Release Notes

What's new in Transect? New features, dataset updates and more!

March 2025

Environmental & Dataset Updates

• 239 federal species, 238 state species, and 5 permits were updated this month. 
  • Want to know what’s changed in your report? Risk Monitor notifies you when changes to species or permits affect reports you've run in Transect. 

Platform Updates & Enhancements

• Introducing Community Engagement Services in Transect’s Marketplace. Learn how Tigercomm’s community engagement expertise, combined with the data available on Transect, can benefit your clean energy initiatives. Click here to schedule a free introductory call. 
• Interconnection now provides substation injection capacity projections for SERC and Florida.
• We enhanced Landowner Contact Information to first use a parcel owner’s mailing address, then physical address, to improve match rates, especially in rural areas.
• Zoning codes and descriptions are now available in the “Parcels & Landowners” flyout and in the Parcel Search export to help you quickly disqualify parcels.
• You can now easily remove buildings from your buildable area in reports, using the U.S. Building Footprints layer.
• Interconnection users can now filter for substations by name by selecting the dropdown caret and then Filter. From here, input the substation name and click the +. We recommend zooming out to make them easier to locate.
• From the Dashboard’s  “Quick Filter” field, you can now filter projects by State, County, or Created By.
• We updated soils labels in the report map to be more useful by showing “‘Mapunit Names” instead of “Mapunit Symbols”.

Bug Fixes

• We fixed an issue preventing the viewing or editing of some reports’ names on the Executive Summary and sub-pages.
• For linear projects, we replaced polygon geometry with linear data to ensure accurate measurements for water features in reports.
• We fixed an issue preventing AutoCAD exports from completing successfully. 
• The issue causing Solar & Wind Pulse in-map popups to display “No Data” when clicking on a county or farm has been resolved.

Now in Beta - Contact your Customer Success Manager if you’re interested in learning more!

• Local Solar Permits - understand a project’s setback, zoning, and permit requirements at the county level. 

• Landowner Contact Information - access phone numbers and email addresses for landowners of target parcels to streamline your land acquisition process.
• Site Comparison - easily compare potential project sites based on key criteria like acreage, buildable land, anticipated permits, and community sentiment. 

Coming Soon - Contact your Customer Success Manager if you’re interested in learning more!

• Sub-county scores and data for Solar Pulse & Wind Pulse - build stronger community relationship strategies by understanding sentiment at the city, village, and township level, in addition to existing county-level data.

• Battery Pulse: assess community sentiment toward BESS development in seconds.

February 2025

Platform Updates & Enhancements

• In the project creation flow accessed from the “Order Report” button on the Dashboard, project names will now default to original file names.
• New users will automatically inherit the map layer configuration of their organization’s admin—this includes favorites, sort order, and selected map layers. 
• We added a “Location” column to the “Landowner Info” CSV export that indicates whether a parcel is within the AOI or buffer.
• We added filter and sort capabilities to the “Created By” column in the Projects table on the Dashboard to quickly locate a given user’s projects.
• We added unit of measurement options to the “Measure” tool within the Report Map for measuring distances between two points more easily.

Environmental & Dataset Updates

• 85 permits, 89 regulations, and 68 species profiles were updated this month.

• The NY Informational Freshwater Wetland layer was added to the map.

Bug Fixes

• A bug that was conflating some report buffers with project boundaries has been resolved. 
• You can now use the measuring tool without inadvertently triggering the map layer’s attribute info popup. 

Now in Beta - Contact your Customer Success Manager if you’re interested in learning more!

• Local Solar Permits - understand a project’s setback, zoning, and permit requirements at the county level. 

• Landowner Contact Information - access phone numbers and email addresses for landowners of target parcels to streamline your land acquisition process.

• Site Comparison - easily compare potential project sites based on key criteria like acreage, buildable land, anticipated permits, and community sentiment. 

Coming Soon - Contact your Customer Success Manager if you’re interested in learning more!

• Sub-County Scores and Data for Solar Pulse & Wind Pulse - build stronger community relationship strategies by understanding sentiment at the city, village, and township level, in addition to existing county-level data.

• Battery Pulse: assess community sentiment toward BESS development in seconds.
• Community Engagement Consulting Services - minimize project risk by building community support for your clean energy or data center project through community engagement strategies from an industry expert, with a 5% discount if initiated through Transect’s Marketplace.

December & January 2025

Happy 2025! We hope you've had a great start to the new year. We included updates for both December and January below.

Platform Updates & Enhancements

• We’ve added parcel data (ownership, zoning) and Energy Community layers to Risk Monitor.* 
• You can now filter the Landowners table by Owner, allowing you to quickly locate and manage landowner data. There’s also a new toggle when ordering Landowner Contact Information* that allows you to exclude parcels in the buffer, ensuring you only order information for parcels within your Area of Interest (AOI).
• We renamed how you filter your Dashboard; now you can search for projects that were: Created by me, Created by others, or All of our projects. We also added the ability to bulk archive projects in the Dashboard to clean up your list view.
• The Bulk Project creation flow got an update and now supports dragging and dropping files to quickly run reports.
• You can now add user notes to the Landowners and Interconnection tabs of reports to collaborate with your team.
• Buildable Area in the map got a facelift with a more intuitive user interface—let us know what you think!

