Perform a suitability analysis

The suitability analysis workflow identifies sites that meet criteria you define. First, select sites to include in the analysis, then choose and weight your criteria. The workflow ranks your sites—displayed as color-coded symbols on the map—and adjusts the rankings as you add, remove, or change weights of criteria. The results of this analysis appear in the Results pane and can be saved as a new layer in your project or exported to an Excel worksheet.

License:

The suitability analysis workflow is available to users with a Business Analyst Web App Advanced license. To learn more about Business Analyst license types, see Licenses.

Suitability analysis is a guided workflow that takes you through each step: select sites, select criteria, refine criteria, and view and refine your results. For more information on the calculations, methodology, and results of the suitability analysis workflow, see Suitability analysis reference.

To perform a suitability analysis, do the following:

1. On the Maps tab, click Run analysis and select Suitability analysis.

   The Suitability analysis pane appears.

2. Select a location type. Choose to add any of the following:
   • Click Your sites to use points, polygons, or geographies from your project.
     • Use the Add sites window to select from recently used sites, sites currently on the map, or sites from any project. Click Apply. Confirm your selections by unchecking the check boxes next to sites you do not want to include in the analysis. Click Add sites to include additional sites.
   • Click Features on the map to choose sites in the project or features on the map.
     • Use the Select sites pane to select from sites currently on the map or sites from the project. Confirm your selections by unchecking the check boxes next to sites you do not want to include in the analysis. Click Add sites to include additional sites.
   • Click Geographies or hexagons to use your country's standard geographic regions (such as states, counties, and ZIP codes) or hexagons.
     • Use the Analysis extent search field to define the extent of the analysis by searching for a standard geography. Selecting a standard geography locks the analysis extent to that area.

       Note:

       Set the analysis extent to the area on the map you want to analyze. For example, to analyze all the counties in Texas, set the state of Texas as the analysis extent.

     • If you selected the Geographies tab, use the Level of detail drop-down menu to specify the geography level of the analysis. If you are using U.S. or Esri India data sources, click the Group menu and select a list of grouped geographies (such as census geographies or school district geographies) and choose a geography level to map.
     • To refine the level of detail for either geography style, use the Level of detail drop-down menu to specify the geography level or hexagon resolution. For more information on hexagons, including hexagon resolutions, see Hexagons reference.
     • Click View glossary to read definitions for each geographic level. The glossary is only available for U.S. data sources.

   Note:

   You can modify the geography settings at any time in the Geography section.

3. Once you have selected the sites for the analysis, click Next.

   Note:

   You can select a maximum of 5,000 existing sites. Alternately, you can select up to 1,000 features on the map—for example, features added to the map through a points of interest search or by importing a file.

4. Select criteria for the suitability analysis. To add criteria to the analysis, do the following:
   • Use a criteria list—Select a list from the Featured lists tab or click the My lists tab to select from lists that you have previously created and saved. To view the variables in lists on the Featured lists tab, click the Show list button . The Featured lists display a set of curated variable lists, including variable lists by industry. To view, edit, or delete variable lists on the My lists tab, click the Action menu .
   • Add variables from the data browser—Click Select criteria and select Add variables from data browser. Choose your variables and click Apply. Optionally, once you have selected your criteria, you can click Save list to store the selected items under the My lists tab for future use. Choose a name for the list and click Save.

     Note:

     Custom data is unavailable for use in suitability analysis when Geographies or hexagons is selected as the location type.

   • Add attributes from your sites—Click Featured lists and select Add attributes from sites. If your site attributes include numeric fields, such as square footage or rent, these attributes are shown in the Add site attributes window. Select attributes and click OK.

   • Add a point layer—Click Select criteria and select Add point layer. Most layers in the current project are available in the Add point layer window. To add a layer not listed, such as a web map, check its check box in the Project pane and return to the suitability analysis. Select a point layer to automatically add it to the map. Click Close.

   Once you have added criteria using one of the above methods, the suitability analysis runs automatically, displaying the results in the next pane.

