Surveyor
Site Analysis
The measured ground of a real place — climate & comfort, terrain, soils, land cover, water, hazards and surroundings — with Rhino-ready exports. Hard data is free and sourced; AI judgment is tagged for you to verify.
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Further resources — the wider site-research toolbox
This tool measures climate, terrain, water and the EPA record. To go further — into what a site is contaminated with, and what it's allowed to become — these are the resources architecture, landscape, and planning students most often use. Most are free; many US datasets are nationwide. For the CERCLA and NPL vocabulary behind the first group, start with About Superfund.
Superfund & contaminated ground
The federal record for a poisoned site — what happened, what's been cleaned, what it can become.
- EPA — Search for Superfund Sites Where You Live ↗
Start here — the national map and state-by-state lists of every NPL site.
- EPA — Search Superfund Site Information (SEMS) ↗
The real database: search by name, address, contaminant or EPA ID and open the site profile.
- EPA — About the Superfund cleanup process ↗
How a site moves from discovery to HRS score, NPL listing, Record of Decision, and deletion.
- EPA — Superfund Redevelopment Program ↗
What a cleaned site is allowed to become — the design conversation this studio joins.
- EPA — Superfund redevelopment case studies ↗
Built precedents start to finish: what worked, what blocked it, what it cost.
- EPA — Cleanups in My Community ↗
One map for Superfund plus Brownfields, RCRA corrective action and federal facilities.
- ATSDR — Toxic Substances Portal ↗
Per-contaminant health effects — the ToxFAQs and toxicological profile behind each name on the list.
Maps, imagery & GIS
See the site, measure it, and build your own layered base map.
- Google Earth Pro ↗
Free desktop app — historical imagery, elevation profiles, measure, 3D context.
- USGS EarthExplorer ↗
Download satellite & aerial imagery, Landsat, and elevation data, free.
- QGIS ↗
Free, open-source desktop GIS — the standard for assembling site data layers.
- ArcGIS Online + Living Atlas ↗
Esri's web GIS and its huge ready-made data library (often free via your school).
- OpenStreetMap ↗
Open, editable world map — roads, buildings, land use you can export.
Terrain, elevation & LiDAR
Get the ground itself — contours, slope, and high-resolution point clouds.
- USGS The National Map / 3DEP ↗
Authoritative US elevation (DEMs), hydrography, and contours to download.
- OpenTopography ↗
High-resolution LiDAR point clouds and derived DEMs for detailed terrain.
- USGS topoView ↗
Every historical USGS topographic map — how the land was drawn over time.
Climate, sun & energy
Read the sky — sun path, wind, comfort, and solar potential for design.
- Climate Consultant (UCLA) ↗
Free tool that turns a weather file into design guidance (psychrometrics, strategies).
- EPW weather files — onebuilding.org ↗
The go-to source for the hourly EPW weather files energy/comfort tools need.
- Ladybug Tools ↗
Free Grasshopper/Rhino plugins for sun, daylight, wind, and energy analysis.
- PVWatts (NREL) ↗
Estimate solar PV output for a location and roof — quick renewable feasibility.
- Andrew Marsh web apps ↗
Browser sun-path, shadow, and psychrometric calculators — fast, no install.
Water, soils & hazards
What the ground holds and the risks it carries — flood, soil, drainage, contamination.
- FEMA Flood Map Service Center ↗
Official US flood zones (FIRMs) and base flood elevations for a site.
- USDA Web Soil Survey ↗
Soil type, drainage, and bearing characteristics — essential for landscape & foundations.
- USGS StreamStats ↗
Delineate watersheds and get streamflow/drainage statistics for a point.
- NOAA Sea Level Rise Viewer ↗
Map coastal inundation and sea-level-rise scenarios for resilience planning.
- EPA EnviroAtlas ↗
Ecosystem, land-cover, and environmental-justice data layers for a place.
Parcels, zoning & demographics
The legal and human ground — who owns it, what's allowed, who lives nearby.
- Your county / city GIS & assessor ↗
The real source for parcels, zoning, easements & ownership — search your locality.
- Regrid ↗
Nationwide parcel boundaries and ownership data in one searchable map.
- U.S. Census — data.census.gov ↗
Population, housing, income, commute data (ACS) for the surrounding area.
- PolicyMap ↗
Maps demographic, economic & housing indicators (often free via your school).
- Walk Score ↗
Quick walkability, transit, and bike scores for a site's context.
History & change over time
How the site got here — past uses, prior structures, and disturbance.
- Historic Aerials ↗
Aerial photos and topo maps going back decades — see what was there before.
- Library of Congress — Sanborn Maps ↗
Fire-insurance maps showing historical building footprints, uses & materials.
- NETR Online ↗
Gateway to county property records, deeds, and historical land data by location.
Links open external sites we don't control. For parcels, zoning, and codes, your local city/county GIS is almost always the authoritative source — start there.