Page 1 of 19
Journal for Studies in Management and Planning
Available at http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/
e-ISSN: 2395-0463
Volume 02 Issue 5
May 2016
Available online: http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/ P a g e | 202
Conceptual Review of Geographic Information System (GIS):
An Issue in the Quest to Improve the Marketing Activities of
Nigeria Business Sectors
Iliya Bawa1, Dr. Doshiro Musa Umar Ph.D2 and Audu Omeiza Leonard3
1Department of Marketing School of Business Studies Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa, Nigeria
Email: iliyabawa84@gmail.com
2 Department of Entrepreneurial Studies Faculty of Administration Nasarawa State University, Keffi-Nigeria
Email: Dmumar2000@yahoo.com
3 Department of Business Administration and Management, Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa
Email: centblissa2015@gmail.com
Abstract
Business sectors in Nigeria are facing a
difficult time as the current landscape is
characterised by ever-increasing competition.
Most Nigerian business organisations as well
as individuals are ignorance of the potential in
Geographic Information System (GIS). In this
condition, the search for an appropriate
location strategy has the potential to become a
differentiating and competitive factor. This
paper review the use of Geographic
Information System for effective productivity in
Nigeria Business sectors. The methodology
adopted is basically theoretical and narrative
based on analysis models, respectively, from
previous studies. A review of related literature
and exploration of theoretical framework
provided more insight into various ways
Geographic Information System could be used
to improve the performance of marketing
activities in Business Sectors in Nigeria. The
study attract the following suggestions and
recommendations; combining demographic
data from the census with a customer database
offers the potential for substantially increasing
a company’s capability for marketing analysis,
awareness need to be made on the existence
and functions of GIS companies in the country,
more effort still needs to be invested in GIS
development for providing analysis in such
mission-critical areas as site selection, target
marketing, prospect analysis, territory
allocation and media planning.
Key words: GIS, Marketing, Business Sectors,
Location, Geospatial, Strategy.
1 Introduction
Two of the World’s leading Geographic
Information System (GIS) software
manufacturers and the Environmental System
Research Institute (ESRI) Mapinfo have
captured the Nigerian market, therefore, in
today’s Fiercely competitive environment,
retailers and distributors of goods and services
must use every advantage to acquire and retain
customers, plan market expansion and
construction, locate profitable sites, stay
abreast of changing consumer tastes, and act
faster than the competitors.
Geography fundamentally influences and
connects culture, business society, and
lifestyle. Geography answers many business
Page 2 of 19
Journal for Studies in Management and Planning
Available at http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/
e-ISSN: 2395-0463
Volume 02 Issue 5
May 2016
Available online: http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/ P a g e | 203
and marketing queries. It has always been said
that the key variables of a successful
distribution company are location, location,
location, so from this statement it is easy to
deduce the importance of a proper location
strategy for business sectors (Ghosh and
Mclafferty 1982). The opening of a new store
or outlet carries an inherent risk because of the
high monetary cost associated. Also, a store
that is unsuccessful due to a poor choice of
location can have a significant negative impact
on the image of the company enterprises
(Hernandez and Bennison 2000).
Geography is being handed an increasing
importance for its key role in the current
understanding of the success of a business
(Alcaide et al, 2012).
Nevertheless, Wood and Reynolds (2012) point
out that although the literature places great
importance on spatial analysis and geographic
information in decision making in the location
strategy of companies, this is not the case in
practice with some business sectors in Nigeria.
In Nigeria business organisations, as well as
individuals are ignorance of GIS potentials.
Thus, there are possibilities to develop
methodologies for determining new
commercial locations by integrating such
spatial and geographic information with clear,
practical application.
Because everything that happens, happens in
our street, in our town or city, our country,
region, state, province, country and continent.
We cannot get away from the location issues
and consequently, cannot get away from how
the things that happen may or may not affect
us. The clue is in the word “geographic”
because whether we like it or not, whether we
understand and appreciate it or not, geography
is virtually important in our everyday lives and
understanding the geography around us and its
importance, is essential to our everyday lives.
