Areas
Requires a project: yes.
Areas are polygons you draw on the map to define where you want to analyse. A project can have several areas, and the same polygons can be used by Analyze and Reports without you having to draw them again for each feature.
What an area is used for
- Analyze and Reports: demographics, price, nature values and travel distance can be run within exactly the boundaries you have drawn.
- Visual references: zoning plan areas, zones of interest or exposure zones that appear on the map every time you open the project.
What the panel contains
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Export | Download all areas with geometry and metadata. |
| View on map | Show all the areas together on the map. |
| List | Each area is listed by name. Click to edit or open. |
| Create an area | Button at the bottom that starts drawing mode. |
Creating an area
- Click + Create an area at the bottom of the panel.
- The panel switches to drawing mode and the mouse pointer shows a crosshair.
- Click on the map to place each corner. Double-click to close the polygon.
- Give the area a Name and, if you want, a Description.
- Click Save. The area appears in the panel and on the map.
Tip: if you want to draw along the boundaries of a zoning plan area, turn on the Zoning Plans map layer in the map interface and use the outlines as a guide.
Editing and deleting
- Click an area in the list to open it and change the name or description.
- To change the geometry, you have to delete the area and draw it again.
- Deleting removes the area from the project, but does not affect activities already created from it.
Empty state
The panel shows "No data" and the button for creating a new area when none have been created yet.
Common use cases
Demographic analysis. Draw an area and run Demographics (area) in Analyze to get SSB figures on population, age, income and household composition within exactly those boundaries.
Travel distance analysis. Draw a polygon around the search area and run Travel distance in Analyze to calculate accessibility by different modes of transport.
Plan follow-up. Draw the outline of a zoning plan area and use it as the geographic frame for reports. Name the area after the plan so it is easy to find again.
Tips
- Name areas by what they represent, not just where they are. "Retail centre radius 500 m" is more useful than "Trondheim sør" when you have many areas.
- The same area can be used by all the features (analyses, report) and does not need to be drawn again for each use.
- Export can be used to copy areas between projects: download from one, upload into another.