ArcGIS Business Analyst Web App and the ArcGIS Business Analyst extension in ArcGIS Pro have long been companion applications for spatial analysis. Business Analyst Web App is a go-to product for web-based GIS for users who want to understand communities, support business expansion, and identify market opportunities. It is updated three times a year, in line with ArcGIS Online product releases.
Business Analyst Pro, on the other hand, is part of Esri’s powerhouse ArcGIS Pro desktop software and is released for download twice a year. It extends the web capabilities with more advanced workflows, territory design, customer analysis, and more.
Because Business Analyst products are developed in tandem, workflows in one application often serve as inspiration for the other application. This is the case with benchmark comparisons, which was completely redesigned for Business Analyst Web App’s November 2024 release, including new mapping capabilities. The workflow was also introduced in Business Analyst Pro 3.4, released in November 2024 as well.
In Business Analyst Web App, the benchmark comparisons workflow compares sites using criteria and benchmark values that you set. Results are displayed on a map and in the Results pane. On the map, the styling can be changed using different comparison methods. The Results pane includes a summary, histogram, bubble chart, and table. In the table, you can compare with geographies to expand the analysis. On the Summary tab, you can use in-app documentation to learn about the underlying statistics.
In Business Analyst Pro, the benchmark comparisons workflow compares locations using variables and site attributes. Results are displayed on the map and in the Results pane. Significantly, benchmark comparisons are the final capability from the previous ArcGIS Desktop software to be incorporated into ArcGIS Pro—bringing Business Analyst into full equivalency with the well-loved (but retired) software product.
This article walks through the basic similarities and differences between these two sister workflows in Business Analyst.
What is the same between the two workflows?
There are many similarities between the two workflows. Fundamentally, both workflows compare sites using variables, set a benchmark, and visualize it on the map and in the Results pane.
Choosing a variable
Geographic data is the lifeblood of Business Analyst. The benchmark comparisons workflow allows you to explore the data to your heart’s content by choosing as many variables as you want. In Business Analyst Web App, you can compare up to 10,000 sites.
The experience of selecting variables is nearly identical between Business Analyst Web App and Business Analyst Pro. Both applications use the data browser (Web App / Pro) for adding variables to the comparison, the only difference being how you get there.
In Business Analyst Web App, click Browse all variables to access the data browser.
In Business Analyst Pro, you can add variables from the data browser (by clicking the Add button) as well as site attributes from the input features you added. Site attributes could be things like the area of the polygon (as in the example below, with Kentucky ZIP codes) or your own data such as sales volume for a trade area.
Setting a benchmark
As the name implies, one of the central functionalities of the benchmark comparisons workflow is setting a benchmark against which to compare the data across sites or features. In both Business Analyst Web App and Business Analyst Pro, you can identify the benchmark as a value—such as the median or average of all sites—or as the values for a specific site or feature.
In Business Analyst Web App, you can set the benchmark in two different ways:
- In the Comparison method section, use the Method drop-down menu and click Above and below benchmark. Use the Benchmark drop-down menu to select a site to set as the benchmark.
- In the Table on the Results pane, click the Options button for a location and click Make benchmark. The Above and below benchmark comparison method is automatically implemented.
If you add average or median in the Statistics section, it can be used as the benchmark. You can use either percentage or raw values for the difference type.
In Business Analyst Pro, you can set a benchmark within the workflow pane by clicking the Benchmark tab and specifying the parameters. These parameters include the type of benchmark, the ways of showing the difference between each feature’s value and the benchmark value, and the symbology for showing the difference in the Results pane. Note that the benchmark parameters can be adjusted continuously as you work, and updated by clicking Apply.
In the Results pane, the benchmark is placed as the first row or column of the table. You can also alter the benchmark using the Benchmark Feature drop-down menu.
Using the Results pane
In Business Analyst, the Results pane (Web App / Pro) is an interactive data exploration tool that allows you to learn more about your analysis. Though the functionality of these panes differs between the applications, the fundamental importance of tabular data exploration unites them.
In Business Analyst Web App, you can explore the benchmark comparisons as a summary, histogram, bubble chart, and table in the Results pane.
- The Table appears first by default. Depending on the comparison method, items in the table include color-coded labels that match the map styling. If you click the Options button for a location in the table, you can set a benchmark or compare the location with other geographies. For table-focused goals, click Expand to expand the table and cover the map.
- On the Summary tab, you can select a variable to use in the box plot and see a summary of key statistics. To learn more about these key statistics, click IQR, Skewness, or Kurtosis and read the definitions in the Overview of statistics
- On the Histogram tab, you can view the results as a histogram.
- On the Bubble chart tab, you can view the results as a bubble chart or scatterplot.
In Business Analyst Pro, you can pivot the table using the Display By drop-down menu, select items in the table to highlight them on the map, and export the table to Excel.
What is different between the two workflows?
There are a few main differences between the two workflows that we would like to highlight, including comparison methods, results pane, and compare geographies capabilities.
Comparison method differences
The benchmark comparison methods are the options available to set a benchmark value for the analysis.
In Business Analyst Web, there are several comparison methods: None, High to low, Top and bottom, Above and below benchmark, Quantiles, Highlight extremes. The comparison methods apply map stylization to visualize how values compare to one another. For instance, the High to low comparison method uses color-coding to visualize the range of values. The Highlight extremes comparison method highlights extreme values based on IQR or standard deviation.
In Business Analyst Pro, there are four options to select the benchmark methods: Average, Median, Feature, and None. The Average and Median options use a benchmark value that is applied to all input features in the analysis. The Feature option uses a selected input feature’s variable values as the benchmark values to compare against.
Compare geographies
The compare geography capabilities use additional geographic levels for a broader analysis.
In Business Analyst Web, you can compare a location with other geographies. Open the Geography comparison window by doing either of the following:
- In the Table on the Results pane, click the Options button for a location and click Compare with geographies to open the Geography comparison In the Geography comparison window, you can change the geography levels displayed, change variables used in the analysis, and export the data to an Excel spreadsheet.
- Click a location on the map to use the site’s pop-up menu. Click Comparisons and click Compare with geographies to open the Geography comparison window.
In Business Analyst Pro, you can click the Comparisons tab and select additional comparison geographies, such as the states containing the locations, to include along with the locations in the layer. Standard geography polygons that intersect centroids of the input features are included in the Results pane and enriched with the variables you selected.
Summing it all up
The benchmark comparisons workflow is a powerful tool for analysis in both products. It reimagines the previous comparison reports with more benchmark comparison methods, mapping capabilities, and interactive analysis.
Article Discussion: