12 young entrepreneursyoung entrepreneurs: determining business location • student instructions...

Project 12 of Investigating Your World with My World GIS • www.natgeoed.org/MyWorldGIS

Guiding QuestionHow do demographics influence business decisions? What spatial relationships contribute to the success of businesses?

Project Duration Three or four 45 minute class periods

Grade Level Grades 9-12+ (ages 14-18+)

Learning ObjectivesStudents will be able to:•analyzetheinterrelationshipsbetweenhumanandphysicalgeographiccharacteristics in the context of real-world decision-making

•analyzeeconomicanddemographicdata to determine the level of development and standard of living of a location

•analyzedatatounderstandtheeffectsofphysicalandhumanprocessesoneconomic conditions and resource distribution

•usegeographicinformationfromdatabases to answer geographic questions

•usemapsandgraphstomakedecisionsand communicate information

•evaluatetheimportanceofthelocationin the production of an economic good or service

Subjects•Geography•Economics

Young Entrepreneurs: Determining Business Location By Andrew J. Milson

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Young Entrepreneurs: Determining Business Location • Teacher Instructions • 50

TEACHER INSTRUCTIONS

How do demographics influence business decisions? What spatial relationships contribute to the success of businesses?

Young Entrepreneurs: Determining Business Location

Activity OverviewThisprojectisasiteselectionanalysistaskinwhichstudents use geospatial data from the United States to determine the optimal location for a student-proposed business.Studentsperformasiteselectionanalysisbyusing GIS to determine the optimal location for a new business.Theyreviewanexamplethatusesdemographicand spatial information to narrow down an optimal businesssite.Teamsofstudentsperformasimilaranalysisfor their own business ideas and present the results of theiranalysisusingPowerPoint(oranothertool)todisplayaseriesofmaps,graphs,andtablesthattheycreatedtodefendtheirchoiceoflocationfortheirproposedbusiness.

Connections to National StandardsNATIONAL GEOGRAPHY STANDARDS• Standard1:Howtousemapsandothergeographic

representations,tools,andtechnologiestoacquire,process,andreportinformation.

• Standard9:Thecharacteristics,distribution,andmigrationofhumanpopulationsonEarth’ssurface.

• Standard11:ThepatternsandnetworksofeconomicinterdependenceonEarth’ssurface.

• Standard12:Theprocess,patterns,andfunctionsofhumansettlement.

• Standard15:Howphysicalsystemsaffecthumansystems.

• Standard16:Thechangesthatoccurinthemeaning,use,distribution,andimportanceofresources.

• Standard18:Howtoapplygeographytointerpretthepresentandplanforthefuture.

NATIONAL ECONOMICS STANDARDS • Standard1:Scarcity• Standard2:MarginalCost/Benefit• Standard3:AllocationofGoodsandServices• Standard4:RoleofIncentives• Standard6:SpecializationandTrade• Standard7:Markets-PriceandQuantityDetermination• Standard9:RoleofCompetition• Standard14:ProfitandtheEntrepreneur

NATIONAL SOCIAL STUDIES STANDARDS• Strand3:People,Places,andEnvironments• Strand7:Production,Distribution,andConsumption• Strand8:Science,Technology,andSociety• Strand9:GlobalConnections

Vocabulary• entrepreneur, noun—apersonwhoorganizesorownsa

business• demographic, noun—a particular sector of a population• standard of living, noun—thenecessities,comforts,and

luxuriesenjoyedoraspiredtobyanindividualorgroup

Teaching StrategiesNotethatthisprojectdoesnotincludestudentanswersheetsorananswerkey,asstudentscanfollowtheinstructions and use their own paper or word processing todeveloptheprojectproposal.Instead,an“ActivityExample”isincluded,whichhasadualpurposeasaexampleforyouandalsoforstudentsifyouchoose.Youcanprovidethiskeyasasampleexercisetohelpstudentsenvision the steps and possible results in the project proposalchecklist.

By Andrew J. Milson

TEACHER INSTRUCTIONS

Young Entrepreneurs: Determining Business Location • Teacher Instructions • Page 251

Itisimportanttoemphasizethatstudentsshouldreservejudgmentastheyconducttheiranalyses.Theyshouldnotselectacityfirstandthentrytojustifyitwiththedata.Studentsshouldfocusondevelopingcriteriafirst.Oneapproach to ensuring that students follow the process of decision-makingistohavethemcompletethefirstthreestepsofthelessonbeforetheylaunchMyWorldandbeginexploringdata.Encouragestudentstokeepanopenmind.Usethesampleanswersgivenintheactivitykeytopromptstudentthinking.

It is also important that students think about the limitationsofthedataavailabletothem.Remindstudentstoconsiderwhichdataaremostmeaningful,theaccuracyofthedataavailable,theageofthedata,howtheymighttransform their data to make it more meaningful (such as calculatingaverages,)andidentifyingotherdatathatmightbevaluableformakingtheirdecision.