Dataset Updates

• The San Diego Gas & Electric and Potomac Edison utilities have been added to Distribution Lines.* Distribution Lines are an add-on feature; contact your Customer Success Manager for more information.
• We've added a Tribal Areas layer to the Map.
• A Modeled Pennsylvania Wetlands layer has been added to the Map and Report Map.

Environmental Updates

• 4 new species profiles were created for proposed threatened/endangered species, including the Bleached Sandhill Skipper, Long Valley Speckled Dace, Santa Ana Speckled Dace, and Suckley's Bumble Bee.
• In total, we updated 24 permits, 24 regulations, and 19 species profiles in January. We also updated 105 permits, 119 regulations, and 295 species in Q4 2024.

Bug Fixes

• A bug causing random failures when uploading KML files with a project has been resolved.
• We significantly improved the performance of the Parcel Filter. This results in faster and more efficient loading of data for your Area of Interest (AOI).
• Browser issues that were causing errors during bulk project creation have been addressed. You can now create multiple projects without interruption.
• The View/Download buttons on the "My Orders" page for Marketplace orders are now fully functional, so you can easily access your order details.

Now in Beta - Contact your Customer Success Manager if you’re interested in learning more!

• Local Solar Permits — understand your projects’ setbacks, zoning, and permit requirements in local jurisdictions.

• Landowner Contact Information — access phone numbers and email addresses for landowners of target parcels to streamline your land acquisition process.
• Site Comparison — easily compare potential project sites based on key criteria like acreage, buildable land, anticipated permits, and community sentiment. 

November 2024

New Features

• Stay informed of any key data changes affecting your projects with Risk Monitor.
• Looking to evaluate community sentiment for wind projects? We’ve got you covered with Wind Pulse, our newest product that analyzes thousands of news articles, moratoriums, and ordinances to help you avoid community opposition.
  • In addition, both Solar and Wind Pulse now identify key stakeholders, highlight primary opposition reasons, and provide details about projects that faced particularly strong opposition.

Updates and Enhancements

• We upgraded the Map ruler to include more measurement types. You can now measure in miles, feet, or meters!
• The Map Layer Manager was enhanced so you can easily adjust the sort order of your map layers and their categories. In your in-map layer modal, click Add/Edit Layers in the bottom-left, then drag and drop your layer or category to the preferred location, and click Save. 
• When using the Parcel Filter, you can now select individual parcels in the ‘View Parcels/Landowners’ modal to be routed to that parcel in the map.
• You can now easily create a view-only shareable link for your Reports by selecting Copy Link within the Share modal.
• We launched a self-service free trial to make it easier for people to experience the value of our platform. Feel free to invite anyone you think might benefit from Transect, such as developers, consultants, or EPCs you work with. This may lead to stronger collaboration with your partners!

Dataset Updates

• The Potomac Edison (MD), Baltimore Gas & Electric (MD), Dominion Energy (VA) and Rockland Electric Co. (NY) utilities have been added to Distribution Lines.
• The New York Freshwater Wetlands dataset has been updated, and now also includes a State Regulated Freshwater Wetlands Adjacent Area.
• A New York Cultural Resources Layer has been added to the Map and Report Map.
• The National Risk Index Annualized Frequency Hail layer has been added to the Map.

Bug Fixes

• The parcels layer will now load successfully in reports.
• You will be notified if your PDF exports are ever unsuccessful.
• We fixed a backend issue preventing some reports from completing properly.

Now in Beta 

• Site Comparison tool - easily compare potential project sites based on key criteria like acreage, buildable land, anticipated permits, and community sentiment.

October 2024

Updates and Enhancements

• The new Interconnection Substation Capacity layer quickly identifies substations with available capacity. Contact your Transect Customer Success Manager for more information!
• Users can now create multiple projects at once with Bulk Project Creation.
• The Initial Interconnection Feasibility Assessment is now available in the Marketplace, which helps users make informed decisions on whether to move a project forward.
• Notes can now be added to specific sections in your Transect Report, including the Executive Summary, Permit Matrix, or to a report sub-page–Click here to learn more!

Dataset Updates

• CAISO and MISO (North and Central) are now available in our Interconnection data and we’ll continue to add more ISOs.

• The Mitigation Bank Service Areas (FL) dataset was added to Transect.
• The Low-Income Community: Category 1 Eligibility dataset was updated (Doe.gov).

Bug Fixes

• The Parcel count in the Map flyout will now update when filters are applied.
• Users can now save Parcel Searches without errors.
• Projects can now be saved with custom names without reverting back to the default naming style, “Project 1.”

