Closest Site analysis is a distance test between two sets of points. Closest Site calculations return the distance from the address to the site point, as well as the name of that site point.
Closest Site requires geocoded addresses with Latitude/Longitude coordinates as input. To geocode the addresses in your files, we recommend that you use Address Coding, for the quickest, most accurate geocode assignments. You can even geocode and perform spatial analyses in the same task.
The available spatial outputs are determined by the contents of the object files or layers you have specified in the Process Options dialog box. Geographic features (points, lines, or polygons) are imported into the native Centrus Desktop format. To import your data into the .gsb format, Centrus Desktop is able to import most popular third-party data formats.
GIS applications separate the different types of information into data "layers." For example, store locations might be defined in on one layer and main roads on another.
Use the Closest Site tab to determine which data layers are available to the Closest Site module. You can add data layers that are already in .gsb format, such as the States.gsb and Counties.gsb files. You can also import layers from third-party data providers.