Review your catchment area

In your organization's first Cancer Center Support Grant application, you were tasked with geographically defining the catchment area for your cancer center. This was the area from which most of your patients were drawn. Your first task will be to pull up that original catchment area to review and understand its geographic extent and the population included within.

Create a project

You'll create a project in ArcGIS Business Analyst Web App and upload your original cancer center catchment area for your hospital's cancer center.

Note:

This tutorial is based on a fictional hospital and cancer center.

  1. Download the Create_Custom_Infographic_Analyze_Catchments.zip file. Save and extract or unzip the file to your computer in a place you can easily access.

    The extracted folder contains two files. The Original_Catchment_Area.zip file contains shapefile information for your catchment area and an image file named Hospital_logo. You will use these files later in the tutorial.

  2. Go to Business Analyst Web App.

    Next, you will sign in to your ArcGIS organizational account.

    For this exercise, your account must be licensed to use ArcGIS Business Analyst Web App with an Advanced license. If you are the administrator of your organization, you can assign yourself a license. Otherwise, you'll need to contact your administrator for an Advanced license.

  3. Sign in to your ArcGIS organizational account.
    Note:

    If you don't have an organizational account, see options for software access.

  4. If necessary, close the Welcome or What's new window.
  5. If necessary, on the ribbon, click the Home tab.

    Home tab in ArcGIS Business Analyst Web App

    The Home page appears.

    Home page in ArcGIS Business Analyst Web App

  6. Click New project.

    The Create project window appears. You will choose a name for your project.

  7. In the Create project window, for Project name, type Cancer Center Catchment Area Expansion and add your name or initials. Click Create.

    Project name entered and the Create button in the Create project window

    A message appears explaining that the project is being created. After a few minutes when it finishes, a confirmation message appears.

  8. In the confirmation window, check Open new projects as soon as they are created and click OK.

    Open new projects as soon as they are created box checked and the OK button in the confirmation window to create a new project

    A notification appears, explaining that a project is being created. The process may take a few moments.

  9. In the confirmation window, check Open new projects as soon as they are created and click OK.
    Tip:

    Alternatively, you can open your project by closing the confirmation window and finding the project under the Projects tab on the Home page.

    The project appears.

    Map tab showing a blank project in Business Analyst Web App

    Note:

    Depending on your organization's settings, the default extent and appearance of your project may differ from the example image.

Next, you will add your cancer center's catchment area boundaries from seven years ago into the project.

Import catchment area data

Now that your project workspace has been set up, you will add the boundary from your hospital's original cancer center catchment area. You need to understand the existing geographic extent and included population first, so you will be better informed before expanding the catchment area.

  1. On the top ribbon, ensure Data source is set to USA.

    Data source set to USA (Esri 2024)

  2. On the ribbon, click Add data and click Import file.

    Import file in the Add data menu

    The Import file pane appears.

  3. In the Import file pane, for Select a file to import, click Browse and navigate to where you saved the Original_Catchment_Area.zip file and open it.
  4. Click Import.

    Import button in the Import file window

    The layer contained in the file is matched to a location in the United States. Next, you will name the new layer.

  5. For New layer name, type Original Catchment Area.

    New layer name entered in the Import file pane

  6. At the bottom of the Import file pane, click Next.
  7. Click Save.

    After a few moments, the layer is saved as a site.

    Catchment area on the map

    On the map, you can see the geographic coverage of the original cancer center catchment area that you designed seven years ago. This catchment area was created based on county-level geographies.

    Cancer center catchment areas represent areas where the majority of your patients are coming from to reach your cancer center. It's recommended that you brush up on the current population being served in your catchment area before you move on toward expansion of the cancer center catchment area. To do this, you'll access a pre-designed infographic with a focus on health-care attributes in this population.

    ArcGIS Business Analyst contains over 17,000 data variables covering topics from demographics to consumer spending. You'll visualize this information using infographics, which allow you to visualize and analyze key information about geographic areas, such as your catchment area polygon.

  8. In the Import file pane, click Run reports.

    Run reports in the Import file pane

    The Run reports tab appears.

  9. Under Select and run reports click the Infographics tab.

    Infographics tab under the Select and run reports section

    ArcGIS Business Analyst provides infographic templates to share key data indicators for various purposes, audiences, and industries. You will use one of the health infographics to understand health care and spending within your original cancer center catchment area.

