Real-Time Global Alert Map

Posted on February 22, 2012 by GeoMetrx

“Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves, or we know where we can find information upon it.” ~ Samuel Johnson

Recently we discovered a handy on-line resource that tracks and monitors extraordinary events around the world as near to real-time as possible which is then displayed on a global alert map.  The icons on the map are linked to detailed event information and status updates.  The website, RSOE-EDIS, is the Emergency and Disaster Information Service (EDIS) operated by The Hungarian National Association of Radio Distress-Signaling and Infocommunications (RSOE).

RSOE-EDIS Motto:
“Prepared Citizens – Prepared Communities”

The service tracks a wide variety of events including earthquakes, volcanic activity, severe weather, tsunamis, animal infections, insect infestations, forest fires, vehicle accidents (planes, ships, mass transit, and more), major power outages, bioterror/terrorism, health epidemics, flash floods, explosions, chemical accidents and even jellyfish invasions and shark attacks.  If you want to know what is going on in the world at any given moment, they’ve got it all.  You can select a world-wide view detailing the most significant events occurring around the globe, or narrow your focus on a particular continent/region with additional events identified.

At GeoMetrx we believe that visualizing data allows for making better informed decisions. Every business has a wealth of data at its fingertips just waiting to be mapped. If you’d like to find out more about how GeoMetrx can help your business grow, give us a call today at 1.888.848.4436

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Presidents’ Day or Washington’s Birthday – Which States Observe Which Holiday?

Posted on February 20, 2012 by GeoMetrx

It’s the 3rd Monday in February and depending on where you live you may or may not be celebrating a holiday today.  While federal government offices close and the majority of state offices do so as well, many businesses make the most of the holiday by offering patriotic-themed sales. Officially, the United States federal government is celebrating Washington’s Birthday, not Presidents’ Day. Washington’s Birthday was originally celebrated on February 22nd, but in 1968 Congress moved the holiday to the 3rd Monday in February, and this created a lot of debate across our great land.  There was a proposal at one time to change the observance from Washington’s Birthday to Presidents’ Day in order to celebrate President Lincoln as well; however this has never come to pass.

State governments set their own holidays, only some of which are the same as federal holidays. Since 1968, most states have opted to observe some form of presidential holiday on this 3rd Monday in February, but exactly what is celebrated varies from state to state. Some celebrate Washington’s Birthday, some celebrate both Washington’s and Lincoln’s birthdays, while the majority simply celebrate Presidents’ Day (though even the placement of the possessive apostrophe varies). Here’s how things stack up across the land*:

  • States observing some form of Washington, Lincoln or Presidents’ Day = 41
  • States observing a form of this holiday on the 3rd Monday of February = 38**
  • States observing Washington’s Birthday only = 9
  • States observing Presidents’ Day only = 24
  • States not observing any form of this holiday at any time during the year = 9
State Holiday*
Alabama George Washington/Thomas Jefferson Birthday
Alaska President’s Day
Arizona Lincoln/Washington/Presidents’ Day
Arkansas George Washington’s Birthday and Daisy Gatson Bates Day
California President’s Day
Colorado Presidents’ Day
Connecticut Washington’s Birthday
Delaware No holiday observed
Florida No holiday observed
Georgia Washington’s Birthday *Observed on Dec. 24th
Hawaii Presidents’ Day
Idaho Presidents’ Day
Illinois Washington’s Birthday (President’s Day)
Indiana Washington’s Birthday *Observed on Dec. 24th
Iowa No holiday observed
Kansas No holiday observed
Kentucky No holiday observed
Louisiana No holiday observed
Maine Washington’s Birthday/President’s Day
Maryland Presidents’ Day
Massachusetts Washington’s Birthday
Michigan Presidents Day
Minnesota Presidents’ Day
Mississippi George Washington’s Birthday
Missouri Washington’s Birthday
Montana Lincoln’s and Washington’s Birthday
Nebraska President’s Day
Nevada Presidents’ Day
New Hampshire Washington’s Birthday
New Jersey Presidents Day
New Mexico Presidents’ Day *Observed day after Thanksgiving
New York Washington’s Birthday
North Carolina No holiday observed
North Dakota Presidents’ Day
Ohio President’s Day
Oklahoma Presidents’ Day
Oregon Presidents’ Day
Pennsylvania Presidents’ Day
Rhode Island No holiday observed
South Carolina George Washington’s Birthday / President’s Day
South Dakota Presidents’ Day
Tennessee Presidents’ Day
Texas Presidents’ Day
Utah Washington and Lincoln Day
Vermont Presidents’ Day
Virginia George Washington Day
Washington Presidents’ Day
West Virginia Presidents Day
Wisconsin No holiday observed
Wyoming President’s Day
table compiled by Geometrx.com
*based on 2012 State Holidays listings from individual state government websites
** Georgia and Indiana observe Washington’s Birthday on Dec. 24th; New Mexico observes Presidents’ Day on the Friday after Thanksgiving
Posted in Common Ground Blog, Facts & Figures | Leave a comment

