Using Geographic Maps as a Tool for Site Strategy Analysis
Ben Huffman, Operations Research Analyst, Bank of America
Bank of America has the largest retail deposit market share in the United States, and our employee base is widely dispersed across the country. Analysis using JMP maps successfully uncovered new opportunities for face-to-face collaboration among teams, which easily could have gone undetected. The enhanced mapping capability in JMP 10 allows us to view a geographical representation of our employee base, along with other attributes helping to identify these opportunities within regions. This analysis uses bubble plots, data filters, heat maps, background maps and custom graph point features in JMP 10. Bubble plots provide color coding of sites by grouped business divisions, employee counts and other attributes. The addition of local data filters embedded within map graphs creates the ability to easily customize graphs identifying specific teams located across different regions. I used heat maps to understand zip code distributions, background maps to identify county and state boundaries, and custom graph points identifying key landmarks. The mapping capabilities in JMP helped me avoid the use of specialty mapping software, which can be expensive and complex.