Staff report

GREENVILLE — The Upstate SC Alliance has launched a new navigation tool on its Web site, boasting interactive maps and dynamic data to market the Upstate of South Carolina to site consultants and businesses considering locations in the area.

The new technology, which cost more than $290,000 to bring online, involves geographic information system navigation. Two-thirds of the funding came from a grant from AdvanceSC; the remainder of the development funding was obtained through the Appalachian Council of Governments and the Upstate SC Alliance.

“We are very pleased about the results of our collaboration,” said Upstate SC Alliance executive committee member George Acker. “This tool will play a significant role in bringing new economic development opportunities to the Upstate by making known the many advantages of doing business here.”

Acker is also the director of the Southern Region for Government and Community Relations for Duke Energy. In 2004, Duke established AdvanceSC to concentrate on advancing education to support industry, assisting other economic development organizations to attract and retain industries in Duke Energy's service territory and enhancing the competitive position of manufacturers in the area.

According to Acker, research indicates that a vast majority of site consultants and companies looking to relocate rely on the Internet for their site selection decisions. As a result, web-based maps have become crucial tools, enabling visitors to learn about the area through digital maps.

“This new property navigation tool is unlike anything that exists on the market today,” said Appalachian Council of Governments director of Information Services Carol Andersen. “Visitors to the Upstate SC Alliance Web site now have access to more information about the economy, population and available sites than any other economic development site has provided to date.”

The GIS property navigator has a variety of cutting-edge features, combining satellite imagery, available property information, local demographic data and a unique ability to manipulate maps according to a visitor’s particular site needs. From sketching out a building site to learning the number of college-educated workers within 30 minutes of a site, the property navigator allows consultants to understand the benefits of doing business in the Upstate South.

“Our updated GIS property navigation tool is designed with ease of use in mind. It will require fewer clicks to get information, will retain more search values for extensive research and will allow visitors access to a depth of information most online navigational tools have never provided,” said Alliance research manager Jennifer Miller.

The property navigation tool resides on the Upstate SC Alliance’s Web site at www.upstatealliance.com