Blog

ArcMap Tip – Background Processing

I have received three calls this week from planners who all tell me a similar story. I've been hearing the same story for five years from across North America. They are having an issue while performing various geoprocessing tasks where ArcMap says it is working but nothing ever happens. They are never getting that coveted green check mark telling them that their process is complete. The task never completes and they never get their [...]

ArcMap Tip – Background Processing2020-11-09T09:26:10-07:00

How to make detail-oriented planners squirm

This post from my LinkedIn was inspired by a conversation that I was having with two school planners yesterday. They were asking "how do we plan when our base year is the problem? There are so many kids missing that I don't know how to account for that." We talked through how she would deal with this but the answer I have for her may not be the same for you. The impact of [...]

How to make detail-oriented planners squirm2020-10-07T15:50:51-07:00

What would the world do without GPS?

I recently came across this article titled "What would the world do without GPS?" It explores just how deeply our world depends on GPS and how geography ties to everything we do. GPS isn't something we work with at Davis Demographics, but geography is at the core of who we are. Geography is key to planning and, as this article points out, impacts every part of life. Report: What would the world do without [...]

What would the world do without GPS?2020-10-06T16:06:39-07:00

Are custom address locators right for you?

When it comes to geocoding, there are many options out there to quickly match addresses to a point on a map. Google Maps is the obvious choice but for GIS professionals, the ESRI Worldwide Geocode Service is the way to go. Unless ... you want to create your own address matching service. It's easier than you might think but there are pros and cons to both options. In our web-based app, SchoolSite Locator, we allow our [...]

Are custom address locators right for you?2020-09-23T15:01:58-07:00

When Was the Last Time You Cleaned Your Student Data?

It is inevitable. There is no escaping it. Sooner or later during our SchoolSite training it happens. Eventually I will say to you “you have some work to do cleaning your student data.” I have trained administrators across North America and no one has been able to avoid the reality that so often our student data is not as accurate as we believe. Is this really a surprise though? Most districts have dozens of [...]

When Was the Last Time You Cleaned Your Student Data?2020-09-23T15:02:35-07:00

We are Esri’s Newest Gold Partner!

Davis Demographics is celebrating a very big achievement this week. We have become Gold Business Partners with Esri! This is no small feat and we are incredibly proud to be so closely tied to our friends at Esri. If you have spent much time with anyone at Davis Demographics, you have probably heard us talk about our Esri customer number, which is 265. That low three-digit number comes from being among the first organizations [...]

We are Esri’s Newest Gold Partner!2020-09-01T06:50:22-07:00

Where Americans Are Moving During The COVID-19 Pandemic

Are you experiencing growth in your area? The article linked below paints an interesting picture of how families are moving during COVID. Davis Demographics represents K-12 districts in some of these areas. Clients in the Idaho and South Carolina have been seeing growth as people move in from other parts of the country. Nine states had a net positive in terms of people moving in. Idaho had almost three times as many people move [...]

Where Americans Are Moving During The COVID-19 Pandemic2020-08-31T15:16:33-07:00

Magic and Geography

Arthur C. Clarke said “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” A superintendent once exclaimed “this report is like magic!” when seeing his school district’s attendance matrix for the first time. I told him “No, sir. That’s geography married to enrollment.” Click here to see the this attendance matrix. At Davis Demographics, we believe that geography is essential to planning. This means that our forecasts are based on where a student [...]

Magic and Geography2020-08-27T14:54:50-07:00

Update on SchoolSite Pro

ArcGIS Pro is quickly becoming the gold standard in desktop GIS software and SchoolSite Pro will the go-to extension of K-12 school districts looking for boundary planning and enrollment forecasting tools. The efforts to migrate SchoolSite from ArcGIS Desktop to ArcGIS Pro are moving along quite fast. We have a solid beta version of SchoolSite Pro available for testing. If you are a current SchoolSite user and are interested in getting your hands on [...]

Update on SchoolSite Pro2020-08-25T06:37:16-07:00

K-12 Planning in times of COVID-19

School Districts typically face many challenges when starting a new school year. In 2020, they face an additional one, corona virus and the uncertainty this brings to everyone, from the student body, to the parents, as well as instructors. School Districts across the US and the world are now debating whether or not they will be able to adequately plan and adjust to a hybrid model, online only or fully re-open. In a study [...]

K-12 Planning in times of COVID-192020-08-25T06:37:22-07:00
Go to Top