The“ProjectProposalChecklist”isintendedtoguidethemthroughtheprocessofasiteselectionanalysis.Thisprocess will help to reinforce decision-making and critical thinkingskills.Itwillalsohelpstudentstogainabetterunderstanding of the forms of data that are used in real-worlddecisionmakingusingaGIS.

Extending the Learning• Oncestudentsidentifyadditionaldataneeds(suchas

layersthatarenotavailableinthe“canned”dataset,)have them use an online source to locate and download additionaldatafortheirprojects.

• Havestudentscreateadditionalfieldsbyperformingcalculationsusingtheexistingdata.Forexample,calculatepercentages,averages,area,ordistancesusingtwoormoreexistingvalues.

• Teamscanidentifytheexistingcompetitionfortheirbusiness and use that information to narrow the location fortheirbusiness.

• Teamscandevelopanadvertisingplanfortheirnewbusinessthatmakesuseofaparticular“appeal”technique.

Additional ResourcesSiteselectionanalysisisoneofthemostcommonusesforGISintheprivateandpublicsector.Forexample,retailbusinessesfrequentlyemploythisformofanalysisto evaluate their customer base and to determine where tolocateanewstore.AnexcellentexplanationofdifferentformsofspatialanalysiscanbefoundinGeographic Information Systems and SciencebyPaulA.Longley,MichaelF.Goodchild,DavidJ.Maguire,andDavidW.Rhind.

• U.S.Cities:Containslocationsforcitieswithpopulationsof10,000orgreaterandallstatecapitals.

• MajorHighways:Thisdatasetincludesonlythemajorhighwayroadsegmentsoftheoriginaldatasetandasubsetoftheattributes.

• U.S.Rivers:MajorriverswithintheUnitedStates.• U.SCounties:Representsallofthecountiesinthe

UnitedStates.• U.SLakes:Majorlakesandreservoirswithinthe

UnitedStates.• U.S.States:Representsall50statesplusthe

DistrictofColumbia.• Continents:Representstheboundariesforthe

continentsoftheworld.

• Climateclasses(Simple):illustratestherelationshipbetweenaverageannualtemperature,averageannualprecipitation,climateclass,dominantvegetation,andbiome.

• AveragePrecipitation:Averageprecipitation(rainand snow) for each grid cell based on averages and interpolationsfromstationmeasurements.

• AverageSunshine:Hoursofsunshineforalocationasapercentageofalldaylighthours.

• AverageTemperature:Averagesurfacetemperaturefor each grid cell based on averages and interpolationsfromstationmeasurements.Monthlydatasets reflect average values for that month for theyears1930-1960.

Data DictionaryAdditional information about each of the layers used in this project.

STUDENT INSTRUCTIONS

Young Entrepreneurs: Determining Business Location • Student Instructions • Page 252

InthisactivityyouwillusegeospatialdatafromtheUnited States to determine the optimal location for a proposedbusiness.Youwillperformasiteselection

analysisbyusingGIStodeterminetheoptimallocationforanewbusiness.Youwillbeginbyreviewinganexamplethatuses demographic and spatial information to narrow down an optimalbusinesssite.YouwillthenperformasimilaranalysisforyourownbusinessideasandwillpresenttheresultsofyouranalysisusingPowerPoint(orasimilartool)todisplayaseriesofmaps,graphs,andtables—createdtodefendyourchoiceoflocationfortheproposedbusiness.

New Business ChallengeAfriendlyandgenerousinvestorhasofferedtodonate$10milliontoateamofstudentsatyourschooltostartanewbusiness.Onlyonenewbusinesswillbefunded.Todeterminewhichteamwillreceivethemoney,theinvestorwantseachteam to present the results of a site selection analysis thatdescribeswherethebusinesswillbelocated,andexplainswhythatlocationwasselected.Theinvestorknowsthatthesuccessofanewbusinessdependsonthreethings:location,location,andlocation.

THE PROBLEMInordertoreceivethemoneyfromthisinvestor,youandyourteamneedtocarefullyconsiderwhereyouwilllocateyournewbusiness.YouwilluseMyWorldGIStoperformasiteselectionanalysisthatwillhelpyoutodeterminethebestlocationforyourbusiness.RefertotheProject Proposal Checklistfordetailedinstructionsonhowtoconductthesesteps.

Project Proposal ChecklistYouwillneedtoutilizeGIStomakeentrepreneurialdecisionsforselectingabusinesssite.Thisformwillguideyouthroughthestepsanddecisionprocess,andyouwillfollowanexamplebusinessplantopracticeusingtheGIStoolsthatwillmakethatdecisionpossible.Aftergoingthroughthepracticeyouwillusethestepstothinkthroughabusinessideaofyourown.Youwillusethetoolsyouhavelearnedtodecidewhichsitehasthegreatestpotentialforyourbusiness.Lastly,youwillputtogetherapresentationtoexplainyourreasonsforselectingyourbusinesssite.

