Powered by MTC • ABAG
About BASIS
Our vision is to empower Bay Area communities with accessible, trusted data that supports smarter planning, stronger collaboration and a more equitable, sustainable region.
A Shared Foundation for Regional Planning
Data as a Service for the Bay Area
The Bay Area Spatial Information System (BASIS) is a Data as a Service (DaaS) initiative operated by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC). It brings key regional datasets together so users within and outside ABAG and MTC can discover data, download it or access it through APIs for analysis and modeling.
BASIS builds on earlier efforts, including the Local Policy Development Survey of 2005, to collect local jurisdiction data for regional forecasts and long-range planning across the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.
Connecting Local Data to Regional Decisions
Many of the datasets in BASIS come from local jurisdictions. They include land use, zoning, residential permitting and development pipeline activity—information that supports Plan Bay Area and regional planning programs.
Bringing these sources into a common framework helps planners understand development conditions, track changes in land use and assess the environmental impacts of future growth. It also supports housing development tracking and transportation and land use modeling, including UrbanSim.
Review, Feedback and Collaboration
Review and feedback are central to BASIS. Local jurisdictions, regional stakeholders and ABAG and MTC staff contribute their knowledge to help improve the data used in regional planning.
The inventory provides a way to discover available datasets and understand their sources and uses. Feedback helps identify corrections and keeps local expertise connected to regional analysis.
How BASIS Works
BASIS is organized around three connected tiers: collecting and preparing data, managing it within a structured data system, and making it available through applications and tools.
Together, these tiers provide a common foundation for policy development and analysis, replacing disconnected workflows with an organized regional data library.
Key Benefits
BASIS brings regional information together to support consistent, informed planning and collaboration across jurisdictions.
The platform is designed to provide:
- A secure, accessible platform for collecting, standardizing, discovering and sharing regional planning datasets
- A well-documented, organized and definitive source of regional data
- A single source of information for tracking development, land use and the environmental impacts of future growth
- A common framework for discussing and planning the region’s future growth
Collecting and Preparing Data
The first tier identifies and inventories the datasets needed for regional planning. Because these sources arrive in different formats, data processing tools help collect, clean and transform them into common formats that are easier to store and use.
A shared conceptual data model helps organize the collected data into categories and supports consistent use across projects and applications.
Managing a Trusted Data System
The second tier is a structured, documented data system governed by standards and practices for data management, documentation and quality assurance. Security, accessibility and modeling practices guide how the regional data library is maintained.
Putting Data to Work
The third tier connects the data system to applications and tools. Data discovery, downloads and API access help users find the information they need for analysis, modeling and regional planning.
