Overview
This playbook draws on the screening and conservation examples in the sibling workspace plus the cautionary tone of the NOAA and PAD-US examples: screening products can be highly useful, but they must be framed as screening products.
Why it matters
A rushed screening process usually fails in one of two ways:
- it becomes superficial and visually busy
- it overstates confidence and hides uncertainty
This playbook aims for speed without pretending the result is final.
When to use
Use it when:
- a new project starts and you need initial spatial intelligence fast
- a proposal, lender question, or scoping discussion is imminent
- you need to brief a team before field mobilization
Inputs
- project footprint or corridor
- settlement and public-service layers
- transport and power context
- protected-area and biodiversity-priority layers
- hydrology or flood-related context where relevant
Workflow
- Define the area of interest and the decision question.
- Pull OSM context layers for transport, settlements, and services.
- Add protected-area and biodiversity layers.
- Build a first receptor classification.
- Map direct overlaps and obvious proximity flags.
- Write a short caveat note before sharing the map.
Live checklist sizing
Outputs
The minimum useful output is:
- one context map
- one receptor or sensitivity layer
- one short written summary: what is known, what is uncertain, and what needs follow-up
Practical cautions
- Do not imply that absence in open data means absence on the ground.
- Separate formal constraints from contextual sensitivity.
- Record dates and sources for every major layer.
- Keep a short disclaimer in the deliverable.