1.Determinethetypeofbusinessyouwouldliketoopen.Yourteamshouldconsiderwhatgoodsand/orservicesyouwouldliketosell.Mostsuccessfulentrepreneursdevelopabusinessbasedonsomethingaboutwhichtheyareinterestedandknowledgeable.Thinkabouttheinterests,talents,and“know-how”ofthemembersofyourteam.Writeabriefdescription of your business.

2. Thekeytosuccessforyournewbusinesswillbefindingtherightlocation.YourbusinesscanbelocatedinanycityintheUnitedStates.Keepanopenmindaboutwhichcitywouldbebestforthegoodsandservicesyourteamwillprovide.Inotherwords,don’tjustpickacityandthentrytoarguewhythatlocationisbest.AGIScanhelpyoutomakethis

Young Entrepreneurs: Determining Business Location By Andrew J. Milson

How do demographics influence business decisions? What spatial relationships contribute to the success of businesses?


decision,butyouneedtoknowthecriteriathatwillguideyoursiteselectionanalysis.Thecriteriayouselectshoulddefineyourtargetcustomers.Whoarethepeoplewhowillwantyourgoodsandservices?Writeadescription of your ideal customer.

3. Thecriteriashouldalsodefinethecharacteristicsofthecitywhereyourbusinessislikelytosucceed.Whatsizepopulationshouldthecityhave?Whatclimatewouldbebest?Doesthecityneedtobenearcertainnaturalfeaturessuchasoceans,lakes,rivers,mountains,forests,etc?Doyouneedtobeclosetoaninterstatehighway,railroad,airport,etc.?Describetheideal city for your business.

4.Nowyourteamisreadytoexplorethedatathatareavailableforyouranalysis.LaunchMyWorldGIS;startanewproject,andaddthefollowinglayers:• U.S.Cities• MajorHighways• U.S.Rivers• U.S.Counties• U.S.Lakes• U.S.States• ClimateClasses• 30-yrAveragePrecipitation• 30-yrAverageTemperature• 30-yrAverageSunshine• Continents

5. Select the U.S. Citieslayertoactivateit,andchecktheboxnexttoittomakeitvisible.ClicktheShow Table of the Active Layer button.Scrollacrossthetopofthetabletoviewalloftheattributes,thecharacteristicsnamedinthecolumnheadings,thatareincludedinthisdataset.Thinkabouttheidealcitythatyoudescribedabove.Select 3-5 attributes that might be relevant for your analysis.

6. Select the U.S. Countieslayertoactivateandchecktheboxnexttoittomakeitvisible.ClicktheShow Table of the Active Layerbutton.Openthetableforthislayerandscrollacrossthetopofthetabletoviewalloftheattributesthatareincludedinthisdataset.Lateryourteamwillneedtodecideifyouthinkthecity-leveldataorthecounty-leveldataismoreimportanttoyourbusiness.Fornow,select 3-5 attributes that might be relevant for your analysis.

7.Noticethatyouhaveseveraladditionallayersofdataavailabletoyou:MajorHighways,U.S.Rivers,U.S.Lakes,ClimateClasses,30-yrAveragePrecipitation,30-yrAverageTemperature,and30-yrAverageSunshine.Thinkaboutwhichofthesefeaturesmightbesignificantindeterminingthelocationofyourbusiness.Willyourbusinessneedtobeclosetoamajorhighway,river,orlake?Howmightprecipitation,sunshine,andtemperatureimpactyourbusiness?Reviewthedataavailableintheselayersandselect 3-5 additional attributes that your team believes will be relevant for your analysis. Write the additional attributes in a list.

8. Yourteamshouldnowhave9-15attributeslistedthatcouldberelevantforyouranalysis.Reviewyourdescriptionofyouridealcustomerandidealcity.Comparethosedescriptionswiththenineormoreattributesthatyouhaveselected.Asateam,decidewhichattributesaremostimportantandwhicharelessimportant.Create a rank ordered list of your attributes. Write the name of the layer where the data can be found next to each attribute.



9. It’stimetorunyoursiteselectionanalysis.Theprocedurethatyoufollowwilldependonthedatathatyouareusingandwhatyouwanttofindout.Clickthe Open Analysis Window button to view some of the forms of queries and operationsthatyoucanperformwithaGIS.Whenyoudoa“query,”youaresimplyaskingaquestionofthedatabase.

Forexample,youmightwanttonarrowyoursearchtocitiesthathaveapopulationgreaterthan50,000.Todothis,youwouldperformaquerythataskstheGISdatabasetotellyouallofthecitieswithapopulationgreaterthan50,000.Select the Open Analysis window and choose Select…By Value. Youwillseeaseriesofdropdownmenusthatwillallowyoutomakeyourselections.WhileselectingrecordsfromU.S. Citiesselectthosewhosepopulationin2007isgreaterthanorequalto50,000.Givetheresultthename“Pop>50K”andclickOK.