Geographic Information System (GIS) is a
piece of software that capture geographic data
for the purpose of manipulation, viewing and
analysis in whichever context and parameters
the user desires or needs. It can be used to
analyse spatial data or geographic information
for any given and possible purpose. This days
it’s a necessity for any service provider with
physical “service network” to plot it in a GIS- based software to manage it properly, support it
efficiently and to plan for future growth and
build-outs. This is because GIS based software
tool can track anything that is location based,
including an infinite amount of sales
characteristics tied to that geographic location.
This paper attempt to create awareness and
review the application of GIS on business
activities and also present some ways in which
GIS can support the activities of the four
elements of the marketing mix of a typical
business entity in Nigeria. In the pursuit of this
and other objectives, the following questions
will be addressed, among others: what are the
unique features and driving force of GIS? What
are the best ways to exploit the new GIS
possibilities due to dramatic development in
technologies? What measures are needed to
enhance the marketing performance of business
activities in Nigeria?
The paper is structured into five sections.
Following this introduction is section two
which is conceptual clarification and literature
review/theoretical framework.
Section three discusses the place and
importance of GIS in business. Section four
dwells on pointing out various GIS companies
Page 3 of 19
Journal for Studies in Management and Planning
Available at http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/
e-ISSN: 2395-0463
Volume 02 Issue 5
May 2016
Available online: http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/ P a g e | 204
in Nigeria where Business sectors can use for
growth and development of their businesses in
relation to their mission and vision statements
and drive for prominence in industry and
market places. While section five conclude the
paper and proffers appropriate
recommendations.
2 Conceptual Clarification and Literature
Review/Theoretical Framework
Nowadays, business organisations all over the
world are searching for market gap and
building the correct strategy to build up their
own consumers and thereby fixing another set
of the target group. Geographic Information
System is a system by which we can see the
geography in a different angle and make
interpretations and judgment regarding the
issue. In the marketing context, it is a system
for capturing and displaying, data which are
spatially referenced to the Earth. This is
normally considered to involve a spatially
referenced computer database and appropriate
application software (Anson C.J. 2012).
In complex decision process involving a wide
variety and volume of information, along with
a substantial subjective component,
visualisation methods are extremely useful.
Therefore GIS, based on matching digital maps
with relational databases, will undoubtedly be
essential for the future development of the
decision process for locating establishments
(Mendes and Themido 2004).
The key to establishing this type of technology
within an information framework for the
purposes of decision making is integration: the
linking together of technology, data and a
decision making strategy, what GIS is all about
today is the bringing together of spatial
analysis techniques and digital spatial data
combined with computer technology. But for
many, GIS is much more than a computer
database and a set of tools: it is also a
philosophy for information management. Often
GIS can form the core of the information
management within an organisation. There are
of course other definition too. GIS is
sometimes referred to as the tool whilst the
user may be the spatial information scientist. In
recent times the whole subject area has also
been referred to as geographic information
management (GIM) or even geomatics.
In fact, the use of GIS by companies and
organisations is increasing (Church and
Murray, 2009; Chen 2007). In recent years,
various association between decision-making
models and GIS packages have been made.
Harris and Batty (1993) and Birkin et al.
(2002) explore the different possibilities that
these technologies can offer to solve the
problems of planning and locating outlets.
Such associations between applications are
known as loosely coupled, whereas solutions
that include the functionality of decision- making programme within the actual GIS
packages are known as strongly coupled. This
strategy is based on the acceptance that there is
no single software tool or technology that can
meet the needs of planners and, therefore, they
will have to adapt the current (and future)
technologies to satisfy their needs (Harris and
Batty 1993).
What Makes Data Spatial?
Spatial data refers to information that is
associated with location or place. It may be
recorded on a map, held as a records in a
database or even be represented as a
photograph. Geography is, in fact, the study of
