Resilience Insights

Yes, you can remove features using the Base Canvas editing controls, which allow you to manually select features to remove. The controls are accessed via the Edit tab of the Layer Details pane for the Base Canvas. For more information, see Remove Features from the Base Canvas.

Analyst uses commercially available parcel data as well as a variety of supplemental location-based data to determine a generalized land use designation.

While we are constantly working to improve the accuracy of our base canvas, sometimes parcel data can be assigned an incorrect land use designation. This can happen when our data sources are out of sync with local data. Because we recognize the importance of keeping our parcel data accurate and up to date, we have several methods of working with customers to update parcels that may be incorrectly designated. You can directly reclassify parcels in your projects—see Review and Edit Attributes in the Base Canvas for detailed steps. We can also work directly with you if you require more specialized changes; please contact Analyst support for assistance.

The CoreLogic parcel data used in generating the Base Canvas at the parcel resolution is updated quarterly. The vintage of the local assessor’s data used by CoreLogic, however, can vary by county. A quick way to check the vintage of the parcel data used in your project is to view the Tax Year column in the Parcel Reference Data layer available through the Layer Manager.

The Parcel Reference Data layer comes from the same source used to generate the Base Canvas at the time of project creation; both are static and cannot be subsequently updated. You can create a new project to generate a Base Canvas and Parcel Reference Data layer that uses the most recent parcel data update.

The default version of the Analyst Base Parcel Canvas is updated quarterly, allowing us to incorporate the latest CoreLogic parcel source data release along with other new data and logic to improve its accuracy. You can find key information about the latest updates in the Release Notes.

Please keep in mind that Base Canvas updates become available for new projects only. Existing projects built upon previous versions cannot be subsequently updated to use a new Base Canvas. To use the most recent version (and the accompanying Parcel Reference Data layer), you'll need to create a new project.

Yes, we can provide this information, along with land area and census tract coverage, to help in understanding the spatial extent of a potential project area. Analyst limits the size of new projects by land area and census tract coverage. For parcel canvases, the maximum size is 50,000 km² or 350 tracts, whichever is smaller.

If you need a larger project size, we can help with a solution. Please contact Analyst support for assistance.

Defining a context area for your project is optional. A context area provides reference information for areas adjacent to or surrounding your project. A context area might be defined, for example, as the city within which a district-scale project is located, or the county within which a city-scale project is located. See Context Area and Create Projects for more information about defining a context area.

The Context Area Land Use layer describes development using the same attributes as the Base Canvas. However, the context area cannot be edited or painted on, or analyzed using the analysis modules. The population, households, jobs, and development associated with the context area are not included in project totals, and analysis does not cover the context area. You can, however, download the Context Area Land Use layer (providing it does not include parcel features in areas for which parcel data are restricted by their source) via layer export or using the data table.

If you want to run analysis for locations beyond your project area, you can consider creating a project that includes those locations within the project area itself. With a broader project area (canvas size allowing), you can then use filters to isolate scenario data and analysis results for subareas within the project.

Note that the context area as defined upon project creation is not referenced by the analysis modules. The Walk and Transit Accessibility modules measure access to jobs and destinations within an "access area" that extends 50 kilometers beyond a project area; while this area may contain or overlap with a context area, it is not the same.

Parcel data for older projects are restricted by our parcel data provider, CoreLogic, for a small number of counties. In these cases, the export options for the Base Canvas and scenarios are disabled. We can provide a list of restricted counties and offer options for working in these areas. Please contact Analyst support for assistance.

Analyst accounts for household population and group quarters population separately. Household population is defined as people living in dwelling units, and accounted for in the Population column of the base and scenario canvases. Group quarters population is defined as people living in places such as college dormitories, residential treatment centers, skilled-nursing facilities, group homes, military barracks, correctional facilities, and workers dormitories, and is accounted for in the Population in Group Quarters column.

The population counts originate with the census, and are allocated to parcels through the Base Canvas creation process. Group quarters population is allocated to parcels according to land use codes. Group quarters population is not used as a direct input to the analysis modules, so their specific location has no bearing on analysis results. (Impacts associated with group quarters population are measured via building characteristics—for example, their energy use is measured according to the building floor area of college dormitories or other facilities. Transportation behavior by group quarters population, who are generally assumed not to drive or drive only minimally, is not measured.)

Note that group quarters population cannot be edited or painted at this time. If you have a need to work with group quarters population, please contact Analyst support.