Eachofyourqueriesshouldnarrowyourresultsevenfurther.Toaccomplishthis,youwillneedtoperformeachquerybyselectingfromtheresultsofthepreviousquery.

Forexample,nowthatyou’veselectedallofthecitieswithpopulationsgreaterthan50,000,youwillwanttoperformyournextqueryonthoseresults.Maybeanotherofyourcriteriaisthatthecitymustbewithin10milesofamajorhighway.YouwouldwanttoasktheGIStotellyouwhichcitieshaveapopulationgreaterthan50,000andarewithin10milesofamajorhighway.Toperformthisquery,youwouldclick Select…By Spatial Relationship…By Distance. In the “SelectRecordsFrom”menu,youwouldchooseyourpreviousresult,inthiscase“Pop>50K,”thatarelessthan10miles;fromRecordsinU.S.InterstateHighways.Nametheresult“Pop>50Knearhighways.”

10. Runeachofyourqueriesandsaveyourresults.Youshouldbeabletonarrowyourlistofpossiblecitiestoareasonablenumber(probablylessthan10.)Ifyou’veperformedyourqueriesonyourtop5attributesandstilldonothaveareasonablenumberofcities,thenperformqueriesonafewadditionalattributestoseeifyoucannarrowtheselectionfurther.Youmightalsowanttoadjustyourcriteriatomakethemmoreselective.Forexample,ratherthancitieswithapopulationgreaterthan50,000orwithin10milesofahighway,youmighttrycitieswithpopulationsgreaterthan100,000orwithin5milesofahighway.Onceyouhavenarrowedyourlistofcities,save your final result as a new layer with the name “Target Cities” and write the list of cities.

11. YourteamwillneedtomakeafinalselectionfromthelistofTargetCities.ThisdecisionmightbebasedoncriteriathatarenotcurrentlyavailableintheGISdatabase.Forexample,maybeoneofthecitiesisinastatethathaslowtaxesfornewbusinesses,affordablerealestate,oralowcrimerate.Youmightalsowanttomakeadecisionbasedonfactorssuchaswhereyouthinkyouwouldliketoliveandwork.Brainstorm a list of additional criteria that your team would want to search for that would help you in making your decision.

12.Chooseonecityasyourfinalchoice.Explain why your team chose this city over the other “Target Cities.” Also, describe any additional information that you would want to know about this city.

13.YourteamisreadytoprepareapersuasivePowerPointpresentationfortheinvestor.Reviewthelistofrequiredelementsunderthe“Deliverables”below.Createyourmapsaslayouts;savethemasjpegimages,andimportthemintoyourPowerPointslides.Usescreencapturestosaveyourgraphsandtablesasjpegimages.



DeliverablesYourteamwilldocumentyourprogresswiththeProject Proposal Checklist. Asyoucompleteeachstepoftheprocess,writeyourresponsestothequestionsonthechecklist,andchecktheboxnexttotheitemwhenitiscomplete.Youwillsubmityourchecklistattheendofeachclassperiodsothatyourprojectmanager(teacher)cankeeptrackofyourprogress.

EachteaminyourclasswillpresentaPowerPointpresentationtotheinvestorthatincludesthefollowinginformation:• Thenameofyourproposedbusinessandthenamesofyourteammembers.• Abriefdescriptionofwhatgoodsand/orservicesyourbusinesswillprovidetocustomers.• Alistof5criteriaforselectingthelocationforthebusiness.• Amapshowingthe“TargetCities”thatweretheresultofyoursiteselectionanalysis.• Amapofthefinallocationthatyouhaveselected.• MapsandgraphsfromMyWorldGISthatdemonstratehowthelocationyouselectedmeetyourcriteria.• Alistofadditionalinformationthatyouwouldneedinordertomakeafinaldecisionaboutwhereyourproposedbusiness

willbelocated.


Young Entrepreneurs: Determining Business Location • Activity Example • Page 256

New Business ChallengeAfriendlyandgenerousinvestorhasofferedtodonate$10milliontoateamofstudentsatyourschooltostartanewbusiness.Onlyonenewbusinesswillbefunded.Todeterminewhichteamwillreceivethemoney,theinvestorwantseachteam to present the results of a site selection analysis thatdescribeswherethebusinesswillbelocated,andexplainswhythatlocationwasselected.Theinvestorknowsthatthesuccessofanewbusinessdependsonthreethings:location,location,andlocation.

THE PROBLEMInordertoreceivethemoneyfromthisinvestor,youandyourteamneedtocarefullyconsiderwhereyouwilllocateyournewbusiness.YouwilluseMyWorldGIStoperformasiteselectionanalysisthatwillhelpyoutodeterminethebestlocationforyourbusiness.RefertotheProject Proposal Checklistfordetailedinstructionsonhowtoconductthesesteps.

