Find similar locations

Note:

Some workflows may require specific privileges. For more information about user types, roles, and privileges, see the Accounts topic.

Use the Find similar tool to quickly identify the top 10 locations with attributes comparable to locations currently selected on a map and create a nonpersistent layer in the map containing those locations. For example, if you create a map in ArcGIS for Power BI of your company's highest performing retail locations, you may want to visualize the next highest performing locations based on common metrics. See Analysis options for information about other analysis tools that can provide insight into map data.

Note:

The Find similar tool is only available for locations selected in data layers.

You can use the Find similar tool to perform analysis across multiple variables at once—such as traffic, sales volume, and inventory—and view the analysis results on the map and in other visuals in the report. You can also use the Find similar tool with other analysis options such as Buffer/drive time analysis or information cards to get more information about these locations.

To find similar locations, complete the following steps:

1. Add a data layer to an ArcGIS for Power BI visualization.
2. With the ArcGIS for Power BI visual active in Power BI, drag up to five numeric data attributes from the Data pane to the Find similar field well on the Visualizations > Build visual tab.

   Note:

   If you use nonnumeric fields, the data is converted to count amounts, which may not accurately represent the data.

   

3. From the map tools, click Analysis and click the Find similar tab .

   On the Find similar tab, the Power BI data layer field shows the active layer. The Calculate similarity using section lists the data fields added in the previous step that will be used to locate similar locations.

   

4. Click the selection tool button in the Similar to field.

   A collapsed Selection tools prompt appears at the right of the Analysis pane. You can use the selection tools to select a location or locations on the map to use as reference points.

   Note:

   You can select up to 250 locations. When you select more than 1 location, the Find similar tool calculates the average value of each variable for the selected locations and uses that value for comparison.

   Note:

   While you are selecting locations, interaction between the map and other visualizations is paused.

5. Click Run analysis.

   The top 10 similar locations appear on the map as numbered pins, ranked from the most similar to the least similar. The initially selected reference locations appear as blue pins. Additionally, the Find similar result layer appears in the Layers list.

6. Click Options and do any of the following:

   

   • Use the selection tools to select additional locations as the basis for your comparison and click Update analysis to update the Find similar calculation. The analysis is recalculated and new top 10 similar locations are presented, ranked based on the additional locations.
   • Click Remove analysis to clear the selected locations from the map and start again with different locations.
   • Click Filter report to update other visualizations in the report based on the analysis results.
7. To delete the Find similar result layer from the Layers list, click More options next to the layer on the Layers tab and click Remove on the context menu.
8. To completely clear the map, remove all attributes from the Find similar field well. In the Selection tools pane, click Clear selection .