To succeed, a plan must be rooted in deep insights into the local community and the priorities of its stakeholders. That is why smart planners will start the process by gathering local data.
Spatial Insight Collection –Where, What and Why
Ask locals about their important places and daily habits with the Map Point, Line, and Area questions. Ask residents to mark their daily routes, favorite green spaces, or perceived safety bottlenecks. By adding a pop-up to the map question, you can ask follow-up questions and learn why they marked this point, how often they go there, with whom and why.
Try the following:
- Instead of asking respondents to draw routes, which can be tricky, ask them to mark their starting point and destination with pins.
- If you don't want them to give their exact home location, provide them with a layer of neighborhoods or a grid from which they can pick the approximate area. Or simply ask them to select their area from a drop-down list!
Demographic Data – Who
Remember to also gather demographic data with the same survey, such as age, gender and current household size/situation. Not only will you be able to monitor how representative of the local community the respondent cohort is, you'll also be able to filter the spatial data you gather accordingly. This way you can learn for example how families with small children view their area.
Keep the Map Data Neat
When asking map questions, use Restrict area settings to ensure respondents only comment on relevant geographic areas, keeping your baseline data clean and actionable.
Understand Diverse Interests and Needs
Use Branching logic to ask specific groups more questions. For example, if a respondent says that they cycle weekly to work, you can ask further questions regarding that, such as where traffic arrangements raise the risk of accidents. This also helps in keeping respondents motivated, as they only see relevant questions!
Multimedia Evidence
Enable Photo and Video uploads within map markers. This allows residents to provide visual proof of local issues, such as a busy intersection or a site needing improvement.
GIS Integration
Streamline your workflow by using the ArcGIS Integration. All collected background data can be streamed directly into your organization’s GIS software for immediate technical analysis by planners.