Walgreens showcases geographic information systems applications

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens’ Flu Index, introduced last year, is perhaps one of the most visible examples of how Walgreens is utilizing geographic information systems to really augment the company's go-to-market strategies. In the video above, Jillian Elder, director enterprise location intelligence, recently shared at an Esri presentation how critical the adoption of GIS has become to Walgreens. 

 

The resource helps executives visualize opportunity by overlaying proprietary data with the most up-to-date geographically-centric public information. 

 

“This is truly an enterprise level application,” Elder said. “Ultimately, what this comes down to is problem solving.” Across Walgreens' many disciplines, Walgreens executives can utiize this spacial lense to enhance their analytics. The application can not only help determine the best site for a new store, or the best time to stock up on flu shots and cold medicines, but also has been used to help local authorities and Walgreens' loss prevention professionals predict the next target for a local crime spree, for example. 

 

It's a tool that can help augment merchandising programs and displays as well as realize signficant supply chain efficencies. 

 

In the video, Elder goes into detail as to how Walgreens “WalMap” system empowering Walgreens' internal stakeholders with accessible data that can be layered onto a GIS platform in an effort to ascertain new opportunities.