  10. If necessary, expand Gallery infographics and click the Health Care (Esri 2024) template.
    Tip:

    If you do not see Gallery infographics, on the top ribbon, click My preferences. In the Preferences window, expand the Infographics section and click Run infographics. On the Run infographics page, under Select categories to display in Run infographics, check the Gallery infographics box. Click Save and close.

    Health Care (Esri 2024) infographic checked in the Gallery infographics tab

  11. For the Health Care (Esri 2024) template, hover over the information icon to learn more about what data the infographic contains.

    Information button for the Health Care (Esri 2024) infographic

    On the Selected infographics table, your site is shown.

    Original Catchment Area infographic under Selected infographics

  12. Click Run now next to your site's name.

    Within seconds, an infographic generates showing key information about health-care expenditures within your catchment area.

    The Health Care (Esri 2024) infographic

    Reviewing this infographic provides insights into the currently served population and their health insurance coverage. This information will serve as a baseline for your organization's cancer center catchment area expansion plans, ensuring that any strategic growth supports your mission to provide excellence in care and serve those most in need.

  13. At the top of the infographic window, click Close.

    Close button in the infographic window

  14. On the top ribbon, click the Maps tab to return to the map of your catchment area.

    Maps tab on the top ribbon

In this section, you created a project and uploaded your original cancer center catchment area map to review the geographic extent of your served population. To better understand the characteristics of the people in the catchment area of your cancer center, you generated an infographic with some key data points. Now that you are updated with current information, you are ready to plan for the future of your cancer center.


Customize an infographic

After your review of the original catchment area and population-level information, you recognize that over the last seven years, things have changed. Technology has improved and you have access to additional datasets that you believe will help shape your organization's approach to cancer care expansion.

First, you want to update the infographic, customizing it with your internal data. You and your proposal team believe that adding these new data points will help the cancer center administrators make a more informed decision about whether the hospital has the resources to expand the original cancer center catchment area. In addition, you'll improve the design of the infographic by adding your organizational colors and logo. Developing a cohesive grant package that reflects your brand will make an impression on the reviewers.

Configure custom data

You will use the Custom data setup tool to add in the patient count for each county within the original catchment area. This is data that comes directly from your internal systems. Then you will edit the infographic to include this patient data and customize the colors to align with your organization's branding.

Note:

Depending on the overall population numbers for each county and the actual count of patients within your system by county, you may need to review techniques for de-identifying health data to ensure privacy for personal information. Explore the De-identify health data for visualization and sharing tutorial to learn about several methods for de-identifying health data in GIS.

  1. If necessary, open your Cancer Center Catchment Area Expansion project in Business Analyst Web App. Ensure the project is open on the Maps tab.
  2. On the ribbon, click Add data and choose Custom data setup.

    Custom data setup in the Add data menu

    The Custom data setup pane appears.

  3. At the bottom of the Custom data setup pane, click Get started.
  4. On the next page, click Start setup.
  5. For Existing layer, click Choose layer and click Browser for a layer.

    Browse for a layer for Existing layer in the Custom data setup pane

    The Select a layer window appears.

  6. In the Select a layer window, under Explore, click ArcGIS.

    ArcGIS under Explore in the Select a layer window

  7. In the search bar, type Patients by County.

    Patients by County typed in the search bar in the Select a layer window

    A list of results appears.

  8. Point to the Patients by County (Tutorials) layer and click Open.

    The layer is added to the Custom data setup pane.

    The Patients by County (Tutorials) layer contains fictitious data created for this tutorial and represents specific information from your organization's internal data resources.

    The Patients by County (Tutorials)layer contains patient count data summarized by county boundaries. The Custom data setup pane allows you to specify the type of geography layer. In this case, you will choose counties and the field you will use as the geography ID. The Patients by County (Tutorials) layer includes a field for each county's FIPS code. A FIPS code, or Federal Information Processing Standards code, is a standardized set of numeric or alphabetic codes to ensure uniform identification of geographic entities such as counties, cities, and states in the United States.

  9. Under Select the type of layer being setup, choose Standard geography layer. For Geographic boundary level choose Counties. For Geography ID field choose FIPS.

