During the summer of 2000, I accepted a Co-op position which required me to gather information about the commercial sector.  As a result, I became interested in the role of GIS and commerce.  Upon completing my Co-op term, I found myself faced with the task of creating a GIS based web site, which allowed me the opportunity to further explore my growing interest in GIS and commerce.  As, my particular interest in the field is more geared toward marketing strategies, I have focused my project to finding the best location for "The Gap".  Following a series of
GIS analyses, based on social and economic issues, specific municipalities within
the Greater Vancouver Regional District, as well as specific sites within one
municipality, were revealed and compared with the most recently opened Gap stores, to see if their locations were socially and economically suitable.
    The information presented herein can be used in many ways.  For instance, managers for The Gap can receive this information, far from the actual location, to
make informed decisions about marketing and new site locations.  As well, trends within the retail/commercial sector can be viewed to spot where the greatest
consumer market is.  For example, have you ever wondered why the cashier asks you survey style questions when you make a purchase?  The answer is to reveal
    further trends. For example, the age of the purchaser, combined with the amount
    purchased, can reveal which location to market the latest teen trend.

    So, I urge you to explore this site and, as you do, I hope that you gain some insight into the world of marketing and commerce, with respect to GIS.  One little note before you begin though; this is my first web site, therfore I have tried to place all of the images as links, as they take a LONG time to load.  This way, you can chose to simply read the report and view the images later, perhaps over a good, long book!

Please feel free to let me know what you thought of my site or my project at this link!