Setting Up Radar Conditions

Radar conditions define what permits Plotwise discovers for your business development efforts. This guide covers how to create and optimize conditions for maximum value.

Condition Types

Radar supports the same four condition types as Portfolio:

Location (Primary Use)

Search by geographic area - Radar's core feature.

Fields:

• Address: Center point (street address or coordinates)
• Radius: Search distance in miles or kilometers

Best for:

• Area monitoring
• Property proximity
• Market analysis

Company

Search by company name.

Fields:

• Company Name: Business name
• FEI Number: Federal Employer ID (optional)
• Phone: Company phone (optional)

Best for:

• Competitor tracking
• Potential partner monitoring

License

Search by license number.

Fields:

• License Number: State/local license
• License Type: Optional filter

Best for:

• Specific contractor tracking
• Vendor monitoring

Person

Search by individual name.

Fields:

• Person Name: Full name
• Email: Optional

Best for:

• Key contact tracking
• Professional monitoring

Creating Location Conditions

Location conditions are Radar's most powerful feature.

Step 1: Open Add Condition

1. Navigate to Market Radar
2. Click menu button (⋮) next to tabs
3. Select "Add Condition"

Step 2: Select Location Type

Click the "Location" tab in the dialog.

Step 3: Enter Address

Type the center point:

• Full address: "123 Main St, Tampa, FL"
• Partial address: "Downtown Tampa, FL"
• Coordinates: "27.9506, -82.4572"

The system will geocode your input.

Step 4: Set Radius

Choose search radius:

• Use slider or input field
• Units: miles (US) or kilometers
• Preview shows approximate area

Radius Guidelines:

Step 5: Set Display Label

Enter descriptive label:

• Property name: "Downtown Office"
• Area description: "South Tampa"
• Client reference: "Client ABC - Main St"

Step 6: Save

Click "Add Condition" to save. Discovery begins immediately.

Location Condition Strategies

Property-Centric

For property managers/owners:

Condition 1: "123 Main St" - 0.5 mi radius
Condition 2: "456 Oak Ave" - 0.5 mi radius
Condition 3: "789 Pine Blvd" - 1 mi radius

Area-Centric

For market coverage:

Condition 1: "Downtown Tampa" - 1 mi radius
Condition 2: "South Tampa" - 1 mi radius
Condition 3: "Westshore District" - 1 mi radius

Client-Centric

For service providers:

Condition 1: "Client A HQ" - 2 mi radius
Condition 2: "Client B Property" - 1 mi radius
Condition 3: "Target Market Area" - 3 mi radius

Optimizing Radius

Too Small

Signs: Few or no results

Solution: Gradually increase radius until you get meaningful volume

Too Large

Signs: Hundreds of irrelevant permits

Solution:

• Decrease radius
• Use multiple smaller conditions
• Filter by permit type

Finding Balance

Start with 0.5 mile radius for urban, 1 mile for suburban. Adjust based on results.

Multiple Conditions Strategy

With 5 condition slots, plan strategically:

Geographic Coverage

Slot 1: Primary service area (location)
Slot 2: Secondary area (location)
Slot 3: Expansion target (location)
Slot 4: Key competitor (company)
Slot 5: Key prospect (company)

Market Segments

Slot 1: Residential area A (location)
Slot 2: Residential area B (location)
Slot 3: Commercial district (location)
Slot 4: Industrial zone (location)
Slot 5: Mixed-use development (location)

Managing Conditions

Editing Conditions

1. Click menu button (⋮)
2. Select "Configure Radar"
3. Click edit icon on condition
4. Modify fields
5. Save changes

Deleting Conditions

1. Click menu button (⋮)
2. Select "Configure Radar"
3. Click delete icon
4. Confirm deletion

Reordering

Drag condition tabs to reorder display.

Condition Performance

Monitoring Results

Check each condition's performance:

• Number of permits found
• Relevance of results
• New discoveries rate

Optimization Cycle

1. Review condition weekly
2. Note irrelevant results
3. Adjust radius or criteria
4. Monitor improvement

Advanced Tips

Overlapping Conditions

Conditions can overlap geographically. Permits appear in all matching conditions.

Use case: Different views of same area

Condition 1: "Downtown" - 1 mi (broad view)
Condition 2: "My Building" - 0.25 mi (focused view)

Condition for Events

Create temporary conditions for:

• New property acquisitions
• Client pitches
• Market research projects

Remember to delete when no longer needed.

Using All Condition Types

Mix location and entity conditions:

Slots 1-3: Location conditions
Slot 4: Key competitor (company)
Slot 5: Potential partner (license)

Troubleshooting

Related Documentation

• Market Radar Overview
• Exploring Radar Discoveries
• Portfolio Conditions