Project Proposal ChecklistYouwillneedtoutilizeGIStomakeentrepreneurialdecisionsforselectingabusinesssite.Thisformwillguideyouthroughthestepsanddecisionprocess,andyouwillfollowanexamplebusinessplantopracticeusingtheGIStoolsthatwillmakethatdecisionpossible.Aftergoingthroughthepracticeyouwillusethestepstothinkthroughabusinessideaofyourown.Youwillusethetoolsyouhavelearnedtodecidewhichsitehasthegreatestpotentialforyourbusiness.Lastly,youwillputtogetherapresentationtoexplainyourreasonsforselectingyourbusinesssite.

1.Determinethetypeofbusinessyouwouldliketoopen.Yourteamshouldconsiderwhatgoodsand/orservicesyouwouldliketosell.Mostsuccessfulentrepreneursdevelopabusinessbasedonsomethingaboutwhichtheyareinterestedandknowledgeable.Thinkabouttheinterests,talents,and“know-how”ofthemembersofyourteam.Writeabriefdescription of your business.

SampleAnswer:IwouldliketoopenanicecreamrestaurantthatspecializesinflavorsanddessertsthatarepopularinLatinAmerica.IthinkIwillbesuccessfulinthisbusinessbecauseI’veworkedinanicecreamrestaurantbefore.ItisalsouncommontofindarestaurantintheU.S.thatspecializesinthetastydessertsthatarefoundinLatinAmericancountries.Iwillcallmynewbusiness“Andy’sCasadeHelado.”

2. Thekeytosuccessforyournewbusinesswillbefindingtherightlocation.YourbusinesscanbelocatedinanycityintheUnitedStates.Keepanopenmindaboutwhichcitywouldbebestforthegoodsandservicesyourteamwillprovide.Inotherwords,don’tjustpickacityandthentrytoarguewhythatlocationisbest.AGIScanhelpyoutomakethisdecision,butyouneedtoknowthecriteriathatwillguideyoursiteselectionanalysis.Thecriteriayouselectshoulddefineyourtargetcustomers.Whoarethepeoplewhowillwantyourgoodsandservices?Writeadescription of your ideal customer.

SampleAnswer:MyidealcustomerwouldbeHispanicorsomeonewhohasbeentoLatinAmericaandlikesthedessertsthere.Thisisafamily-orientedbusiness,somyidealcustomerswouldbefamilieswithyoungchildren.

Young Entrepreneurs: Determining Business Location Andrew J. Milson

ACTIVITY EXAMPLE


3. Thecriteriashouldalsodefinethecharacteristicsofthecitywhereyourbusinessislikelytosucceed.Whatsizepopulationshouldthecityhave?Whatclimatewouldbebest?Doesthecityneedtobenearcertainnaturalfeaturessuchasoceans,lakes,rivers,mountains,forests,etc?Doyouneedtobeclosetoaninterstatehighway,railroad,airport,etc.?Describetheideal city for your business.

SampleAnswer:IwillneedacitywithalargeHispanicpopulation.BothmycustomersandmypotentialemployeesarelikelytobeHispanic.Theoverallpopulationofthecitydoesn’tneedtobeverylarge.I’malsolookingforacitywithplentyofkidsorfamilies.Thecityshouldhaveplentyofsunshine,warmtemperatures,andnotmuchrainsincemorepeoplebuyicecreamwhentheweatheriswarmandsunny.Aplacewithverylittletonosnowwouldbegood.Itmightalsobehelpfulifmybusinessislocatedinaplacethatattractstouristssincetheywouldalsobelikelytospendmoneyonicecream.Itdoesn’treallymatterifmybusinessisclosetoariver,airport,orrailroad.ItwouldbegoodtobeclosetoahighwaysoIcanhaveingredientsandothermaterialsshippedtomystoreeasily.Itdoesn’treallyneedtobeclosetoanyparticularphysicalfeatures,butalocationclosetotheoceanandabeachmightbegood.

4.Nowyourteamisreadytoexplorethedatathatareavailableforyouranalysis.LaunchMyWorldGIS,startanewproject,andaddthefollowinglayers:• U.S.Cities• MajorHighways• U.S.Rivers• U.S.Counties• U.S.Lakes• U.S.States• ClimateClasses• 30-yrAveragePrecipitation• 30-yrAverageTemperature• 30-yrAverageSunshine• Continents

Datafromwhichoftheselayersmightbehelpfulinyoursiteselectionanalysis?

SampleAnswer:U.S.Cities,MajorHighways,U.S.Rivers,U.S.Counties,U.S.Lakes,U.S.States,ClimateClasses,30-yrAveragePrecipitation,30-yrAverageTemperature,30-yrAverageSunshine,Continents.