U.S. Energy Independence: Making Steady Progress

Posted on February 16, 2012 by GeoMetrx

For the past six years, the U.S. has been making steady progress toward achieving energy independence. According to Bloomberg, we are now meeting more than 80% of our own energy demands, which is the highest level achieved since 1992. The last time we were 100% energy independent was back in 1952. There are many factors contributing to this achievement including:

  • Average daily oil output – 5.7 million barrels (highest in 8 years)
  • Increased natural gas production – 22.4 trillion cubic feet in 2010
  • Average U.S. passenger vehicle efficiency – 29.6 mpg in 2011 (19.9 in 1978)
  • North Dakota  booming – 4th largest oil producing state behind Texas, Alaska and California

The Bakken Formation is currently the most productive oil field in the United States. There are over 6,000 active oil wells in this oil field, most of which are located in North Dakota and Montana. It is estimated to hold over 4 billion barrels of oil. In addition to the oil there is also natural gas that has been released from the fracturing in the Bakken Formation. America’s Natural Gas Alliance reports that the shale gas industry supports more than 600,000 jobs in the U.S., and that number is expected to rise to more than 1.6 million by 2035. These figures include not only the jobs provided by the companies and their suppliers, but also hotels, restaurants and other services.

Many business opportunities exist for franchisors and franchisees in and around this booming industry. Unemployment in North Dakota was a mere 3.3% in December 2011. According to Bloomberg, hiring is frantic, so much so that one area McDonald’s store was offering $300 signing bonuses.

Posted in Common Ground Blog, Geography in the News | Leave a comment

Valentine Cities and Towns – Is There Romance on the Horizon?

Posted on February 14, 2012 by GeoMetrx

How close are you to finding Romance, Harmony or even your Romeo?  Look no further than our monthly thematic map!  We’ve included a dozen roses, er… cities and towns with names that conjure up images and thoughts of Valentine’s Day. Did you know some of these towns, such as Loveland, CO, have a Valentine’s remailing program providing a romantic postmark on a card for that extra-special someone? Last year volunteers in Colorado cancelled over 160,000 cards and letters from more than 110 countries.

February’s map also includes a thematic layer depicting the percentage of ‘never married’ folks in the U.S. The light pink represents the areas with the fewest and the dark red represents the areas with the highest concentration. Will Valentine’s Day 2012 be the year some of these folks find their soulmate?

Valentine Cities and Towns in the U.S.:

Click on the map to view a larger version.

Posted in Common Ground Blog, Facts & Figures | Leave a comment

Fast Casual Dining – A Growing Market

Posted on February 10, 2012 by GeoMetrx

Fast Casual Dining - A Growing MarketWhat exactly is Fast Casual dining?  Fast Casual dining restaurants, a relatively new market concept, have found their niche sandwiched between fast food and casual dining.  These restaurants are upscale quick service formats that offer more service along with higher quality food than their traditional fast food counterparts, yet do not provide the full table-side service associated with casual dining.

Perhaps surprisingly, this market segment has increased in popularity since the onset of the economic downturn reaching back to 2007. When you think about it though, it makes a lot of sense.  As Americans, we love our food and we love dining out, but we have to keep a watchful eye on our budgets and our waistlines.  The beauty of Fast Casual dining is that it allows us to double dip when tightening our belts.  The menus tend to be healthier than traditional fast food options, therefore reducing our calorie intake; add to that lower than average bills compared to casual dining, and we save again. Voila, the double-dip!

The NPD Group, a leading market research company, conducts the NPD Recount, a bi-annual census of restaurant counts.  According to their most recent report, the number of Fast Casual dining units has grown from 11,013 in 2007 to 13,643 in 2011.  In addition to the rise in total units, annual traffic at Fast Casual restaurants has also increased from 4% to as much as 11% during each of the past five years.  Conversely, traffic has been on the decline for fast food, casual dining and midscale establishments for the past three years, consecutively.

Source: The NPD Group, Inc.

FastCasual.com, which reports on the important news, events, trends and people in the $23.5 billion fast casual restaurant industry segment, will release their 7th annual Top 100 Movers & Shakers report in March 2012.   Which companies do you think will top the list this year?

Here were the top five 2011 Movers & Shakers:

When the time is right to expand, every business should conduct a thorough and complete site location analysis, and it is critical for franchisors to provide optimized franchise territories.  GeoMetrx enables you to build and define the right territories and select the best sites.  Call or email us today at info@geo-e.com for more info and let us help you map your success!

Posted in Common Ground Blog, Franchising | Leave a comment