Set up a project

To get started, you'll create a project in ArcGIS Business Analyst Web App.

  1. Open Business Analyst Web App.
  2. Sign in to your ArcGIS organizational account.
    Note:

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

  3. If necessary, close the Welcome or What's new window.

    Next, you will ensure that Business Analyst Assistant (Beta) is enabled.

  4. On the app header, point to the Business Analyst Assistant (Beta) button.

    The Business Analyst Assistant (Beta) button in the app header

    If the Business Analyst Assistant (Beta) is unavailable, a message will appear instructing you to contact your ArcGIS Organization administrator to enable Business Analyst Assistant (Beta) for your organization.

    Message indicating AI assistant is not enabled

    Now that you have confirmed Business Analyst Assistant (Beta) is enabled, you will create a project.

  5. If necessary, click the Home tab.

    The Home tab

  6. Click New project.

    New project button

  7. In the Create project window, for Project name, type Pickleball Market Research. Add your name or initials to the end and click Create.

    After a few moments, a message appears confirming the project has been created.

  8. In the window that appears, check the box for Open new projects as soon as they are created and click OK.

    Open new projects as soon as they are created checked and the OK button

    The new project appears in ArcGIS Business Analyst Web App. Next, you will create a site and add data to your project.

Create a site

You will explore the area around Salt Lake City, Utah, and determine where there is higher potential for recreational spending and pickleball activity. In this section, you will perform a points of interest search to map places such as recreation centers, parks, and sporting goods stores.

  1. In the search bar, type salt lake city and press Enter.

    The words salt lake city typed in the search bar

    The map zooms to Salt Lake City, Utah.

  2. On the ribbon, click Define areas and choose Select geography.

    Select geography on the Define areas menu

    The Select geography pane appears.

  3. In the Select geography pane, click Select from map.
  4. In the next pane, choose Counties.
  5. Click the map where Salt Lake City is located.

    Business Analyst finds the county Salt Lake City is in, which is also named Salt Lake.

  6. At the bottom of the Select geography pane, click Finish and click I'm Done.
  7. On the map, zoom out so you can see the entire county.

    Salt Lake County set as a site in

    You have defined Salt Lake County as a site in Business Analyst. Next, you will map points of interest within your site.

Add points of interest

You will start by using the points of interest (POI) search workflow to find facilities such as recreation centers.

  1. On the Maps tab, click Create maps and choose Points of interest (POI) search.

    Points of interest (POI) search in the Create maps menu

    The Points of interest (POI) search pane appears.

  2. In the Geography section, expand Current map extent. Under Analysis extent, click Current map extent.

    Analysis extent under Geography section of the Points of interest (POI) search pane

  3. In the list of options, click Your sites.

    The Add sites window appears.

  4. In the Add sites window, check the box for Salt Lake City, UT and click Apply.

    Salt Lake County, UT is added to Analysis extent in the Points of interest (POI) search pane.

  5. Under the Search section, click Search by keyword, category and more.

    Search bar under the Search section in the Points of interest (POI) search pane

  6. In the pane that appears, ensure the Keyword tab is selected and in the search bar, type recreation center and press Enter.

    Recreation center entered for Keyword search in the POI search pane

    The results appear on the map and in the interactive Results pane.

    Results appear on the map and in the Results pane

    With interactive charts, you can see the results of the search and highlight the recreation centers within the Industry Description section.

  7. On the Summary tab of the Results pane, use the horizontal scroll bar to scroll until you see the Top 5 Industry Description section.

    Recreation Centers is the largest Industry Description.

    Pickleball requires a pickleball court, which are often located in recreation centers. Therefore, you are interested in locations that are exclusively recreation centers, and not other types of locations such as swimming pools and parks. You will filter your results for only the Recreation Centers industry description results.

  8. In the Points of interest (POI) search pane, in the Filters section, click Show filters. Expand the All Industry Description section and check the box for Recreation Centers.

    Recreation Centers under the Industry Description section for Show filters

  9. At the bottom of the Points of interest (POI) search pane, click Save layer.
  10. In the Save layer window, name the layer Rec Centers Salt Lake County.

    The saved layer can be accessed in the project pane under the Points of interest (POI) layers section.

Next, you will add a demographic layer to the project.

Add consumer behavior data

In addition to places, Business Analyst also provides demographic data. You will create a map that shows the areas in the county where people are spending more on recreational goods compared to their neighbors.

You will create a map that shows consumer behavior related to spending for recreational sporting goods within your project area. This will help you determine areas where potential customers for pickleball sporting goods are located in your area.

  1. On the Maps tab, click Create maps and choose Color-coded maps.

    Color-coded maps in the Create maps menu

    The Color-coded maps pane appears.

  2. At the bottom of the pane, click Browse all variables to use the data browser to search for variables.

    The Data browser window appears.

    The data browser is an in-app interface that displays historical, current, and projected demographic data from authoritative sources. It covers categories such as age, behavior, education, and more. You can explore more than 17,000 variables in the data browser.

    Note:

    Learn more about variables in the data browser by exploring Data in Business Analyst.