5. Optionally, continue to add criteria to the analysis. In the Analysis criteria section, click Add criteria and follow one of the above methods.
6. In the Analysis criteria section, do any of the following to refine the criteria:
   • To change the influence, click the Inverse or Ideal tab. Positive is selected by default.
     • Positive influence means that the higher the variable's value, the greater its effect on the final score.
     • Inverse influence means that the lower the variable's value, the greater its effect on the score.
     • Ideal influence defines an ideal value for the criteria. The closer the value of the variable to the specific ideal, the greater its effect on the score.
   • To define a range of values for a variable using positive or inverse influence, click Show filter. Use the Filter slider to specify the range of values for the variable. Adjust the slider handles to define the minimum and maximum values included in the analysis or enter the values manually.
   • To define the ideal value when using ideal influence, use the Ideal value slider. Adjust the slider handles to define the ideal value or enter a value manually.
   • To temporarily remove a criterion from the analysis, click the Options button and select Disable variable. To remove a criterion from the analysis, click the Options button and select Remove variable.

   Note:

   As you select and refine criteria, the symbols on the map and the information in the Results pane automatically update, displaying new site rankings.

7. In the Scoring method section, do any of the following to modify your scoring methods:
   • Use the Preset methods drop-down menu and select from one of the options. The Combine values (default) and Compound differences options specify a preprocessing and combination method that is used when calculating the final score.
   • If you selected the Custom option on the Preset methods drop-down menu, select from the options on the Preprocesing method and Combination method drop-down menus.
   • To change the final score scale, click the 0 to 100 or None tabs. 0 to 1 is selected by default. Scaling the final score is the final step of the creation process, postprocessing. It transforms the combined score into meaningful final score values.

   Note:

   To learn more about the calculation methods used in suitability analysis, see Calculations.

8. Optionally, in the Weighting section, click Adjust weights and do any of the following to adjust the criteria weights manually:
   • Click Increase or Decrease to increase or decrease the weight of a criteria. The weights for all criteria add up to 100 percent. Therefore, if you increase or decrease the weight for any criteria, the weights for each remaining criterion automatically decrease or increase proportionately. Once you have modified the weights, click Done.
   • Optionally, click Reset weighting to reset the criteria weights.

   Note:

   The selected criteria are weighted equally by default. Changing the weight of criteria significantly impacts the results and is a subjective part of the analysis. If you change the weight of criteria, it should be driven by domain knowledge and documented justification.

9. In the Style section, click Show style options and do any of the following to stylize the suitability analysis:
   • In the Color section, use the Color ramp drop-down menu to choose a color ramp. Click Reverse order to change the direction of the color ramp. Use the Transparency slider to adjust the color transparency.
   • In the Outline section, use the Color drop-down menu to choose the outline color and width. Use the Transparency slider to adjust the color transparency.
10. In the Legend section, do any of the following to change the class options:
    1. Click Set class options to view and adjust the variable's classification.
    2. To change the values of the class breaks, move the sliders or enter new values. Use the Method drop-down menu to choose the classification method from one of the following and enter the number of classes:
       • Choose Quantile to create classes with the same number of features.
       • Choose Natural breaks to partition data into classes based on peaks and valleys in the data distribution.
       • Choose Equal interval to create classes with equal spacing on the number line between the lowest and highest value of the variable.
    3. Optionally, change the color of the classes. Click the color swatch and choose a color. Click Reset colors to reset the default colors.
11. In the Legend section, do any of the following to filter the results:
    1. Click Filter results.
    2. The Filter by final score option is selected by default. Adjust the slider handles to define the minimum and maximum score values, or enter the values manually.
    3. Optionally, click the Filter by rank option to filter by rank value instead of final score value. Change the Top or Bottom rank by increasing or decreasing the value.
12. In the Results pane, explore the suitability analysis results as a summary, histogram, bubble chart, and table.

    See the Explore the results section below for more information.

13. To save your suitability analysis layer, click Save layer, give your layer a name, and click OK.

    Suitability analysis layers are stored in the project pane, under Suitability analysis layers. To reopen the suitability analysis for editing, click the layer's Action menu and choose Edit layer.

Explore the results

The suitability analysis results are displayed in the Results pane. To hide or show the pane, click Collapse or Expand .

