LandBenchmark

The science behind LandBenchmark

Grounded in published science and authoritative data.

LandBenchmark reads real satellite imagery and open government and scientific data — then shows its working. A value only appears on a parcel report when we actually measured it, and every measured value carries its source and the date it was observed. Nothing is a guess, and nothing is shown as a number until it's real.

84
factors assessed
56
measured from live data
6
categories
52
cited sources

How every finding is presented

Each measured signal on a report renders the same six-part evidence chain. If any link in the chain can't be completed with confidence, the value isn't shown at all.

  1. 01

    What

    The value we measured for your parcel — never an estimate filled in to look complete.

  2. 02

    Why

    The buyer conclusion it supports — why this factor moves a land decision.

  3. 03

    How

    The kind of method behind the number — the model or dataset it draws on, in plain language.

  4. 04

    When

    The observation date, imagery window and resolution the value was read at.

  5. 05

    Evidence

    The citation — a peer-reviewed paper or the responsible agency — with a link.

  6. 06

    Trust

    The limits: resolution, coverage and where the method can be wrong.

And how often are we right? We publish that too, per signal, alongside the word UNMEASURED wherever we have not checked. See the Accuracy Ledger.

What we assess

Every parcel is read across six areas of land quality. The full report goes deep on each; the exact factors and thresholds are shown, with their sources, on your report itself.

Water

12 factors

Flooding, surface-water history, wetness and drainage — observed from satellite and modelled from terrain, cross-checked against regulatory flood maps.

Buildability

18 factors

Slope, buildable area, landform and soil — how much of the parcel you can actually build on, and what the ground is made of.

Access

10 factors

Road access and distance, drive time and proximity to utility services — whether you can reach the parcel and connect it.

Hazard

15 factors

Seismic, wildfire, landslide, contamination, radon and storm-surge exposure — the risks that quietly change what land is worth.

Climate

13 factors

Temperature and precipitation normals, growing season, heat, wind and solar — the long-run climate the parcel sits in.

Surroundings

16 factors

Neighbouring land use, protected areas and nearby development — what's next door that a static map won't tell you.

The science we stand on

The peer-reviewed methods and authoritative datasets our measured signals draw on. Every one is public and citable — this is the caliber of source behind each number on your report.

What's open, and what's ours

Fully transparent

  • The source and observation date behind every value.
  • The peer-reviewed method or agency each signal relies on.
  • When we couldn't measure something — we say so, rather than show a number we didn't observe.

Our own work

  • How dozens of sources are fused into a single parcel verdict.
  • The exact thresholds and severity tiering behind that verdict.
  • The processing pipeline that turns raw imagery into a report.

We are transparent about the science and the sources — you can check every one. The analysis we've built on top of them is what makes a LandBenchmark report a LandBenchmark report.

Where our job ends

LandBenchmark is an automated Phase-1 desk screen. Every signal here is measured from satellite imagery and public records, with its method and source shown. It is not an ASTM E1527 Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, not a survey, and not a flood determination — those require a licensed professional and, in some cases, physically being on the land.

No remote tool can sample your soil. Intrusive testing — borings, test pits, groundwater wells, and laboratory analysis for heavy metals, hydrocarbons, VOCs, or bacteria — is Phase-2 work, performed on site by licensed professionals. Where a signal below suggests it, we say so plainly rather than implying our screen settled the question.

So every report ends by naming the professionals its own findings call for — a geotechnical engineer for a steep or karst parcel, a licensed soil evaluator before you rely on a septic system, an environmental professional where a contamination record turns up. We would rather hand you to the right expert than pretend a satellite settled it.

Satellite observations are point-in-time, not current conditions — every value on a report states when it was observed. Informational only; not a survey, flood determination, or substitute for on-site inspection and professional advice.