  3. On the Standard variables tab, click Spending.

    Spending category under Standard variables

    In the Spending category, you can use subcategory filters to find the variable you're interested in. You can also search for keywords to find a relevant variable. The Spending data category provides information about people's expenditures in specific retail categories.

    Note:

    Learn more about the Spending category.

  4. To filter the results, click the Keyword drop-down menu and enter sports in the Enter any keyword field. Press Enter on your keyboard to implement the search filter.

    The word sports entered in the Keyword drop-down menu

  5. In the list of results, use the 2024 Sports/Rec/Exercise Equipment variable. Next to the variable, click Index. Click the variable name to select it for the analysis.

    Index and the 2024 Sports/Rec/Exercise Equipment variable in the Data browser

    The index of the 2024 Sports/Rec/Exercise Equipment variable is the estimated spending of households for sporting goods in an area compared to the national average. An index value of over 100 indicates that the given area is spending more on sporting goods compared to the national average.

    Tip:

    You can learn more about any of the variables in the data browser by hovering over the Info button for a variable.

    The data is added to the map for the entire United States.

    Resulting color-coded map for the amount of spending for sports and recreational goods

    You will adjust the geography extent of the data so you can focus on your county of interest.

  6. In the Color-coded maps pane, in the Geography section, use the Analysis extent drop-down menu and click Your sites.
  7. In the Add sites window, check the box for Salt Lake County, UT, and click Apply.

    The analysis extent is set to only show data within Salt Lake County.

    Analysis extent set to Salt Lake County

    Business Analyst automatically detects that the level of detail needed is no longer the county level, but the block level, and updates the color-coded map accordingly.

    Map extent updates to Salt Lake County and data is displayed by block level

    Next, you will filter the results to show the areas that are above the national average.

  8. In the Color-coded maps pane, under Variables, for 2024 Sports/Rec/Exercise Equipment (Index), expand Show filter.

    Show filter for the 2024 Sports/Rec/Exercise Equipment (Index) variable in the Color-coded maps pane

    A histogram appears where you can filter for the range of values that will be visible on the map. You will adjust the histogram so only the block groups where there is higher than average spending on sporting goods are visible.

  9. For the lower range, type 100 and press Enter.

    Lower range for the 2024 Sports/Rec/Exercise Equipment (Index) variable set to 100

    The map filters to only show counties where the index value for spending on sports, recreational, and exercise equipment is above the national average.

    Map updated to show areas in the county where spending on sports, recreational, and exercise equipment was above the national average.

    You now have a map showing spending behavior for sports, recreation, and exercise equipment and the locations of recreation centers in your county of interest.

  10. At the bottom of the Color-coded maps pane, click Save layer. In the Save layer window, click OK.

    The new layer is created and saved in the project under the Color-coded map layers section.

  11. Close the Color-coded maps pane.

Next, you will explore data using the app's artificial intelligence (AI) assistant, Business Analyst Assistant (Beta).

Use an assistant to generate a map

Next, you will explore the demand for the fastest-growing sport in the United States, pickleball, using Business Analyst Assistant (Beta). This capability is currently in beta, but available in Business Analyst Web App today. It uses large language models to recommend workflows, such as creating maps, locating points of interest, generating reports, and more.

Before you create a map layer, you will turn off the visibility for the sports equipment spending behavior layer.

  1. Expand the project pane. Uncheck the Color-coded map layer.

    Color-coded map unchecked in the project pane

    The layer is no longer visible on the map. With it no longer visible, you will be able to see the new map you are going to create using Business Analyst Assistant (Beta).

  2. On the app header, click Business Analyst Assistant (Beta).

    The Business Analyst Assistant (Beta) button

    The Assistant (Beta) window appears.

    Business Analyst Assistant (Beta) helps new users learn how to use Business Analyst Web App and guides existing users in increasing their productivity. Business Analyst Assistant (Beta) uses a large language model that interprets your intent in order to suggest workflows. The tool offers suggestions for performing workflows, which you can select.

    Note:

    Learn more about Business Analyst Assistant (Beta), including more information about data security, privacy, and limitations by exploring Business Analyst Assistant (Beta) reference.

  3. In the Assistant (Beta) window, click the suggested prompt Map income in.

    Map income in under Create maps or reports in the Assistant (Beta) window

    The suggested prompt appears with key text highlighted in green. You can change the green text to specify a map of people who have played pickleball in the past year within your area of interest.

  4. In the generated example prompt, replace income with pickleball and replace California with Salt Lake County.

    Prompt updated to Create a map of pickleball in Salt Lake County in the Assistant (Beta) window

  5. Click Generate to perform the query.

    The Assistant pane appears and suggests creating a color-coded map of the variable Participated in Pickleball Last 12 Mo.

  6. In the Assistant (Beta) pane, under Suggestions, click Create map.

    Create map button for the suggested color-coded map in the Assistant (Beta) pane

    The color-coded map of Salt Lake County is generated.

    Tip:

    Do not close the Assistant (Beta) window yet. Use Display options to select a dock default. Click Floating so that you can click and drag the window around.

    Assistant AI generated color-coded map of pickleball activity

    Tip:

    If the Assistant AI generated color-coded map extent is not as expected, you can adjust it in the following steps.