To learn about the underlying calculations, see Results pane reference.

Explore the Results pane by doing any of the following:

1. Optionally if you are using hexagons, click the Hexagon label drop-down menu and pick from the following options:
   • Use the Cell ID option to label the hexagons with their cell ID number.
   • Use the geography option to label the hexagons with the name associated with their standard geography at that level of detail. This option automatically adjusts with the hexagon resolution.

     Note:

     For instance, if you are using resolution 2 hexagons in your analysis, use the State option to label the hexagons with the name of their associated state. If you are using resolution 7 hexagons in your analysis, use the ZIP Code option to label the hexagons with the name of their associated ZIP code.

   • Use the Detailed option to label the hexagons with both their cell ID number and associated geography.
2. Click Summary to view a summary of the results.

   Depending on the number and type of variables you mapped, the summary may include the count of areas, average final score, and top five ranked sites.

3. Click Histogram to view the results for each variable in a histogram. To explore the histogram, do any of the following:
   • By default, the Chart settings pane is expanded. To close it, click the Close button . To expand it, click the Chart settings button . To modify the chart settings, do any of the following:
     • Use the Variable drop-down menu to choose the variable shown in the histogram.
     • Use the Show outliers toggle button to show and hide outliers on the chart.
     • In the Outlier calculation section, choose either the Percentage or Standard deviation option to display in the histogram. Optionally, for Percentage, change the Top & bottom percentage value. Optionally, for Standard deviation, change the +/- standard deviation value.
   • Hover over an item in the histogram and the corresponding area is highlighted on the map.
   • Use the Score and Raw values tabs to switch between which value is visualized in the chart.
4. Click Bubble chart to view the results as a bubble chart or scatterplot. To explore the bubble chart or scatterplot, do any of the following:
   • By default, the Chart settings pane is expanded. To close it, click the Close button . To expand it, click the Chart settings button . To modify the chart settings, do any of the following:
     • Use the Bubble chart and Scatterplot tabs to switch between chart styles.
     • Use the X-axis, Y-axis, and Dot size drop-down menus to choose the variables used in the chart.
     • Click the Show regression line toggle button to turn the regression line on or off.
   • Hover over an item in the bubble chart or scatterplot to highlight the corresponding site on the map.
   • Use the Score and Raw values tabs to switch between which value is visualized in the chart.
   • Hover over the bubble chart or scatterplot and zoom in, zoom out, or pan using the mouse. Hover over a bubble to view information about the location and its linear regression. Hover over the regression line to view information about the linear regression and coefficient of determination. Click Reset to reset the chart extent.
5. Click Table to view the results in a table. To explore the table, do any of the following:
   • Hover over an item in the table and the corresponding area is highlighted on the map.
   • Click Export to Excel to export the data from the suitability analysis to an Excel worksheet.
   • Use the Rows per page drop-down menu to change the number of rows displayed in the table. Click Next or Back to navigate the table pages.

Set preferences

You can set preferences for Business Analyst Web App in the application preferences. For the suitability analysis workflow, you can turn the intro page on or off, set color defaults, and adjust the point layer influence to be positive or negative. Administrators can set preferences for the entire organization.

To set the workflow preferences, do the following:

1. On the app header, click My preferences .

   The Preferences window appears.

2. Expand the Maps section, expand the Run analysis section, and click Suitability analysis.
3. Set the following preferences:
   • In the Featured lists section, check or uncheck the featured lists to display in the workflow pane.

   • In the Fill color section, use the Color ramp drop-down menu to select a color ramp for the results on the map. Use the Transparency slider to adjust the color transparency.

   • In the Outline section, use the Color drop-down menu to select an outline color and width. Use the Transparency slider to adjust the color transparency.

   • In the Analysis extent outline section, use the Color drop-down menu to select an outline color and width. Use the Transparency slider to adjust the color transparency.

   • For Point layer influence, select Positive or Negative.

   • For Location display, select Points or Areas.

   You can restore the default settings by clicking Restore defaults.

4. To save your changes, click Save or, optionally, click Save and close to close the Preferences window. To view your changes, refresh the app.

Workflow video

Learn more about Suitability Analysis.