Esri Business Information Solutions (Esri BIS) launched the first series of its CommunityInfo data sets at Esri's Business Partner Conference in Palm Springs, California, March 2003. Compatible with ArcGIS and other Esri products, these CommunityInfo data sets are being developed specifically for use in economic development, homeland security, and health. Subsequent packages will include CommunityInfo for insurance, financial services, restaurants, and retail. A special version of selected Census 2000 demographic variables is also in development for use as a teaching tool by colleges and universities. Esri BIS, whose team has more than 30 years of experience in the marketing information industry, has developed several innovative data verification methodologies that have become industry standards.

Each CommunityInfo data set is designed to provide analysts with current information about the people, workers, and spending patterns in their communities. CommunityInfo data is reported at the block group, census tract, ZIP Code, and county levels in the following files:

CommunityInfo--People demographic data profiles the community with current- and five-year projected data based on demographic variables such as population, household age distributions, racial composition, housing units, civilian workforce by industry and occupation, and ACORN (A Classification Of Residential Neighborhoods) lifestyle indicator. This data also includes annual growth rates for key economic indicators.

CommunityInfo--Workplace provides information about the Business types and sizes and the number of workers for each Business in every U.S. neighborhood. The source of this data, infoUSA, contacts more than 13 million Businesses across the United States annually to verify and update its Business data.

CommunityInfo--Buying identifies the total dollars and average household dollar spending potential for selected consumer goods and services by neighborhood. A buying index that compares the neighborhood spending potential to the U.S. average is also included in the data set.

CommunityInfo data sets can be used for marketing applications in many industries, for example:

• Economic Development: Spot population trends in critical growth areas.
• Homeland Security: Precisely target potential congestion areas for evacuation plans.
• Health: Use ArcGIS with CommunityInfo to visualize key areas of patient concentration.
• Restaurants: Understand the demographics of daytime versus evening customers.
• Retail: Examine the competition in a market area.
• Financial Services: Define the products preferred by the most profitable customers.
• Insurance: Assess property/casualty exposure by account to refine marketing messages.

CommunityInfo data sets combined with Esri technology will refine the precision of marketing applications and increase community knowledge for those who need quick and easy access to this type of information.

For more information about the CommunityInfo data sets and their industry-specific applications, please contact Esri Business Information Solutions (tel.: 1-800-292-2224/East and 1-800-394-3690/West, e-mail: br@esribis.com, Web: www.esribis.com).

See also "Providing the "Who" for GIS Analysis!"