Territory Optimization

The territory optimization is used to automatically create balanced territories. easymap always pursues two objectives: all territories should receive an approximately similar evaluation and at the same time a compact area.

Which criterion easymap should use for the evaluation of the territories, you determine by selecting a data column. If you are aiming for sales force territories with the same number of customers, the same sales potential or the same number of visits, we speak of potential-oriented or workload-oriented territory optimization. A compact territory is an area with a small area and a small extent that is also as contiguous as possible, that is, it does not contain any islands.

Starting the Territory Optimization

To be able to carry out area optimization, you must first specify a structural structure for your areas. For example, the brick level must be selected and at least one territory level must be created. The definition of basic data and the specification of assignments are not mandatory. You can find out how to create a new territory structure here.

You can call the territory optimization either via the menu Territory organization > Optimization > Territory optimization or directly from the control window Territory organization via the context menu of a territory level, Optimization > Territory optimization.

There are different approaches to territory optimization with numerous variants in implementation. Therefore, easymap guides you to the goal in single steps with a wizard.

Multi-criteria area optimization

By a multi-criteria area optimization we mean a balancing optimization of areas according to different criteria. Several columns must be taken into account for this.

A compensation, as it takes place in the optimization, can only take place for one variable in a comprehensible way. In order to still be able to consider different criteria, a substitute value is calculated from these criteria according to your specifications in a score column.

Please proceed as follows:

Specify how you want to weight the various criteria against each other. To do this, create a score column to generate a single value from different criteria.
Use this calculated value for optimization.

Note:

As a result, the calculated actuating value is as well balanced as possible. However, this does not mean that the individual criteria are also balanced. Depending on the data situation, this cannot be achieved mathematically at all. However, you receive areas that take at least some account of different objectives (e.g. area size and turnover).

Use a multi-criteria optimization to consider not only turnover or potential but also the area, so that in weaker regions the resulting travel times do not become too long.

Unfavourable conditions for successful territory optimization

Basic map is not detailed enough

In area optimization, bricks are exchanged between the areas in numerous successive individual steps (so-called "iterations"). Therefore easymap needs a minimum of room for maneuver. This room for action is not given if the number of areas to be optimized is hardly smaller than the number of bricks released for optimization. In this case, select a base map with a finer geographical structure (i.e. more bricks).

Optimization criteria are distributed very unevenly in the room

Even if the number of bricks is considerably larger than the number of territories, the automatic optimization may fail, namely if the potential is concentrated in a few bricks and there are many bricks without potential. For this constellation unfortunately no generally valid solution can be recommended.

Hierarchical locale key is too short

Also too short hierarchically structured area keys can restrict the scope of action in multi-level area hierarchies to such an extent that successful optimization becomes impossible. Consider the following example: In a territorial organisation there are three regions with up to nine territories per region. The territorial code is two digits long; the first digit represents the region, the second digit is the serial number of the territory within the region. In the optimization, it can become "narrow" if there is a region that already contains nine territories and in an intermediate step this region is to be assigned another territory. This would no longer be possible since the number range for the territories in the region concerned has already been exhausted.

Workaround: Increase the number of digits of your locale key.

To do this, select the command Properties from the context menu of the control window Territory organization at the lowest level of the territory structure.
Under General > Number format increase the property Number of digits.