Site Selection App & Dashboard In 3 Weeks

Snapshot

Over a focused three-week sprint, we pulled together the client’s internal spatial data, set common standards, and stood up a working site-selection web app with an operational dashboard in the Esri suite. The goal was to give the team one place to explore options, apply their rules, shortlist sites, and brief leadership — all from the same source. The result is a single workspace built on their own data that already supports day-to-day decisions.

Challenge

Before we started, useful information lived in several places. Some of it was in legacy KML or ad-hoc maps, some in newer layers with patchy metadata. People could find promising locations, but comparing like for like took time. Decisions relied on context that was hard to reproduce. The client wanted an internal tool they could trust, centred on their own data, that would scale as the platform expands into new markets.

Our approach

Framed a master app pattern: We set a single internal “master” app as the hub, holding authoritative in-house layers and a small set of curated references. When new audiences or regions need their own view, we can clone from this foundation without forking logic.

Ran a three-week data push: We consolidated internal datasets into a clean schema, converted KML and KMZ where needed, and normalised attributes such as capacity, status and tier. Every layer now has a record of owner, provenance and refresh cycle so the catalogue stays trustworthy as it grows.

Designed for how people work: We mapped a typical analyst’s day: identify candidates, filter against internal rules, triage constraints, capture notes, move to a shortlist, share a coherent picture. That flow guided the widget choices and the layout. It also shaped how pop-ups present key fields.

Built, tested, refined: We configured the app with in-house data as the default source of truth, tuned symbology and attribute rules, and tested common journeys for performance. Indexes, field loads and tiling were adjusted so the map stays responsive when filters stack up.

What we delivered

• A working site-selection web app in Esri, with search, filter and query tools aligned to the client’s decision criteria. Authorised users can add shortlist status and notes directly on the map, so context stays with the site.
• An operational dashboard giving portfolio-level views drawn from the same source. Sites are grouped by status, geography and market coverage, with simple indicators that support weekly reviews.
• A structured data workspace with clear schema, named owners, documented refresh cadence and basic transformation notes. New team members can onboard quickly.
• A staged plan for integrating selected external content once the internal core has settled. Planning constraints, ESG designations, energy pricing signals, capacity indicators and published projects are all tracked in detailed documentation, with sources and refresh guidance identified for each layer.

Impact

One place for decisions: An analyst opens the app, filters candidates by the thresholds that matter, checks proximity and operational context, then records a shortlist with notes. The dashboard picks up those changes straight away, so leadership can see progress without extra slide work. When a new location enters the pipeline, the same steps apply. No side maps. No copy-paste between spreadsheets.

Trusted data, less re-work: Standardised attribution and the conversion of legacy files removed drift between versions. The client now holds dependable power, fibre and transport layers. Time to a defensible shortlist is down because the overall integrity of data is trusted.

Built to extend: The master-app approach supports new regions and new audiences without re-architecture. Data grows in a controlled way, and the standards keep it predictable. Ownership, lineage and refresh frequency are recorded for every layer, so teams work in a single, documented environment.