Supplier Mapping Case Study

The Business Problem

Earlier versions of LM3 worked best where local boundaries were already defined, which limited where the method could be used. Organisations needed to set their own local area, sometimes as a simple distance from a site, sometimes as a set of council areas, and sometimes with a wider region around the local one. They also wanted to see where their suppliers actually were, not just read a list.

The Solution

wildesoft.net built a mapping system into the LM3 Hub using Google Maps. A project's local area can be drawn as a circle around a site, or chosen from administrative regions, including areas made up of several separate parts. Organisations that need it can add a regional map, so suppliers are classed as local, regional or outside.

Each supplier is placed on the map from its address, grouped into clusters where they are close together and labelled with counts of local, regional and outside suppliers. The map can be re-centred, boundaries switched on and off, and suppliers removed or the map reset when plans change. A regional switcher shows results with or without the regional layer.

The Result

Any organisation, anywhere, can now use LM3. All it needs to know is who its suppliers are and how much it paid them. The map makes the result visible: an organisation can see at a glance where its money goes and which suppliers keep it local.

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