5. Select the U.S. Citieslayertoactivateit,andchecktheboxnexttoittomakeitvisible.ClicktheShow Table of the Active Layer button.Scrollacrossthetopofthetabletoviewalloftheattributes,thecharacteristicsnamedinthecolumnheadings,thatareincludedinthisdataset.Thinkabouttheidealcitythatyoudescribedabove.Select 3-5 attributes that might be relevant for your analysis.

SampleAnswer:Elevation,Hispanic,Age5-17,Marriedw/ChildrenHouseholds

ACTIVITY EXAMPLE

Young Entrepreneurs: Determining Business Location • Activity Examples • Page 258

6. Select the U.S. Countieslayertoactivate,andchecktheboxnexttoittomakeitvisible.ClicktheShow Table of the Active Layerbutton.Openthetableforthislayerandscrollacrossthetopofthetabletoviewalloftheattributesthatareincludedinthisdataset.Lateryourteamwillneedtodecideifyouthinkthecity-leveldataorthecounty-leveldataismoreimportanttoyourbusiness.Fornow,select 3-5 attributes that might be relevant for your analysis.

SampleAnswer:Population(2000),MedianAge,Families,AverageFamilySize

7. Noticethatyouhaveseveraladditionallayersofdataavailabletoyou:MajorHighways,U.S.Rivers,U.S.Lakes,ClimateClasses,30-yrAveragePrecipitation,30-yrAverageTemperature,and30-yrAverageSunshine.Thinkaboutwhichofthesefeaturesmightbesignificantindeterminingthelocationofyourbusiness.Willyourbusinessneedtobeclosetoamajorhighway,river,orlake?Howmightprecipitation,sunshine,andtemperatureimpactyourbusiness?Reviewthedataavailableintheselayers,andselect 3-5 additional attributes that your team believes will be relevant for your analysis. Write the additional attributes in a list.

SampleAnswer:Interstatehighways,Lowprecipitation,HighAveragetemperature, HighAverageSunshine

8. Yourteamshouldnowhave9-15attributeslistedthatcouldberelevantforyouranalysis.Reviewyourdescriptionofyouridealcustomerandidealcity.Comparethosedescriptionswiththe9ormoreattributesthatyouhaveselected.Asateam,decidewhichattributesaremostimportantandwhicharelessimportant.Create a rank ordered list of your attributes. Write the name of the layer where the data can be found next to each attribute.

SampleAnswer:1. Hispanicpopulation(U.S.Cities)2. HighAverageAnnualTemperature(AverageTemperature)3. Marriedw/ChildrenHouseholds(U.S.Cities)4. InterstateHighways(U.SHighways)5. Population2000(U.S.Counties)6. AverageSunshine(AverageSunshine)7. Families(U.S.Counties)8. AverageFamilySize(U.SCounties)9. LowPrecipitation(AveragePrecipitation)10.MedianAge11. Age5-17(U.S.Cities)12. Elevation(U.S.Cities)

9. It’stimetorunyoursiteselectionanalysis.Theprocedurethatyoufollowwilldependonthedatathatyouareusingandwhatyouwanttofindout.Clickthe Open Analysis Window button to view some of the forms of queries and operationsthatyoucanperformwithaGIS.Whenyoudoa“query,”youaresimplyaskingaquestionofthedatabase.

Forexample,youmightwanttonarrowyoursearchtocitiesthathaveapopulationgreaterthan50,000.Todothis,youwouldperformaquerythataskstheGISdatabasetotellyouallofthecitieswithapopulationgreaterthan50,000.Select the Open Analysis window and choose Select…By Value. Youwillseeaseriesofdropdownmenusthatwillallowyoutomakeyourselections.WhileselectingrecordsfromU.S. Citiesselectthosewhosepopulationin2007isgreaterthanorequalto50,000.Givetheresultthename“Pop>50K”andclickOK.

ACTIVITY EXAMPLE


Eachofyourqueriesshouldnarrowyourresultsevenfurther.Toaccomplishthis,youwillneedtoperformeachquerybyselectingfromtheresultsofthepreviousquery.

Forexample,nowthatyou’veselectedallofthecitieswithpopulationsgreaterthan50,000,youwillwanttoperformyournextqueryonthoseresults.Maybeanotherofyourcriteriaisthatthecitymustbewithin10milesofamajorhighway.YouwouldwanttoasktheGIStotellyouwhichcitieshaveapopulationgreaterthan50,000andarewithin10milesofamajorhighway.Toperformthisquery,youwouldclick Select…By Spatial Relationship…By Distance. In the “SelectRecordsFrom”menu,youwouldchooseyourpreviousresult,inthiscase“Pop>50K”,thatarelessthan10miles;fromRecordsinU.S.InterstateHighways.Nametheresult“Pop>50Knearhighways.”

