From base mapping to site analysis.
- Record the project purpose and questions in a brief saved in this browser.
- Search an address or click the county map to look up a parcel. Select multiple parcels and fit the map to the selected area.
- Review the mapped reference, confirm suggested parcels and build a preliminary base using public footprints and available lidar.
- Review estimated parcel and footprint areas, suggested heights and source records. Export a scaled sheet, DXF linework, GLB model or a project record.
- Collect the Site Dossier within Base Mapping. Review the generated terrain, sun, soils, water, fire and climate inventory with its evidence register.
- Compare overlays and the microclimate planting synthesis in Site Analysis. Explore development questions through transparent local rules and select candidate planting groups for hydrozone review.
- Enter dated ETo, effective rainfall, a reviewed landscape coefficient and measured irrigation inputs. Download an editable Excel worksheet with period demand calculations and MWELO scheduling parameters.
CAD linework and GLB models open in compatible software; they are not a native CAD/BIM project. Inventory collection uses a 400, 800 or 1,600-foot study square around the parcel lookup point. The study square is separate from the selected property and may cover only part of it. The original Site Dossier remains available separately.
Where the pilot stops
Schematic Design, Design Development, Construction Documents, regulatory review and agency coordination are planned workflow areas. This version does not interpret ordinances, establish compliance or create a permit package.
Street imagery, editable paving/planting surface polygons, photograph textures and improved roof reconstruction are research directions. Mapillary imagery is not integrated into this pilot, and no image-based quantity or accuracy claim is made.
Scenario exploration currently uses explicit local rules, with no AI service connection. USDA 2023 hardiness is a regional point reference; CIMIS ETo data and its reference zone require user entry. Excel covers one candidate hydrozone and one period. It adapts DWR’s draft Appendix L and current MWELO §493.4, without calculating a complete operational schedule, determining compliance or uploading to a CS3000. Station settings and controller ET adjustments require review.
Sources and limitations
SanGIS assessor parcels hosted by SANDAG; OpenStreetMap footprints with FEMA/ORNL USA Structures as a fallback; USGS 3DEP lidar; optional USDA NAIP imagery. Source availability and dates vary by location. The generated base includes its source register.
- Tax-parcel mapping is a reference, not a boundary survey or legal description.
- Areas and heights are public-data estimates. Building footprint area is not floor area. Accuracy has not been established against survey measurements.
- Up to 20 parcels can be selected without an acreage limit. Lidar processing is skipped when their padded bounding box exceeds 40 acres; the parcel selection remains available.
- Buildings are preliminary flat-topped blocks. Missing lidar leads to clearly marked assumed heights and flat ground.
Keep your work
The brief is saved on this device in this browser. Parcel selections and generated plans reset on reload; export them before closing. The JSON record includes the brief, selected geometry, current inventory summary and calculated irrigation inputs/results. It does not retain map images; project import is not yet available. Location requests go to public data services. Field Method does not receive or store the brief.
Help shape the next version
Try a familiar site and tell us which step helped, where you hesitated, what data was missing and what you would need before using the output in practice. For a map issue, include a nearby address or coordinates and your browser. Please omit confidential client information.
Other tools: Site Dossier · Base Plan · Corridor Studio · Material Studio