    Standard geography layer selected in the Custom data setup pane

  10. Click Next.

    After a few moments, the Setup data by configuring variables and adding them to categories page appears. A category is created by default named Patients by County based on the Patients by County (Tutorials) layer you selected. But no variables are currently assigned to this category.

    Next, you will configure the new variables from the layer and add them to a category in the data browser so you can easily find them.

  11. Point to the Patients by County category, click Edit.

    The Edit custom category window appears. You will rename the category to better reflect that the data is particular to cancer patients.

  12. In the Edit custom category window, enter the following:
    • For Title, type Cancer Patient Data.
    • For Summary, type Aggregated and de-identified patient data by county.
    • For Description, type This category contains data detailing the number of patients, health-care expenses, and health-care coverage for counties in the catchment area.
    • For Tags, type Health, Catchment Areas, Patients.

    Next, you'll change the default category icon to something that better represents health, which will make finding this data in the Data browser more intuitive.

  13. For Icon, click the down arrow and click Shapes and icons.

    Shapes and icons in the Icon menu in the Edit custom category window

  14. In the search bar, type health. In the list of results, under Medical, click the medical icon.

    Medical icon in the Shapes and icon window

  15. In the Edit custom category window, click Apply.

With your custom category fully defined, you will now add variables from the patients summarized layer so they can be used in the infographic.

Configure variables

In this section, you will configure three variables from data in the Patients by County (Tutorials) layer. You can customize each variable's aggregation type, unit, and specify which category you want the variable to be part of in the Data browser window.

  1. Under Variables from, for Average Healthcare Coverage, click the options button and click Configure variable(s).

    Configure variable(s) in the options menu for the Average Healthcare Coverage variable

    The Configure variable window appears.

    Variable configuration settings affect how the data is displayed and used in the data browser, infographics, and reports. In this tutorial, the Average Healthcare Coverage field in the Patients by County layer represents an average, not a sum. It is also a dollar amount value, so you will format the infographic to show labels related to currency.

  2. In the Configure variable window, under Aggregation, for Summary type, choose Average. Under Data units, for Units, choose Currency.

    Summary type and Units set for the Average Healthcare Coverage variable

  3. Under Data Browser, for Category, choose Cancer Patient Data.

    Category set in the Configure variable window for the Average Healthcare Coverage variable

  4. Leave the remaining defaults and click Apply.

    Next, you will use what you have learned to configure the Average Healthcare Expenses variable in a similar manner.

  5. For Average Healthcare Expenses, click the options button and click Configure variable. In the Configure variable window that appears, enter the following and click Apply:
    • For Summary type, choose Average.
    • For Units, choose Currency.
    • For Category, choose Cancer Patient Data.

    The last variable from your custom data you want to include is the count of patients to understand the number of patients currently receiving care from the cancer center.

    Since the Count of Patients variable is the sum of patients for each county, the default summary type of sum will work.

  6. Drag the Count of Patients variable into the Patients by County category.

    Count of Patients variable dragged into the Patients by County category

  7. Click Save.

You have configured the variables from the Patients by County layer. Next, you will add these variables to a customized version of the Health Care Infographic you previously ran.

Customize an infographic

Recognizing the unique needs of your cancer center's administrative team and the proposal team that's working on the Cancer Center Support Grant renewal application, you are eager to bring your newly configured data into the infographic, knowing it will be extremely helpful to everyone involved.

  1. In the Custom data setup pane, click Reports.
    Tip:

    If you previously closed out of the Custom data setup pane, on the top ribbon, click the Reports tab.

    Reports in the Custom data setup pane

  2. On the Reports tab, on the ribbon, click Build reports and choose Build infographics.

    Build infographics in the Build reports menu

    You can create infographics from scratch, or you can edit an existing template. You will edit the Health Care (Esri 2024) infographic from the gallery that you ran previously.

  3. Click the Gallery tab.

    Gallery tab in the Build reports page

    The gallery infographics are organized in alphabetical order.

  4. Locate the Health Care (Esri 2024) template. Point to it and click Open.

    Open button for the Health Care (Esri 2024) infographic template

    The Infographic Editor window appears. Infographics are composed of panels that house things such as images, charts, icons, and variables. On this page, you can change colors, images, and variables for this infographic to make it even more relevant for your work and organization.

