Business intelligence stalwart Information Builders (IBI) recently released WebFOCUS for Google Maps, a mashup application based on the company's BI platform. The application features an intuitive graphical user interface for rapid development of composite applications without requiring coding by developers.
By overlaying maps with operational data and reports generated in traditional BI applications, users can gain a clearer indication of performance and quickly identify local and regional trends, such as the volume of service calls made to a specific call center or the number of stores with low inventory of specific items, IBI said.
Users of WebFOCUS for Google Maps can enrich maps with analytic content, view location indicators that visually convey operational trends, or navigate the map from a related report to zoom in and out of critical areas. Users can also leverage Google Maps to pre-filter and drill down to WebFOCUS reports containing details on one or more locations, IBI said.
"Mashups are currently dominating consumer- and customer-facing sites," said Jim Honerkamp, chief information officer at IBI customer The Hillman Group. "By bringing the power of these consumer-friendly applications to the enterprise, Information Builders can help organizations significantly speed up the adoption of geographically aware applications."