GIS Catchment

The GIS Catchment process creates preferences for students based on their geocoded address. This process only applies to sub groups where Use Flag Catchments has been selected in Sub Group Details. Use GIS must also have been ticked for the transfer group. If Automatically Generate System Preferences is not selected, then the process can be used to validate that the student's address lies within the catchment area of their preferences.

GIS Catchment uses the easting and northing of either the admission or current correspondence address, depending on the settings for the transfer group and whether or not applications have been added.

The following conditions must be met in order to use the GIS Catchment process:

Click the magnifying glass button to choose sub groups for processing. Although you can filter the list of sub groups to include those where the Use Flag Catchment check box has not been selected, you are not able to run the process for these sub groups.

You are given the option to Pre-Process or Process.

Pre-Process GIS Catchment

The Pre-Process option enables you to validate data and correct any errors before changes are made to the database. This process checks that the students' address lies within the preference catchment area and updates the catchment flag. A window is displayed informing you how many applications and preferences will be processed. You can choose to update all preferences for the applications or only unprocessed preferences.

  • Update all Preferences for the Application:
    This function carries out a check on all students to determine whether each student's address falls within the catchment area of their preferences.
  • Update Unprocessed Preferences only for the Application:
    This function carries out the same check as Update all Preferences for the Application but is only run for students who have a status of Not Processed.

When you click Pre-Process, the Error / Status log is updated with the outcome of the checks.

Process GIS Catchment

The students are checked to see if their address is in any base catchments. If so, a preference is generated for each base, as long as the base is not already on the application. However, preferences are not generated if Automatically Generate System Preferences is not ticked. The newly generated preferences start at the next system allocated number.

The next preference is then checked.

If the student's correspondence or admissions address (as appropriate – see note below) postcode cannot be found in any base postcode list, then an entry is made in the error log.

The Use Admission Address check box in Transfer Group Details determines whether the current correspondence or admissions address is to be used in these calculations.