INDEX Planning Support Software

INDEX is an integrated suite of interactive GIS planning support tools for: Assessing community conditions. Designing future scenarios in real time. Measuring scenarios with performance indicators. Ranking scenarios by goal achievement. Monitoring implementation of adopted plans. Introduced in 1994, it is now supporting a wide variety of planning processes across the U.S., with over 150 organizations in 35 states equipped with the software. INDEX can be purchased in standard or custom versions by organizations that desire their own software, or modeling services can be provided by Criterion when analysis, but not software, is desired. INDEX is designed to support the entire process of community planning and development. Applications often begin with benchmark measurements of existing conditions to identify problems and opportunities that merit attention in plans. INDEX can then be used to design and visualize alternative planning scenarios, analyze and score their performance, and compare and rank alternatives. Once plans are adopted, INDEX supports implementation by evaluating the consistency of development proposals against plan goals. Over time, achievements can be periodically measured with progress reports.