So, I've posted this elsewhere, but gotten nowhere.
My client is an international supply chain consulting company. And we use Alteryx and a few tools to do a lot of geocoding. I'm mostly the resident expert on spider-maps in Tableau because I'm a huge nerd about maps.
So, CASS and TomTom work for the US and Canada, but are rubbish for everywhere else. I've used a Google-API-based geocoder that has the flexibility I need to geocode origin-destination pairs. And I'm able to create compelling spider maps.
But spider maps aren't enough.
Why?
Because spider maps are as-the-crow-flies vizzes of the data. And, as we all know, trucking, airlines, and ocean liners are very different animals.
I want to put this out to the group, especially you in trucking and maritime activities (ocean freight is my biggest concern). Do you have any Alteryx or Tableau tools that are used to help you define the most logical routes and times between ports? Again, when I viz stuff from Montreal to Brasilia, it always shows up as a straight line, even though I know there is a multi-modal transportation network getting the cargo there, most of it traversing coastlines. Even if I just have the routing from the west coast of India to Long Beach, I'm going to be better off than I am now (I frankly don't know if they go west or east from that particular location!!).
Are there data sources out there that plot the paths of ocean routes? I've seen them visualised elsewhere, but I can't seem to find the data behind it.
Any ideas on tools that can help with oceanic freight routes? Trucking routes that aren't in the US/Canada? My work spans more than North America!
Thank you, and I'm happy to get this dialogue started!!
-thedr9wningman
