Esri Community Analyst FAQs

What type of ArcGIS organization role do I need to use Community Analyst?

In most cases, users have access to all features in Community Analyst, but your administrator may have created custom roles for your organization that limit privileges and product functionality. To use all functionalities, you need an administrator, publisher or user role. Please see information on roles for your organization or contact your administrator.

Is the data in Community Analyst for the United States only? Can I run reports for other countries?

In addition to the U.S., Community Analyst contains data and reports for more than 135 countries.

Will I need to purchase a separate subscription in order to access data and reports for the other countries when they are available?

No, you will be able to access the USA and all other available counties data and reports with your current subscription.

Why can’t I get street addresses in some countries?

There are a few countries for which there is no address coverage. The geocoding quality is a function of the degree of street-level address coverage in a country, knowledge of a country’s address styles, and geocoding performance for addresses in that country. Countries for which there is no address coverage still provide admin place geocoding but don’t provide street-level geocoding. For more information see Geocode coverage.

How can I import my sites from the previous version of Community Analyst into the new version?

With the upgrade to the new application, you can easily import the sites you have created and saved in the previous legacy version of Community Analyst into the new version. You will find the Import Sites tool under My Content > My Sites. Simply click the Import sites from legacy version link and follow the step-by-step instructions.

How many points can I import?

For Excel files: There is no limit to the number you can import but there is a maximum file size of 1 MB.

For zipped shapefiles: There is a limit of importing 100 records with a maximum file size of 3 MB. If there are more than 100 shapefile records, the first 100 will be imported. Shapefiles containing more than 1,000 records can’t be imported.

Are the Census 2010, 1990 and 2000 data available in Community Analyst?

Census 2010 data and reports are included in Community Analyst. There is a limited number of Census 2000 data in Community Analyst that can be used in color-coded and smart map search analysis. Census 1990 data is not included in the application.

Where is the Age by Income Profile?

Information previously contained in the Age by Income Profile can now be found in the new Household Income Profile. This report also contains information that was previously contained in the Detailed Income Profile.

Does the Consumer Spending dataset represent annual amounts spent?

Yes. The total, average and index amounts for consumer spending variables represent annual figures.

Can I create a new variable to use in the Smart Map Search feature using the current data available?

Yes, "Create a custom variable" is a new feature in Community Analyst that allows you to create a specific type, range or combination of data. You can use popular categories such as Age, Household Income or create a custom complex variable using the Advanced Options tool. The Create a custom variable option is found in Step 1 of the Smart Map Search workflow. Simply click on “Create a custom variable” and the window will open with steps to walk you through creating a new variable. Custom variables can be used in Smart Map Search, Color-coded maps and Custom Comparison Reports.

Can I filter my Smart Map Search or Color-Coded Map to show only the community I am interested in analyzing?

Yes, the ability to filter smart map search and color-coded map results has been a requested feature in Community Analyst.

Create a site of the community that you would like to analyze on the map.
In Step 2 of the Smart Map Search and Create Color-Coded Maps workflows, you have the option to choose the current map view or any of the sites currently on the map.
Click the dropdown arrow next to Current Map and select the site you would like to filter the results.

What is a “band” trade area or site type?

Band trade areas are created by differencing the areas between rings. The name “band” comes from the appearance of the trade areas. Band areas are useful if you want to know the marginal differences between trade areas.

How can I get my data into Community Analyst?

There are three ways to get your data into Community Analyst:

You can import an Excel spreadsheet of addresses or lat/long locations on the Maps tab - Define Areas for Reports – Import File.
You can import a Shapefile polygon and point data on the Maps tab - Define Areas for Reports – Import File.
You can create a Web Map on ArcGIS.com and access your map for viewing and analysis within Community Analyst. Add Web Maps from ArcGIS.com from the More Maps tab – Web Maps.

Why does my custom PDF map look different from the map I see on the screen?

The Create pdf tool uses a special map service to transform the map you are viewing into a print quality, 300 DPI PDF. The layers and features may appear slightly different from the background maps in the application. If you have suggestions for improving the custom PDF maps, use the Feedback form available from the Home tab.

What happened to the screenshot tool that was in the legacy version of Community Analyst?

The screenshot tool and the PDF tool have been combined in the new version.

Click the Create pdf or image tool from the tool palette.

How can I display geographic borders and labels on top of Color-Coded Maps?

Geographic boundaries and labels can be turned on/off under the More Maps button.

Click the More Maps button and from the More Maps dialog box, click Boundaries.
In the Boundaries dialog box, click on the check box for the border and/or label you want and it appears on the map.

How can I rename and edit my previously created sites?

You can rename, edit and manage your sites by selecting the My Content – My Sites tab under Maps.

Click the check box to the left of the site and the pop-up appears with options to rename, edit, move and delete.

How can I create reports for the entire United States?

You can select the entire United States as geography under Maps – Define Areas for Reports - Select Geographies.

Click the Select from Full List button on Step one of the workflow and then click the Entire Country icon.

Why can I find certain ZIP Codes when I use the Find Location feature, but not when I search for them as standard geographies?

The United States Postal Service designates some ZIP Codes as non-residential. These ZIP Codes might represent Post Office Boxes or be assigned to a specific organization. Because no demographic data are associated with non-residential ZIP Codes, they cannot be selected as a standard geography for mapping or reporting purposes.

What are credits and why do I need them?

Community Analyst is based on an annual subscription and includes a number of ArcGIS Service Credits depending on the pricing plan purchased. Service credits are the currency for Community Analyst and are consumed when you use certain services, such as running reports, geocoding, color-coding a map and smart map search analysis.

What can I do with 2500 credits?

You can run about 200 reports.

What can I do with 12,500 credits?

You can run about 1,000 reports.

How can I estimate the number of credits used to create a comparison report, Color Coded Map or Smart Map Search analysis?

Feature	Service	Service Credits Used	How it is Calculated
Comparison Reports	Data Enrichment	10 credits per 1,000 views	10 sites * 10 variables = 100 values
Color Coded Maps	Demographic and Lifestyle Maps	10 credits per 1,000 requests	Pan or zoom (requests) is a credit regardless of the number of variables
Smart Map Search	Demographic and Lifestyle Maps	10 credits per 1,000 requests	Pan or zoom (requests) is a credit regardless of the number of variables

What happens if I run out of credits?

You can add additional service credits to your subscription at any time. Additional credits can be purchased in blocks of 1,000 for $100 ($0.10 per credit).

How can I see how many credits I’ve used or have left?

To see the status of your subscription, verify that you are signed in to www.arcgis.com and that you are an administrator of your organization.

From the top of the site, click the My Organizations button.
Click the View Status link under the Subscripiton Status section located on the right side of the page.
You can view information about your account including the number of credits remaining.
You can also view statistics for how many credits you have used by service type.