10. Runeachofyourqueriesandsaveyourresults.Youshouldbeabletonarrowyourlistofpossiblecitiestoareasonablenumber(probablylessthan10).Ifyou’veperformedyourqueriesonyourtop5attributesandstilldonothaveareasonablenumberofcities,thenperformqueriesonafewadditionalattributestoseeifyoucannarrowtheselectionfurther.Youmightalsowanttoadjustyourcriteriatomakethemmoreselective.Forexample,ratherthancitieswithapopulationgreaterthan50,000orwithin10milesofahighway,youmighttrycitieswithpopulationsgreaterthan100,000orwithin5milesofahighway.Onceyouhavenarrowedyourlistofcities,save your final result as a new layer with the name “Target Cities” and write the list of cities.

SampleAnswer:Belowisthesequenceofqueriesusedforthe“Andy’sCasadeHelado”siteselectionanalysis.(Note:EncouragestudentstosavesomeoftheirqueriesandresultsasscreencapturestouseintheirPowerPointpresentations.)

1. MyfirstcriterionisahighHispanicpopulation.ThedataintheU.S.CitiestableprovidemewithnumbersofHispanicsineachcitybutnotwiththepercentageofthepopulationthatisHispanic.SinceIwantapopulationwithahighpercentageofHispanics,Iwillcalculatethispercentage

AddField(s)tolayer… ByMathoperation

Addtofieldtableof:U.S.Cities BycomputingaQuotient(division) Hispanic(humans)/Population(2000)(humans) Computefor:AllRecords ResultName:PercentageHispanic AftercompletingyourqueryselecttheU.S.citieslayersanddisplaythefollowing: Shape: Circle Size:percentageHispanics Color: red bar Categorylist:Name Highlight mode: Hide unselected

ACTIVITY EXAMPLE


2. IwanttonarrowmyselectionofcitiestothosewithaHighHispanicPopulation.Iwillselectgreaterthan60%asmydefinitionof“High.”Thinkaboutthesecut-offnumbersforyourownanalysis.Thecut-offpointshouldmaximizethevalueofyoursearchcriteriabyremovinglessfavorablecitiesfromyourlistbutnotnarrowthingssomuchthatyouhavetoofewcitiestoworkwith;andthereforegiveyoutoofewoptions.Oneapproachistoviewthedatatableandsorttherecordsfromhightoloworfromlowtohigh.Thiswillgiveyouasenseforthedistribution of the data and can help inform a choice about a good number to use when selectingtherecordstokeepandtherecordstoexclude. Select…ByValues SelectRecordfrom:U.S.Cities Whose:PercentageofHispanics\ Isgreaterthanorequalto:0.60

ResultName:HispanicPop>60%

AftercompletingyourqueryselecttheU.S.Citieslayersanddisplaythefollowing: Size:percentageHispanics Color: red bar Categorylist:Name Highlightmode:HideunselectedandHispanicpop>60%

3. Mynextcriterionisahighaverageannualtemperature.

(Note:Ifstudentsusethislayer,theywillneedtonoticethatthetemperaturevaluesareindegreesCelsius,notFahrenheit.Ifyouwishforthemtogainmorepracticewithcalculations,thestudentscangothroughtheprocessofconvertingallofthevaluestoFahrenheit.Ifthecalculationprocessisnotasimportant,thendirectthestudentstoconsultanonlineCelsiustoFahrenheitconversiontableorcalculator).

Ihavedecidedthatmytargetaverageannualtemperatureshouldbegreaterthan20°C(about68°F).

Select…ByValues SelectRecordfrom:30-yrAverageSurfaceTemperature Whose:AverageAnnualTemperature Isgreaterthanorequalto:20Celsius

ResultName:AverageTemperature>20Celsius

Andonthe30-yrAverageSurfaceTemperaturelayerHighlightmode:HideunselectedandAverageTemperature>20Celsius

ACTIVITY EXAMPLE


4. SinceIamonlyinterestedinlocationsthatareintheUnitedStates,IwillselectonlythoserecordsfrommypreviousresultthatareatleastpartlycontainedbyrecordsintheU.S.Countieslayer.

Select…SpatialRelationship,ByContainment SelectRecordfrom:AverageTemperature>20Celsius Which:AtLeastPartlyContain RecordsIn:U.S.Counties

ResultName:U.S.CountieswithAverageTemperature>20Celsius

Andonthe30-yrAverageSurfaceTemperaturelayer: Highlightmode:HideunselectedandU.S.CountieswithAverageTemperature>20Celsius.

20°CandthatarewithintheUnitedStates Select…BySpatialRelationship,ByContainment SelectRecordfrom:HispanicPop>60% Which:AtLeastPartlyContain RecordsIn:U.S.CountieswithAverageTemperature>20Celsius ResultName:HighHispanicPopandHighAverageTemperature

SelectU.S.CitiestoactivatethelayerandclicktheShowTableofSelectionbutton.Thesearethepotentialcitieswehaveidentifiedsofarfromthousandsofoptions.Thisisagoodtimetoconvertthisresulttomakeanewlayerfromourtable.ClicktheConverttoLayer…optioninthetableanditwillbringyoutotheAnalyzemenuoptionthatallowsustoConvertSelectiontoLayer.