Coming Soon

• Wind Pulse - Assess community sentiment toward wind development in seconds.
• Solar Pulse v2 - Identify key stakeholders mentioned in news articles, enhanced dataset for nearby projects, and much more.
• Risk Monitor - Get immediately updated on key data changes affecting your reports.
• Site Comparison Beta Feature - easily compare potential sites on key criteria like acreage, buildable land, anticipated permits, and community sentiment.

September 2024

Updates and Enhancements

• Contested solar projects are now available in Solar Pulse – click here to learn more.
• In case you missed it,  a new master buildable area template is now available in reports, allowing users to reuse the same template for multiple projects.
• PDF exports will no longer include any unnecessary blank pages.
• Within the Buildable Area modal, Slope is now shown in numerical order.
• Interconnection data will now populate for the following project types: Renewable Energy Generation and Above-Ground.
• In the Executive Summary, you’ll now see data on roadway and waterway crossings when the project type is Utility Line > Above-Ground, Utility Line > Below-Ground, or Misc. > Linear Transportation.
• When selecting your username in the upper right-corner, you’ll now have an option for viewing Legal Agreements. This page will show a list of agreements relevant to you. 
• We fixed an issue preventing reports from refreshing when the user left the report page.

Dataset Updates

• The following utilities were added to Distribution Lines - Eversource Connecticut, Avista Washington, Central Maine (1 - 3 phase lines), Pacific Gas & Electric.
• We’ve added the BLM Natl DRAFT Solar PEIS Alternative 3 layers to the Map under the BLM catalog group.

August 2024 

Updates and Enhancements

• A new master buildable area template is now available in reports, allowing users to apply it to multiple projects.
• In case you missed it, we made our password requirements even more secure. If you haven’t updated your password already, click here to learn how to change your password.
• We made it easier to scroll through map layers on touch screens, such as phones and tablets.
• Ghost Waters now have their own page in the PDF.
• When updating your project type in a report, the Permit Matrix will automatically regenerate to include relevant permits.
• The issue causing large reports to fail has been fixed.
• Coordinate search results are now cleared automatically upon entering a new search.
• KML files can now be imported successfully even when optional fields are missing.

Dataset Updates

• The Energy Community: Coal Closure Census Tracts and Energy Community: MSA/Non-MSAs with Fossil Fuel Employment + High-Than-Average Unemployment datasets have been updated. (Doe.gov)
• The Electric Retail Service Territories layer’s color schema has been updated to more easily distinguish borders between territories. 

July 2024

Updates and Enhancements

• In an effort to make your account even more secure, users will need to change their passwords by August 15th. Click here to learn how to change your password.
• We’ve decreased the loading time of reports to create a better user experience.
• We’ve also improved our custom buildable area exclusion layers functionality to speed up the uploading and managing of your buildable area in reports.
• Clicking on a search result now takes you directly to the center of the parcel on the map. 
• The issue of right-clicking on the parcel layer not displaying the correct information has been fixed.

June 2024

Updates and Enhancements

• Solar Pulse data is now included in the shareable, view-only report. Click here to learn more.
• The Interconnection tab now has a "Nearby Projects" list that displays projects in the same county as your project area (ERCOT only).
• Within the Map, you can now filter out Distribution Lines based on capacity and voltage.
• The Map Layer Manager was updated to allow you to search by catalog group name.
• PDF and KML exports can now be deleted from the “Export” page. 

• We’ve added attributes to the “Parcels” map layer. Access the additional information by right clicking on a parcel.
• Projects can now easily be shared from the Map. 

Dataset Updates

• The Marine Mammals and Sea Turtle Exclusion Layer have been removed from the Federal Locations tab in reports.

May 2024

April 2024

Now Available

• Solar Pulse - Assess community sentiment toward solar in seconds. Contact your Customer Success Manager to learn more!
• Linear Development Reporting - When evaluating a single linear route (pipeline or transmission line project, your report will now contain data about the locations & total length of intersecting features along your route. 

Updates and Enhancements

• You can now search lat/long coordinates directly in the Map's search bar.
• Buildable area exports from reports will no longer include areas you have marked as hidden.
• Overridden permits in the Permit Matrix are now displayed in the list as struck through; allowing you to refer to those without opening the PDF report, and to undo changes if needed. 

Dataset Updates

• The Railways dataset has been updated for reports and added to the Map as a layer (U.S. Rails - TIGER 2023).
• The Protected Areas Risk Map (CONUS), Waters Risk Map (CONUS), Species Risk Map (CONUS), and Environmental Compliance Risk Map (CONUS)  were all added to highlight hotspots along your project's route. Whether the route has wetlands, federally managed areas, protected species, or anything in between, you can quickly find them and plan accordingly. You can easily add these layers by accessing the Map Layer Manager.