The Future is Here: Location Intelligence Companies Leading the Charge

Location intelligence is regarded as the capacity to gather, analyze, and interpret location-based data in a meaningful way. It involves using various technologies and tools to collect and analyze information about specific geographic locations and turning that data into valuable insights.

The top Location Intelligence Companies are-

Esri

Market Position or History

In August 2021, Esri announced the acquisition of nFrames, a software company that specializes in 3D modelling and mapping technology. This acquisition will enable Esri to enhance its 3D GIS capabilities and provide more advanced solutions for its customers.

Business Overview and Strategy

Jack Dangermond and Laura Dangermond founded this company in 1969. Its headquarters are located in Redlands, California. It specializes in geographic information system (GIS) technology and develops GIS software for desktop, mobile, and web applications, as well as enterprise solutions for organizations. The software developed by the company are is used in a variety of industries, such as government, natural resources, utilities, and transportation to enable users to efficiently collect, manage, analyze, and share spatial data.

Esri is envisioned at creating a sustainable future for the planet through location intelligence. It strives to enable everyone to make more informed decisions by unlocking the power of location data and insights.

Strengths

• It has a strong brand reputation.
• It has a diverse consumer base.
• It makes heavy R&D investments to ensure that its products and services remain innovative and relevant.

Weaknesses

• Its products and services not that quite affordable.
• Its software may not always be interoperable with other GIS systems or tools.

Precisely Holdings LLC

Market Position or History

In March 2021, Precisely acquired WinPure, a UK-based provider of data quality, matching, and cleansing software.

Business Overview and Strategy

Headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, United States, the company was founded in 1968. It develops software specializing in areas such as location intelligence, high speed sorting, data quality, ETL, and data integration, among others.

Precisely is visioned at emerging as a leader in data integration and data quality solutions, providing its customers with reliable and accurate data to support informed decision-making. The company is focused on delivering innovative software solutions that help organizations streamline their data operations, reduce costs, and improve the quality of their data.

Strengths

• It has a strong presence across key industries.
• Its solutions are highly scalable, making them suitable for organizations of all sizes.
• It offers location intelligence solutions that enable organizations to make better use of spatial data to gain insights into their operations and support more effective decision-making.

Weaknesses

• It has a limited international presence.
• Its solutions are expensive and therefore inaccessible to smaller organizations.
• It faces intense competition from other players.

CARTO

Market Position or History

In July 2021, CARTO inked a partnership deal with SafeGraph with an aim to integrate the latter’s Points of Interest (POI) data into its platform.

Business Overview and Strategy

Headquartered in New York, United States, the company was established in 2012. Sergio Alvarez and Javier la Torre are the founders of this enterprise. It specializes in the development of cloud based location intelligence platforms. Its platform includes a range of features, such as geocoding, routing, spatial analysis, and data visualization, which can help businesses make better-informed decisions based on location data.

CARTO is envisioned at helping organizations create more efficient and sustainable operations, make data-driven decisions, and drive positive social and environmental impact through the use of location data.

Strengths

• The location intelligence platform developed by the company is user friendly.
• It provides customization options.
• It has a broad client base.

Weaknesses

• Its pricing plans can be relatively expensive compared to other location intelligence platforms, which may make it less accessible for smaller businesses.
• Its platform provides limited options for exporting data and maps.

Alteryx

Market Position or History

In September 2019, Alteryx acquired Feature Labs, a machine learning startup that focuses on automated feature engineering.

Business Overview and Strategy

Dean Stoecker founded the company in 1997. Its headquarters are located in Irvine, California, United States. It develops platforms for advanced analytics and data analytics. The platform includes tools for working with geospatial data, such as geocoding, spatial joins, and distance calculations.

Alteryx aims at empowering  business users to make data-driven decisions, and enabling data analysts and scientists to work more efficiently and collaboratively.

Strengths

• It has a broad and loyal consumer base.
• It has a global presence, with customers and employees around the world, enabling it to tap into diverse markets and talent pools.
• It has been showcasing promising financial results.

Weaknesses

• It is heavily reliant on its data analytics platform for revenue, which could be a risk if the platform becomes less popular or successful.
• The data analytics industry is highly competitive, with many established players as well as new entrants.

Here Technologies

Market Position or History

In 2020, Here Technologies announced the acquisition of ATS Advanced Telematic Systems GmbH, a German software company that focuses on over-the-air software updates and data management for connected cars.

Business Overview and Strategy

Headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands, the company was established in 1985. It is known for providing mapping and location-based services to individuals and businesses around the world.

Here Technologies is envisioned at creating an autonomous world for everyone by providing high-quality, real-time location data and services that help people and businesses make informed decisions.

