Atlantic Geomatics
Aims
To help Atlantic Geomatics understand its target audience as it expands its operations into the realm of cemetery mapping.
Overview
Atlantic Geomatics is a geospatial consultancy based in Penrith, Cumbria. It offers specialist surveying services including:
Topographical surveys
River and coastal surveys
Monitoring and deformation surveys
Measured building surveys
3D laser scanning
Area referencing
Previous clients include Basildon Borough Council, Swan Hunter Shipyard, Glasgow City Chambers, and the Environment Agency.
In recent years, Atlantic Geomatics has expanded its operations into the realm of cemetery mapping – producing detailed surveys of sacred sites to create interactive digital maps that can be searched by members of the public looking for ancestors. As part of this new offering, Atlantic Geomatics decided to set up a new separate company, AG International Ltd, which would operate this particular service.
As one of the few providers of such services in the UK, AG International Ltd expanded quite quickly, and won a contract to map a large number of sacred sites managed by the Church of England. However, they struggled to expand their operation beyond this initial success.
In early 2023, we were approached by AG International Ltd to help them understand their target audience and how they might expand their cemetery mapping service to local authorities and other religious groups who may own and/or manage other sacred sites across the UK.
To support this project we employed two student researchers to help understand the existing market for these services and assess the competitive landscape.
Based on this research, we produced a detailed report which we delivered to AG International Ltd in May 2023. This report included extensive market research alongside branding guidelines and recommendations on best practice to reach new audiences and win further contracts. We also explored the option of how these services might then be made accessible to members of the public in order to further cement the ‘value’ of the cemetery mapping service.
Results and Outcomes
Tab Content: For Partners and Engagement
Who did we engage with and how?
As part of this project, we engaged with the senior leadership team at Atlantic Geomatics / AG International Ltd. We then conducted detailed market analysis research which included attending online demonstration events to Church of England diocese. We also engaged with local authority stakeholders in order to better understand how they make decisions regarding their cemeteries, and how they are managed.
How has it made a difference?
We presented an extremely details market analysis report to the senior leader(s) at AG International Ltd in May 2023. This included a breakdown of the market landscape and their competitors – many of whom they were unaware of at the time. We then produced guidelines for branding and recommendations on how best to communicate the ‘service offering’ going forward. While some of our findings were perhaps unexpected for the client, they went away with a very clear vision on what needed to be done in order to make their service more easily communicable to the public and other stakeholders, and how such a change might be achieved.
Tab Content: For Academics
As lead academic on this project, I employed and supervised two excellent students (Irena Obeada and Sarah Wiggins) who have both since moved on to further postgraduate research with us here at Lancaster University.
The project benefited both students immensely, as they were able to put their marketing knowledge into practice, and obtain experience working with a really interesting real-world client who had a very real, but quite distinct ‘problem’ that needed to be addressed. The work they produced in the end was absolutely superb.
For myself, personally, I gained insight into an area of industry I hadn’t worked in previously. While the challenges of this project were fairly unique, it was really rewarding to be able to make so many strong and well-argued recommendations for the client that would undoubtedly improve their ‘marketability’. Overall, a really satisfying and worthwhile project.
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