    First, you will add an organizational logo. To add your organizational logo, you'll configure an image panel on the second page of the infographic.

  5. Scroll to the second page of the infographic and point to the Esri logo. Click Replace.

    Replace for the logo panel

  6. In the replace pane that appears, click Image and choose Browse for image.

    Browse for image in the Image menu

  7. In the window that appears, navigate to the folder where you extracted the Create_Custom_Infographic_Analyze_Catchments.zip file. In the Create_Custom_Infographic_Analyze_Catchments folder, choose and open the Hospital_logo image.

    Your logo adds to the infographic.

    Logo panel updates to show your organizational logo

    Next, you will adjust the theme to better match the cancer center's brand colors.

  8. At the top of the infographic, click Theme.

    Theme for the infographic

    The Infographic template theme window appears.

    First, you will adjust the infographic's overall background color.

  9. In the Infographic template theme window, below Select a color theme for your template, click Background.

    Background under Or set your own color scheme in the Infographic template theme window

  10. In the color palette window that appears, expand Advanced and type in the hex code fdeac5. Click Apply.

    Advanced section of the color palette window with the hex code entered and the Apply button

  11. In the Confirmation required window, click OK.

    The Template preview updates showing the updated background color.

    The template preview with the updated theme background color

    Next, you will configure the Icon and Highlighted icon colors to match your center's logo colors.

  12. In the Infographic template theme window, click Icon. Use what you have learned to set the icon color to the hex code e7825f.
  13. For Highlighted icon, use what you have learned to set the color to 666946.

    The Template preview item updates.

    Infographic theme preview

  14. At the bottom of the Infographic template theme window, click Apply.

With the theme and image now configured, you will add in your three custom data variables to the infographic.

Customize an infographic panel

In addition to customizing an infographic's overall appearance, you can customize a single infographic panel. You will customize one of the panels in the infographic with data from the customized variables you configured earlier in the tutorial.

  1. On the first page, point to the Has One Type of Health Insurance panel and click Edit.

    Edit for the Has One Type of Health Insurance panel

    The Create infographic panel window appears.

    You will remove the existing variables used in this infographic panel and replace them with variables with the custom data you set up earlier in the tutorial.

  2. At the top of the Create infographic panel window, click Selected variables and click Remove all variables.

    Remove all variables in the Selected variables menu

    The window updates to show variables from the Data browser window. You will navigate to your list of variables.

  3. Click the My variables tab.

    My variables tab in the Data browser window

    The variable category configured in the previous section is shown.

  4. Click the Cancer Patient Data category.

    The three variables you configured earlier in the tutorial for the Cancer Patient Data category appear in the Create infographic panel window.

  5. Click the name of each variable to add it to the selected variables.

    As you add each variable, an animation shows the variables added to the list of selected variables. Now, when you click Selected variables, the three variables—Average Healthcare Coverage, Average Healthcare Expenses, and Count of Patients—appear.

    Three variables listed in the Selected variables menu

  6. At the bottom of the Create infographic panel window, click Next.

    Now you will customize the panel further by updating the title and selecting icons to represent each of these variables on the infographic panel. By updating the panel title, you will make it clear that the variables in this panel are related to cancer patient data. Using custom and relevant icons in your infographic adds interest and enhances understanding of your data.

  7. Point to the panel title and click Edit Text.

    Edit text for the panel title

  8. Replace the existing text with CANCER PATIENT DATA. Click anywhere outside the text box to save your edit.

    Next, you will add an icon to each of the three variables.

  9. For the Average Healthcare Coverage variable, click the gray circle and choose Shapes and icons.

  10. In the icon gallery window, scroll to the Health and Human Services category and choose the icon of hands with a person in the middle.

    Shapes and icons for the Average Healthcare Coverage variables

    The icon updates for the Average Healthcare Coverage variable.

    Icon under the Health and human services section in the icon gallery window

  11. Use what you have learned to choose relevant icons for the Average Healthcare Expenses and Count of Patients variables.

    Icon for the Average Healthcare Coverage variable updates

  12. Click Save and click Save.

    Infographic configured to show your custom variables

  13. In the Save infographic template window, for Title, type Cancer center catchment area population metrics. Click Save.

