For this project, an economic development tool called the Local Economic Analysis Portfolio (LEAP) tool was produced. LEAP is a Geographic Information System (GIS) system which allows users to create earth-based mapping systems that describe the environmental conditions, physical infrastructure and related features for use in land/base management decisions. The primary function of this tool is to generate portfolios coupling standard descriptors about potential sites with maps and location specific information. Users can select criteria in a wizard-based tool to perform site selection analysis or draw primary and alternate sites to obtain site specific information related to the area of interest. The intention of the tool is to provide a user-friendly interface for personnel responsible for working on economic development at Stennis Space Center (SSC) and the surrounding community. An economic development tool, for use at SSC, was developed to generate portfolios coupling standard descriptors about potential sites with maps and location specific information. The generated portfolios include pre-created maps, dynamic map products, acreages, demographic reporting of the surrounding area, areas within a specified transportation distance, distance to utilities and other critical infrastructure, soil/regolith types, and proximity to dangerous condition areas, that could potentially be used for infrastructure layout and development for decision making. The wizard-based tool allows personnel working with potential tenants to step through these descriptive areas to edit or verify the populated information before generating the portfolio. The first step involves using query tools to find property or space within a specified size constraint. Once the user has selected all the desired site information, and entered and/or verified the categorized information, the final portfolio document can be created.
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