    Business Analyst Assistant (Beta) can also provide helpful tips, like how to change the analysis extent.

    The resulting map includes block groups in the current map extent, which extends beyond Salt Lake County. You will use the assistant to learn how to change the extent of the mapped data.

  7. In the Assistant (Beta) pane, under Tips, click How do I change the analysis extent.

    The How do I change the analysis extent tip in the Assistant (Beta) pane

    The Analysis extent section in the color-coded maps pane is highlighted and a tip appears.

    The tip highlights where in the Color-coded map pane you can change the analysis extent

  8. In the Change the analysis extent tip window, click OK to close the tip.

    Next, you will add another analysis extent to the analysis.

  9. Click the search bar for Analysis extent and type Utah County. Click Utah County, UT in the list of results.

    Utah County, UT in the search results for Analysis extent under Geography in the Color-coded map pane

    Utah County, UT adds to the Analysis extent and within seconds, the results of pickleball activity appear on the map across the two counties.

    The map extent extends to Utah County

    Next, you will choose a different color ramp.

  10. In the Assistant (Beta) pane, under Tips, click View more. Choose How do I change the map colors?

    How do I change the map colors in the View more menu under the Tips section in the Assistant *(Beta) pane

  11. The tip highlights the Show style options button under Style in the Color-coded maps pane.

    Show style options under the Style section in the Color-coded maps pane

  12. In the Style options pane, for Color ramp, choose the green to blue ramp.

    The green to blue color ramp in the Style options pane

  13. Zoom in to the central north area of Salt Lake County, around Salt Lake City.

    Area in the central north area of Salt Lake County

    What do you notice about the location of recreation centers and the amount of pickleball activity?

    This tutorial explored economic opportunities for pickleball in Utah, but ArcGIS Business Analyst data is available nationally and internationally.

  14. On the top ribbon of Business Analyst Web App, click the Data source drop-down menu.

    Data source set to USA (Esri 2024)

    There is data available in 170 countries.

    Menu of data sources across the globe

    Note:

    Business Analyst Assistant (Beta) is currently only available in English.

Consider going through this workflow in another part of the United States or explore another business opportunity in another part of the globe.

Next, you will generate infographics which can be used as marketing or project planning materials for your target market area.

Generate infographics

Infographics in Business Analyst Web App allow you to visualize key indicators and information for your sites. You can run prebuilt templates or build and run custom infographic templates that contain elements such as charts, graphics, tables, images, and text.

  1. On the ribbon, click Pickleball Market Research to view the project pane. Uncheck any visible layers except My geographies.

    My geographies checked in the project pane

    The Salt Lake County, UT site appears in the map with a pop-up.

  2. In the pop-up, click Infographics.

    Infographics in the Salt Lake County, UT pop-up

    A default infographic generates. You can choose different infographics based on common topics.

  3. At the top of the window, for Infographic, choose What's in My Community?

    The infographic generates.

    What's in My Community infographic

    There are many preconfigured infographics you can run to generate informative and compelling graphics on your site.

    Next, you will create an infographic using a custom template designed for pickleball market behavior and demand.

  4. Close the infographic window.
  5. On the top ribbon, click Reports. On the Reports tab, click Build infographics.

    The infographic builder appears.

  6. Download and extract the zip file containing a custom infographic template.
  7. On the Build reports tab, click Add template from file.

    Add template from file in the infographic builder window

  8. Browse to the location where you unzipped the Recreation Demand and Behavior template file; the extension is .brpt.
  9. In the Save infographic window, accept the default name and click Save.

    The My templates tab appears with the uploaded infographic template.

    The custom pickleball infographic added to the My templates tab

    The template is now available to use.

  10. Click the Maps tab.
  11. On the map, click the Salt Lake County, UT, site to open the pop-up menu. Click Infographics.
  12. In the Infographic window, for Infographic, click the drop-down menu.
  13. In the Infographic menu, collapse the Standard infographics section. Under My infographics, click Recreation Demand and Behavior.

    Recreation Demand and Behavior infographic under My infographics in the Infographic menu

    The custom infographic generates.

    The custom infographic generates

    The infographic includes standard information such as population data. But custom infographics were included specific to your pickleball sporting goods business, such as spending behavior on recreational goods, and recreational activity for your specific site. The infographic was also designed to look like a pickleball court.

    Now you can share this infographic with your business partners and associates to better plan and make presentations as you expand your pickleball equipment business.

    Note:

    If you are interested in learning how to design a custom infographic, try the Design infographics in ArcGIS Business Analyst tutorial.

In this tutorial, you learned how to search for points of interest, create a color-coded map, and enrich your analysis with demographic data using Business Analyst Web App. You explored Business Analyst Assistant (Beta), using suggested prompts and tips to create a map showing pickleball activity in your area of interest.

There are thousands of variables on millions of places. This data is available nationally and internationally. With access to this data in Business Analyst Web App, you can analyze anything, such as recreation business demand. You can learn about any area from the local, to the national, and even the global scale. With this data, you can create your maps and find your next opportunity.

You can find more tutorials in the tutorial gallery.