Two dozen town and city administrators from nine Lake County towns were introduced last week to a new economic development tool that uses geographic information systems (GIS) to help businesses and city leaders make better strategic decisions.
The Aug. 22 seminar at IU Northwest’s Gary campus — conducted by IU Northwest School of Business and Economics professor Subir Bandyopadhyay, associate professor Joseph Ferrandino with IUN’s School of Environmental and Public Affairs and Ranjan Kini, a management professor with the School of Business and Economics — demonstrated how GIS data can provide new, expanding and existing businesses with such information as the range of rent prices in a given area, traffic patterns, crime rates and demographic information.
“Each municipality has its own approach. You are sitting on rich data. There have been some regional efforts, but much more needs to be done.”
— IU Northwest marketing professor Subir Banyopadhyay
The seminar was funded in part by a $2,100 grant through the Regional Economic Development (RED) Fund managed by Indiana University’s Council for Regional Engagement and Economic Development (CREED). Officials from Gary, Dyer, Munster, Hobart, Schererville, Hammond, Whiting, East Chicago and Griffith were in attendance.
Read more about the seminar in this story published by The Times of Northwest Indiana.
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