Redlands, California-September 2, 2008-ESRI's ArcGIS Business Analyst 9.3 desktop software is now available. The new release, which was developed based on client feedback, includes a set of general enhancements to the reports, analysis, trade area, and territory design tools. These applications will now fulfill the analysis requirements of businesses, organizations, and government agencies of all sizes that must provide solid answers to location-related site selection and marketing questions. Other improvements include streamlined software installation and better documentation.  

"The key theme of the 9.3 release of the ArcGIS Business Analyst desktop software is user productivity," says James Killick, ArcGIS Business Analyst product manager, ESRI. "These improvements will enable our clients to maximize their usage of ArcGIS Business Analyst 9.3 to produce better analyses faster and more easily."

ArcGIS Business Analyst is a suite of geographic information system (GIS)-enabled tools, wizards, and data that provides professionals with a complete solution for solving common business problems. Users are able to run simple reports, map the results, and perform complex probability models using a single affordable desktop analysis solution. Data and analyses produced with ArcGIS Business Analyst can be shared across departments, reducing redundant research and marketing efforts, speeding analysis results, and increasing employee efficiency.

With version 9.3, users have new report options as well as the ability to customize off-the-shelf reports, create custom lists of data variables, and run reports from the Project Explorer.

Analysis updates include customer prospecting with Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to rank geographies by their demographic characteristics and the ability to search for and select multiple locations that will best serve customers.

Enhancements to the trade area analysis tools include calculations of threshold areas by drive time in addition to rings and the ability to create hand-drawn trade areas.

Users who design and analyze territories can now compare territories by several methods such as importing older sales territories, rebalancing territories based on new figures or locations, and creating a report that shows the differences. The territory balancing engine speeds processing times when balancing, rebalancing, or re-creating territories.

For more information about ESRI's ArcGIS Business Analyst 9.3 desktop software, visit www.esri.com/ba.