AcreValue
Zillow for farmland
A subsidiary of Granular, AcreValue is a responsive web app for farmers, landowners, and investors to assess the value of agricultural land across the United States.
Combining a variety of public and private data sources, AcreValue provides a map-based display of farmland values, soil quality, crop history, and sales & ownership data. Users can zero in on specific parcels or land units, evaluate individual fields or groups of fields, and build reports about them to assist in purchase decisions.
Using a cartographic foundation with which most people are already familiar, AcreValue reveals information in stages: shapes overlaid the map, then light data and valuation, followed by detailed analysis of a field’s history and makeup. The user is never overwhelmed, has a number of options at each juncture, and can continue to drill down if they wish.
The amount of detail available for any one field can be extensive, and it continues to grow. Hence the need for a clear hierarchy and a restrained graphic language.
One particularly challenging aspect of this project was the need for large numbers of differentiated colors: for soil quality, crop type, land use, and boundary type (amongst others) – all overlaid full color satellite imagery, itself running the climatic gamut from lush to arid. And all this in addition to the user interface needs, representing a nascent brand catering to seasoned professionals.
Ideally suited to the mobile real estate professional, AcreValue’s full breadth is available on all devices. It does not aim to replace skilled land assessors, but becomes yet another tool for buyers and sellers.
Providing a recent history of crop rotation—together with minimal climate and topographic information—gives users insight to a field’s overall quality and capacity to produce.
In addition to browser-based reporting, AcreValue reports are also available as PDFs to assist with more traditional (analog) sales negotiations.