Forecast allows you to view and export relevant project starts in the U.S. and Canada through the data graph and data table.
NOTE: For more information about data in Forecast, see Understanding Construction Starts.
This section contains the following topics:
The data graph displays the project data by value and date range for each category. You can adjust the date range directly on the graph or by using the Filters menu. For more information, see Using the Filters menu.
When using the data graph,
Understanding the Data Graph
The following table describes the different viewing options for the data graph.
Option | Description |
Line | The line view displays the data by value and date for each category: |
Bar | The bar view displays each of the selected categories grouped together by year: |
Percentage | The percentage with base year view displays the percentage change for each category from the selected base year:
NOTE: The base year is selected from the Filters menu. |
You can select to view the data on the dashboard as a bar or line graph, or percentage chart by clicking on the icon at the top of the section:
Moving from left to right, the options are:
The Category menu at the right side of the window displays the categories included in the data view:
To select which data categories are used for filtering the data,
Hovering over the pivot points of a line displays the year, category, and value for that segment of the line:
The data table is below the data graph and displays project value by year according to the options selected in the Filters menu. You can select to match project value either by category or geography, see the percentage of value change over time, and export the data in an Excel spreadsheet.
The following table describes the features of the data table.
Option | Description |
Category view | The Category view displays project values according to the categories selected in the Filters menu: Click to expand each category to see project values by location for that category. |
Geography view | The Geography view displays project value by location: Click to expand each location to see project values by category for that location. Note: When Subcategory is selected in the Category section of the Filters menu, both category and subcategory options are displayed. |
Exporting the data | To export the data currently displayed in the table, click Export at the top of the section. Select to export the data as either a simple or formatted Excel spreadsheet. Once compiled and formatted, you can download the file to your device. |
Showing change by percentage | You can show the percent change in project value year-over-year for the time period selected. To show percentage change, Select ON for Show Percentage Change. |
The Filters menu on the left side of the window lets you refine the data using a variety of options, including date, geography, measurement, and development type. Each time you select a filtering option, the data in both the graphical view and the data table refresh with your selections:
Tip: You can also save any of your filter selections for future use. This lets you apply your own customized filtering to the data each time you log in to your account. For more information about this feature, see Working with your saved Forecast searches.
The following table describes the options you can select for using the Filters menu.
Option | Description | ||||||||||||||
Data Set | You can select to include either historical data or both historical and forecast data in your results: Historical - Includes only the actual starts data through the most recent, complete month. This data set is updated monthly. Note: This selection changes the options in the following sections:
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Period | You can select from three time periods to filter data. Each selection can be further refined using the year slider bar in the menu.
Quarterly - Displays data by yearly calendar quarter. Monthly - Displays data by months over the range of selected years. Note that this option is only available when the Data Set option is set to Historical or when the Measurement type is set to Projects. You can also use the slider bar to further refine your results by year range on either end. | ||||||||||||||
Geography | The Geography filter lets you select data for either the USA or Canada. To select the country, use the slider bar and select either USA or Canada The following table describes your options for filtering the data by geography.
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Category | The Category filter lets you refine the data using selected categories. Note that the currently applied categories are displayed in the Category menu on the right side of the window. To filter by category,
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Measurement | Select from one of the following measurements to filter the results.
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Development Type | Select from the type of projects to be displayed in the results depending on the value selected in the Data Set section.
Notes: All - Includes all the available data in your results. New - Includes only new project data in your results. Renovation - Includes only projects for renovation in your results. Only multi-family renovation data is available in Forecast. |
You can save, rename and run any of your filter sets as a saved Forecast search.
To save your applied filters,
Result: The filter set is saved and is accessible as a search from the Saved Searches menu on the upper-right side of the window.
Loading a saved view applies previously saved filters to the current search results.
To load a saved view,
Result: The window refreshes with the results.
To rename a saved view,
Result: The filter is saved with your changes.
To run a saved Forecast search,
Result: The search runs and the data in the window refreshes with the results.
To export the data currently displayed in the window,
You can access the quarterly and monthly construction reports using the links below the graph: