The online tool is a vital asset for advisors like local economy officers and environmental experts, enabling them to quickly formulate recommendations on a location’s suitability for a specific company. It generates a score based on a smart combination of spatial data and business information. This advisory score and detailed report assist entrepreneurs in finding a suitable location.
With the LocusFocus 2.0 project, we aim to enhance the applicability and value of our solution. By scaling up, we plan to better support entrepreneurs, advisors, and policymakers through:
- Adding more indicators and data (e.g., available properties, charging stations, and unoccupied spaces).
- Developing a dashboard tool for advisors to access raw data, scores, and business information for visualization and analysis. The cities Kortrijk and Vilvoorde will help test this service to strengthen data-driven policies.
- Creating roadmaps for entrepreneurs and policymakers to make location searches data-driven.
From a meta perspective, LocusFocus 2.0 aims to contribute significantly to:
- Vibrant and livable communities
- Optimal land use for economic activity, focusing on enhancement and reconversion in urban centers while reserving space in business parks for non-integrable companies.
- An entrepreneur-friendly climate by guiding local and provincial authorities toward data-driven policies.