Strengths

• It offers extensive mapping data with detailed information about roads, buildings, and points of interest.
• It has a strong commitment to innovation and investment in research and development.
• It has diverse customer base across multiple industries including automotive, transportation, and logistics.

Weaknesses

• It depends on third-party data sources for certain types of location data.
• It has limited presence in emerging markets, particularly in Asia.

TomTom

Market Position or History

In 2021, TomTom acquired Comodule, a leading provider of connectivity and fleet management solutions for micromobility vehicles, such as e-bikes and e-scooters. The acquisition helped TomTom expand its presence in the micromobility market and provided access to new customers in Europe.

Business overview and Strategy

Headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands, the company was established in 1991. Harold Goddijn, Corinne Vigreux, Pieter Geelen and Peter-Frans Pauwels are the key founders of this firm. TomTom NV specializes in the development of location technology-based platforms along with consumer electronics. It also pioneers in the creation of satellite navigation devices.

Its vision is to create a safer, cleaner, congestion-free world by providing innovative and reliable location-based services to its customers.

Strengths

• It is widely recognized for its advanced and reliable products.
• It has a strong track record of developing new and innovative location-based technologies.
• It offers a range of products and services, including navigation devices, traffic information and routing software, and fleet management systems, among others.

Weaknesses

• It relies on a few key customers foe a significant portion of its revenue.
• It is vulnerable to economic downturns.

TIBCO Software Inc.

Market Position or History

In 2019, TIBCO announced the acquisition of SnappyData, a provider of data management and analytics solutions. The acquisition helped TIBCO expand its capabilities in the area of in-memory computing and real-time analytics.

Business Overview and Strategy

Vivek Ranadive and Dale Skeen started the company in 1997. Its headquarters are located in Palo Alto, California, United States. It is known for developing business intelligence software solutions to help organizations get actionable insights to complex data, including location intelligence solutions.

TIBCO’s vision is to enable businesses to become more agile, efficient, and innovative through the use of data. The company's goal is to provide businesses with the tools they need to turn data into insights, and insights into action.

Strengths

• It has a strong brand reputation.
• It has a diverse product portfolio.
• It has an excellent leadership team.

Weaknesses

• Its software solutions are quite complexed and expensive.
• It heavily depends on its network of partners and distributors to sell its software solutions, which can limit its direct reach to customers.

SAS Institute

Market Position or History

In 2021, SAS joined forces with Microsoft with an to integrate SAS analytics with Microsoft's cloud services, including Azure, Dynamics 365, and Power BI.

Business Overview and Strategy

James Goodnight, Anthony James Barr, and John Sall established the company on July 1, 1976. Its headquarters are located in Cary, North Carolina, United States. It develops a wide array of software solutions and products for business intelligence, location intelligence, data management, predictive modelling, and data analysis.

SAS emphasizes the importance of customer satisfaction and seeks to provide exceptional customer service and support. Its primary aim  is to help its customers achieve success by providing them with the tools, resources, and expertise they need to solve their most pressing business challenges.

Strengths

• It makes heavy R&D investments.
• It has established strong partnerships with various organizations and universities to offer training and certification programs in analytics and data science.
• It is committed to social and environmental responsibility.

Weaknesses

• Its offerings are not cost effective.
• It faces cutthroat competition from other players.
• It has faced backlashes for its lack of diversity and inclusion.

Company	Business Model	Market Share	Products & Services	Market Positioning
Google	Freemium	4X%	Google Maps, Google Earth, Google Places API, Google Maps Platform, Waze, Google My Business	Dominant player with extensive product offerings and integrations
Esri	Freemium/SaaS	X5%	ArcGIS, ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Enterprise, ArcGIS Hub, ArcGIS Runtime, ArcGIS APIs	Industry standard for GIS technology and enterprise solutions
HERE	Freemium/SaaS	1X%	HERE Maps, HERE WeGo, HERE Routing, HERE Location Services, HERE Platform	Strong positioning in the automotive industry and enterprise solutions
TomTom	SaaS	X%	TomTom Maps, TomTom Navigation, TomTom Telematics, TomTom Traffic, TomTom Maps APIs	Strong positioning in the automotive and telematics industries
Microsoft	SaaS	X%	Bing Maps, Azure Maps, Power BI Location Analytics, Dynamics 365 Location Insights	Strong enterprise solutions and integrations with Microsoft's ecosystem
Pitney Bowes	SaaS	X%	Location Intelligence, Spectrum Spatial, MapInfo Pro, Location-based Services	Focus on enterprise solutions and industry-specific applications
Foursquare	SaaS	X.1%	Foursquare Places API, Pilgrim SDK, Attribution, Places Database, Analytics	Strong positioning in the location-based marketing and advertising industries