save this report along with the map image that you saved earlier.
The traffic report could help confirm your thinking that this is the best place for a new store
location. Or you could run reports on another site for more information.
As you interpret the findings, build a case for which site you believe is most suitable and why.
Do the combinations of existing parameters put one site ahead of the other, such as lower
cost, more parking, or more favorable demographics? There are usually even more factors
that you must consider when making such a big decision. What other possible criteria can you
think of? Remember to look to the future: Are there plans to add a commuter train stop near a
potential site? Consider ease of access to transportation: How close is each location to the
nearest highway off-ramps, and which side of the street is each location on when traveling
from those access points? Here are some additional variables that management might also
want to consider:
• Location of large employers

• Location of schools
• Farmers market locations, which bring pedestrian traffic
• Visibility
Step 11: Sign out of Business Analyst

After you have finished the activity and are done exploring Business Analyst Web App, you
can sign out and close related windows.
a At the top of the Business Analyst Web App window, click your name and choose Log
Out.
b Close any open private or incognito browser tabs.
Conclusion
In this exercise, you evaluated sites for a new business location. There are many factors to
consider when making such a potentially high-profile, high-cost decision. As you have
learned, considering quantitative variables, like costs or traffic counts, can help provide a solid
basis for a recommendation. You can explore many different datasets in Business Analyst that
cover a wide range of demographic, business, and consumer characteristics.
What further variables do you think could be useful in performing site optimization? There are
probably more qualitative, harder-to-measure variables to consider in a search like this, such
as neighborhood feel, sense of place, perceived relative noise, or other factors. How can you

take this analysis a step further? You are encouraged to take these tools, access the data, and
see what other information you can derive or what else you can learn.
You began this exercise with a business question: Within a chosen area, what is the ideal
location for your business? You used information available in Business Analyst. You modeled
the solution by combining the data with techniques to answer the question. You can apply the
techniques you used to other similar situations as well:
• Locating a military or college recruiting agency near wherever the potential recruits or
students live
• Locating a food delivery business in an area where people tend to have more disposable
income but fewer cars
• Locating a different part of the business, such as a manufacturing plant, farther from
consumers but near where potential workers live
• Locating the best place for a new office complex, which would need parking spaces,
zoning, restaurants in the vicinity, and so on
Most importantly, act on your findings. Do not let your findings simply be documented in
reports and archived (although those are good ideas, too). Your analysis results should also be
integrated where possible. The datasets and maps can be added to reports or dashboards in
your business intelligence systems to be made accessible or distributed, for example. Putting
your findings to use increases your competitive advantage: the location advantage.

Exercise: Site Selection: Choosing The Right Location

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The Location Advantage MOOC

Site Selection: Choosing the Right Location

Copyright © 2021 Esri. All rights reserved. 1

• A high percentage of residents with a bachelor's degree or higher

Copyright © 2021 Esri. All rights reserved. 2

Formulate the Question

Copyright © 2021 Esri. All rights reserved. 3

Where can I get the data I need?

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Step 1: Sign in to Business Analyst Web App

a Open a new private or incognito browser window.

c Click Sign In.

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Step 2: Create a new project

a If necessary, click the Home tab.

b Click Create New Project.

c Give the project a name similar to Natural Foods Southern California.

e After the project has been created, click OK.

g If necessary, clear any layers maintained from previous exercises.

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j Begin typing San Bernardino, CA.

k From the results list, choose San Bernardino, CA, USA.

l Click the Basemaps button and choose Streets.

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Step 3: Create a Color-Coded Map

c The Data Browser dialog box opens.

f Click the variable row to create the map.

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Step 4: Refine the map appearance

a In the left pane, click the Style tab.

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Step 5: Add zoning areas to your map

b Check the All box, and then click Clear.

e In the search field, type RedlandsZoning and press Enter.

f Under Item Type, click Feature Layers.

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i In the Legend pop-up, click the Map Contents tab.

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l After you are finished, click Close.

• More consumers with a propensity to buy organic or natural foods

Step 6: Search for competition

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d Name the layer Grocer Competition and click Save.

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g In the Business and Facilities Search pane, click I'm Done.

Step 7: Import real estate data

b On the right side of the page, click Download.

c Save the zipped shapefile to an easily accessible location on your computer.

f In the Import File pane, click Browse.

h In the Import File pane, click Import.

i Uncheck the Cluster Points box.

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j Next to Symbol, click the down arrow.

m At the bottom of the Import File pane, click Next.

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p If necessary, zoom out to see all five locations in context.

q Click each point to view the information in the pop-up.

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s Close any open pop-ups.

Step 8: Create sites from real estate points

a In the Import File pane, click Organize Sites.