5. Mythirdcriterionis“MarriedwithChildrenHouseholds.”ThedatawillbemoremeaningfulifIcalculatethepercentageoftotalhouseholdsinthecitythatare“MarriedwithChildrenHouseholds.”Todothis,IwillfollowthesameprocedureasIdidinStep1exceptthatIwillperformthequeryonmyTargetCitieslayerinsteadoftheentireU.S.Citieslayer.

AddField(s)tolayer… ByMathoperation

Addtofieldtableof:TargetCities BycomputingaQuotient(division) MarriedwithChildrenHouseholds/Population(2000)(humans) Computefor:AllRecords ResultName:PercentageMarriedwithChildren

ACTIVITY EXAMPLE


6. WhenIsortthetableofmyresults,Ifindthatthepercentageofhouseholdsthatare“MarriedwithChildren”ineachofthesecitiesrangesfromapproximately16%to44%.Ineedtodecidewheremy“cut-off”pointshouldbe.Thiswouldbeanotheropportunitytoencouragestudentstothinkthroughvariousstrategiesformakingthisdecision.Iamgoingtosimplycutmypoolinhalfroughly(abovethemedian)andselectthetop15cities.

Select…ByValues SelectRecordfrom:TargetCities Whose:PercentageMarriedwithChildren Isgreaterthanorequalto:0.34

ResultName:PercentageMarriedwithChildren>0.34

7. MyfourthcriterionisproximitytoanInterstateHighway.Wewillselectbydistancethosecitieswithin5milesofInterstateHighways.

Select…BySpatialRelationship,ByDistance SelectRecordfrom:PercentageMarriedwithChildren>0.34 That:Arelessthan:5mi(Mile) FromRecordsIn:InterstateHighways

ResultName:Citieswithfamiliesnearhighways.

Fromherewewilllookatourtableandseethatwestillhave8cities.Wewillchooseonlythosethathavemorethan25,000people.

Select…ByValues SelectRecordfrom:Citieswithfamiliesnearhighways. Whose:Population Isgreaterthanorequalto:25,000

ResultName:FinalTargetCities

8. MyFinalTargetCitiesareLaredo,Texas;TheHammocks,Florida;KendallWest,Florida;andRichmondWest,Florida.

11. YourteamwillneedtomakeafinalselectionfromthelistofTargetCities.ThisdecisionmightbebasedoncriteriathatarenotcurrentlyavailableintheGISdatabase.Forexample,maybeoneofthecitiesisinastatethathaslowtaxesfornewbusinesses,affordablerealestate,oralowcrimerate.Youmightalsowanttomakeadecisionbasedonfactorssuchaswhereyouthinkyouwouldliketoliveandwork.Brainstorm a list of additional criteria that your team would want to search for that would help you in making your decision.

ACTIVITY EXAMPLE


SampleAnswer:Imightalsowanttolookatwhichofthesecities:• attractsmoretourists• hasavailableandaffordablecommercialandresidentialrealestate• doesn’talreadyhaveicecreamstores• hasalowcrimerate• hasthehigherpercentageofHispanicsandfamilies• wouldbeaniceplacetolive• hasgoodschools• providesbettersupportfornewbusinessownersintermsoftaxincentives,restaurantowners’

associations,andreasonablecommercialrealestateregulations.

12. Chooseonecityasyourfinalchoice.Explain why your team chose this city over the other “Target Cities.” Also, describe any additional information that you would want to know about this city.

SampleAnswer:IchoseLaredo,TexasbecausebetweenthefinalfourcitiesLaredohasalargerpopulationwithalargerpercentageofHispanicsandMarriedwithChildrenHouseholds.LaredoislocatedontheRioGrandeRiverandInterstate35.LaredoisalsowheremanypeoplecrosstheborderbetweentheU.S.andMexico.It’slocationonI-35andtheborderprovidesagreatlocationforreceivinggoodsfromboththeU.S.andMexico.

Istillneedtoknowmoreabouttherealestatemarket,crimerate,taxes,competitionfromothericecreamshopsandrestaurants,andthespecificlocationsinthecitythatwouldbesuitableformybusiness.

13. YourteamisreadytoprepareapersuasivePowerPointpresentationfortheinvestor.Reviewthelistofrequiredelementsunderthe“Deliverables”below.Createyourmapsaslayouts,savethemasjpegimages,andimportthemtoyourPowerPointslides.Usescreencapturestosaveyourgraphsandtablesasjpegimages.

ACTIVITY EXAMPLE

12 young entrepreneursyoung entrepreneurs: determining business location • student instructions...

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