Start the pipeline from a shortlist, not a blank parcel map.
Development Capacity flags undeveloped and underused parcels inside your submarket from imagery and change history, and sends them back ranked, so the first pass is done before you open the GIS.
- GSD
- ≤0.5 m
- Cadence
- Annual
- Platform
- High-res satellite
- Spectral
- RGB
Where the parcel-map scan runs out
You pick a submarket, load the parcel layer over the aerial and go block by block. Anything that looks empty gets a street view, an assessor lookup and a check on the permit portal. The good ones go into the tracker.
It works, but it is one analyst's eyes on every lot in the area, the aerial in the GIS is rarely the same age as the permit record, and the lot you flagged last month may have a foundation poured on it. A submarket you didn't have time to finish stays a blank spot on the map.
The first pass, step by step
| Step | Scanning the parcel map | With Development Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Covering the submarket | You work block by block through the parcel layer, as far as the week allows. | The whole submarket boundary is screened in one pass, so every parcel gets looked at, including the ones at the far end of the map. |
| Spotting the empty lots | You eyeball the aerial for open ground and thin building coverage, then confirm on street view. | Each parcel is classified as vacant, underused or built-out from imagery, so you start with the ones flagged instead of hunting for them. |
| Telling underused from built | You judge it from the picture and the lot size, and different people set the cutoff in different places. | The same rule is applied to every parcel: visible built coverage against parcel size and surroundings. You can see where each flag came from. |
| Seeing what changed | You compare the aerial with permit records, and the two rarely line up in date. | Imagery from earlier years is read alongside the latest, so a lot that was recently built on or cleared shows up as that. |
| Ordering the list | Your order is the order you found them in, or a gut call on which looks biggest. | The shortlist is ranked by apparent capacity, so the first parcels you call about are the ones with the most open or lightly built area. |
| Diligence and outreach | Zoning, title, owner contact and entitlement work, parcel by parcel. | The same. The shortlist tells you where to start. |
| Still yours | Zoning and entitlement checks, title, owner outreach, site control and the decision to buy. | |
What you get for a submarket
- GeoJSON, CSV
Ranked parcel shortlist
One list per submarket, parcels ordered by apparent capacity. The GeoJSON opens as a layer in your GIS next to the county parcel layer. The CSV goes into the pipeline tracker or a spreadsheet.
Ordering the list - Flag per parcel
Vacancy and underuse flag
Every parcel in the boundary is marked vacant, underused or built-out. You can filter the layer to the flagged ones and leave the rest.
Spotting the empty lots - Yearly re-screen
Annual refresh
The submarket is screened again on a yearly cycle against the new capture, so the shortlist moves with the ground and your pipeline can be updated rather than rebuilt.
Seeing what changed
How it works
Draw the submarket
You send the boundary of the submarket you are screening. A shapefile or a drawn polygon is enough.
Imagery and history
We use high-resolution satellite imagery across the boundary, along with earlier imagery of the same ground for the change history.
Classify the parcels
Each parcel is marked vacant, underused or built-out from the visible built coverage against its size and surroundings.
Ranked list back
You get the shortlist and the flags, ready to open in your GIS or drop into the pipeline. The pilot covers one submarket, and the next annual capture refreshes it.
Limits
- Annual, not live
- The shortlist is as current as the last yearly capture. A lot that was cleared, sold or started after that date will not show. For a single listing you are chasing now, use your own sources.
- Cloud cover
- Optical imagery needs a clear pass. A cloudy capture over a submarket can delay screening for that area.
- Resolution floor
- At 0.5 m a pixel is about 20 inches across. A house, a warehouse or a parking lot shows up. A shed or a small outbuilding on a big lot is only just visible, so a lot dotted with small structures can be called vacant or underused when it is neither, and we flag those for a second look.
- Underused is a visual judgment
- It comes from visible built coverage against parcel size and surroundings. It is not an assessed-value test, a zoning finding or a legal determination.
- Sites under construction
- A site mid-build can be flagged differently from one yearly capture to the next, depending on when the imagery was taken.
- What it can't tell you
- Zoning, entitlement, ownership, title, contamination, utilities and what could legally be built. None of that is visible from above.
Who it's for
Switch if
- You are an acquisitions or land analyst building a target list for a new submarket or a yearly refresh
- The parcel-map scan eats the time you would spend on owners and diligence
- You want one rule for vacant and underused applied across the whole area
Stick with the parcel-map scan if
- You are chasing one specific lot or listing today
- You need zoning, entitlement or buildable area confirmed
- Your market changes faster than a yearly capture
Questions before a pilot
Does this tell us zoning or entitlement status?
No. It flags physical vacancy or underuse from imagery. Zoning, title and entitlement are diligence, and they stay with your team.
How is “underused” defined?
By visible built coverage compared with the size of the parcel and what is around it. It is a judgment from the picture. No legal or assessed-value standard sits behind it.
How do we check it against what we already know?
Pick a submarket you have already screened by hand and compare our shortlist with your own target list and with the lots you know on the ground.
Will it open in our GIS and pipeline tracker?
The shortlist comes as GeoJSON and CSV. It does not write into your tracker or CRM.
Which parcel layer does it use?
You bring your county or city parcel layer if you want it matched to your own parcel numbers. Tell us what you have and we will say what can be matched.
How current is the list?
As current as the last annual capture. It is not a live feed.
What about parcels under construction?
They can be flagged inconsistently between yearly passes, depending on when the image was captured.
Who owns the imagery and the results?
Ownership and licence terms are agreed in writing when the pilot starts. If your legal team needs them sooner, ask.
How is a pilot bought and priced?
Tell us the submarket and what you want out of it, and we will scope a pilot with you.
Run a pilot on one submarket.
Send us the boundary of a submarket you have already screened by hand. We will show you what the shortlist looks like against your own list.