You customized an infographic to enhance the existing population level data with key variables from your internal systems that will provide accurate patient counts and insurance coverage for those served by your cancer center catchment area. Next you will use this information as you consider expanding the cancer center catchment area.


Expand your catchment area

Expanding your organization's cancer center catchment area is an important decision with longstanding implications for both your cancer center and the surrounding population. You must consider questions like: Do we have the resources to care for more patients while maintaining our standard of excellence? Are there pockets outside of the current catchment area where we see high cancer rates?

Run the customized infographic

To make the decision about cancer center catchment area expansion, it will be helpful to compare the current state with any planned future state by examining the infographics for each situation. You will start by running the infographic you've just customized on your original catchment area.

  1. If necessary, open your Cancer Center Catchment Area Expansion project in ArcGIS Business Analyst Web App. Ensure the project is open to the Reports tab.
  2. On the ribbon, click Run reports and choose Run infographics.

    Run infographics in the Run reports menu

  3. At the top of the page, click Add sites.

    Add sites in the Run infographics page

    The Add sites window appears.

  4. In the Add sites window, check the Original Catchment Area box and click Apply.

    The site is added, and a tip message appears for how to explore the gallery infographics.

  5. If necessary, click Dismiss to close the tip message.
  6. Expand My infographics and click Cancer center catchment area population metrics.

    The Cancer center catchment area population metrics infographic under My infographics

  7. Under Selected infographics, for Original Catchment Area, click Run now.

    Run now for the Original Catchment Area data

    Your infographic is generated and now displays your custom data in the panel, along with your brand colors and cancer center logo.

  8. Close the infographic view.
  9. On the top ribbon, click the Maps tab to return to your map.

Creating a customized infographic is not only visually compelling, but it allows you to highlight relevant data specific to your organization's focus areas. By configuring variables specific to your cancer center's service catchment area and using colors that match your center's logo, the infographic communicates professionalism, clarity, and speaks to the specific needs of your community and organizational priorities.

Expand the current catchment area

You have presented your customized infographic to a member of the cancer center's executive leadership team. Seeing the data this way helped them to make the decision to expand the cancer center's catchment area coverage. They are looking to you to find the counties that will best meet their growth criteria. To do this, you will use suitability analysis.

First, you will choose candidate counties. This should be an expansive collection of all possible counties that could become part of your expanded cancer center catchment area. Remember, to be consistent with NCI requirements, you must ensure that your final cancer center catchment area is a contiguous polygon.

  1. In the ribbon, click Define areas and choose Select geography.

    Select geography in the Define areas menu

    The Select geography pane appears.

  2. In the Select geography pane, choose Select from map. On the next page, click Counties.

    County boundaries appear on the map in addition to your current catchment area polygon.

    County boundaries on the map over your project area

    You will select the counties that share a border with your catchment area as candidate expansion counties. This will ensure that you do not create non-contiguous polygons.

  3. On the map, click all the counties surrounding your catchment area.

    Counties selected on the map around the catchment area

    In the Select geography pane, 12 counties are added.

    You want to consider each county as a separate candidate for catchment expansion, so combining the counties into a single site would not make sense. You will ensure that they remain separate sites.

  4. At the bottom of the Select geography pane, ensure Combine selected geographies into one site is set to No. Click Finish.

    Finish button on the Select geography pane

    Now that you have defined the surrounding counties as separate geography sites, you will run a suitability analysis.

  5. In the Select geography pane, click Suitability analysis.

    Suitability analysis button on the Select geography pane

    The Suitability analysis pane appears.

    The Suitability analysis pane allows you to identify the sites most suitable for your needs by evaluating them according to a set of individually weighted criteria. There are three steps to perform a suitability analysis: select your sites, select criteria for your analysis, and view the results.

  6. For Set location type, choose Your sites.

    Your sites for Set location type in the Suitability analysis pane

  7. Click Next.

    The Add sites window appears.

  8. In the Add sites window, check the Name box to select all counties.

    Name checked to select all the counties in the Add sites window

  9. Scroll down to uncheck Original Catchment Area.

    This polygon does not need to be in the analysis. You are only concerned with analyzing the bordering counties.

  10. Click Apply. In the Suitability analysis pane, click Next.

    Now you will choose your analysis criteria.

