Parcel data, or information about individual plots of land, may be used to examine a broad range of social and environmental issues. While analog parcel information has long been available, the move towards digital georeferenced data offers a more readily available means of using detailed structural and land use information. Parcels map onto useful units of analysis such as individuals and households, and serve as the foci of policy institutions tasked with functions such as taxation, schooling, zoning, or public health. The promise of digital parcel data is offset by challenges related to format, availability, maintenance, quality, augmentation, and confidentiality. We examine the use of digital parcel data in research and policy with special reference to land use, public health, education, and environmental applications. We also make recommendations for improving and using parcel datasets.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.