  11. Under Create a list, click Select criteria and choose Add variables from data browser.

    Add variables from data browser in the Select criteria menu under Create a list in the Suitability analysis pane

    The Data browser window appears.

    The first variables you know you need are the custom ones you added previously using the custom data setup since these variables detail the estimated patient count, average health coverage, and average health expenses.

  12. Click the My variables tab and then click the Cancer Patient Data category.

    Cancer Patient Data category on the My variables tab in the Data browser window

  13. Check the boxes for the three custom data variables.

    The three variables are added to the Selected variables list.

    Three selected variables listed in the Data browser window

    Next, you will explore Esri Demographics data to add to your analysis alongside your custom variables.

    Your cancer center is committed to helping disadvantaged communities that may be seeking or needing cancer care. Understanding those who may face financial barriers when seeking treatment will ultimately help you create a path to help bridge that disparity.

  14. Click Explore to return to the main page of the Data browser window.

    Explore in the Data browser window

  15. Click the Standard variables tab. Click the At Risk category.

    At Risk category on the Standard variables tab in the Data browser window

  16. Next to Filter by, click Keyword. Type poverty and press Enter.
  17. In the list of results, click 2022 Poverty Index (ACS 5-Yr).

    Search for poverty using the Keyword filter in the At Risk category in the Data browser window

    You now have four selected variables.

  18. Click Apply.

    The analysis completes and results appear on the map. Counties on the map styled in red indicate these areas meet more of the analysis criteria variables and are therefore more suitable areas for expansion. Areas that are less suitable are styled in yellow.

    Suitability analysis results on the map

    The Suitability analysis pane also updates to show the Analysis criteria variables, and the Results pane appears with charts showing summarized results data.

With the candidate geographies selected and the variables added, you can set desired weights for these variables. Weights represent the relative importance of each criterion as it relates to the final score. They can have a significant impact on the resulting score. Giving variables weights allows you to prioritize any data that is comparatively more important to your analysis.

Weigh your variables

The two guiding principles you want to consider in this case are the current patient count and the poverty rate. You will give these variables more weight to reflect their importance and ensure you are choosing the correct county for your cancer catchment area expansion. By default, criteria are weighted equally, but since your two most important criteria are patient count and poverty rate, you will give these more weight to reflect their importance and therefore influence on the final score.

  1. On the map, ensure that all the candidate counties are visible.
  2. In the Suitability analysis pane, in the Weighting section, click Adjust weights.

    Adjust weights under Weighting in the Suitability analysis pane

  3. In the Adjust weights window, for Weighting technique, choose Relative.

    All weights are set to 1 by default, which means all criteria are weighted equally. Changing one to a weight of 2 and keeping others at 1 means that criterion is twice as important as the others in terms of contribution to the final score.

  4. Adjust the Weight for each of the Criteria as follows:
    • For Average Healthcare Coverage, type 0.5.
    • For Average Healthcare Expenses, type 0.5.
    • For Count of Patients, type 2.
    • For 2022 Poverty Index (ACS 5-Yr), type 1.5.

    Weights set for each Criteria in the Adjust weights window

  5. Click Done.

    The Suitability analysis results adjust according to the updated weighting.

    In the Results pane, the Top 5 counties list displays based on the suitability criteria, with the highest-ranking county being Pike County, Mississippi, with a score of 1.

    Top 5 Final Score counties in the Results pane

    Based on your weighted criteria, Pike County is the most suitable county to expand your cancer catchment area with.

In this module, you used a customized infographic with a suitability analysis to determine the best options for cancer care expansion in your catchment. You weighed criterion to ensure you chose the most suitable county for expansion, prioritizing poverty and patient count.

In this tutorial, you helped your cancer center support grant proposal team in the important effort to renew funding through the National Cancer Institute for another five to seven years. You began by reviewing the existing cancer center catchment area and its population and health-care data, grounding you in the relevant facts. Then you customized your infographic to increase its relevance for your team and the cancer center's decision-makers. With suitability analysis, you could compare candidate counties for inclusion in the catchment based on the criteria and weighting of your choosing. By re-running your customized infographic, you could prepare a report that clarifies for your leadership the potential cost and benefit of expanding cancer care services to new populations.

You can find more tutorials in the tutorial gallery.