Answer planning questions with your council's own layers
Most councils already publish their data as ArcGIS REST services. This example takes two of Christchurch City Council's layers from the Data Hub, its schools and its modelled 200-year flood extent, and finds the schools within 200 metres of the flood.
Christchurch schools near the 200-year flood extent
Data: Christchurch City Council's schools and its modelled 200-year flood extent, both public ArcGIS REST layers (CC BY 4.0), added from the Data Hub
Method: simplify the flood extent to 5 m, buffer it by 200 m, merge the buffer into one shape, and keep the schools that touch it
Receipt on "Flood extent, 200-year"
1. simplify 5 m
Receipt on its result
2. buffer 200 m
3. dissolve one shape
4. simplify 5 m
Receipt on "Schools"
5. intersect with the result of 2–4
The council's flood model is too detailed to overlay as published, so it is simplified to 5 m first; only a school within a few metres of the edge could change sides. The buffer is measured in metres, whatever the layer's projection.
Run it on your data
Add a layer by URL from a public ArcGIS, WMS or OGC API service, or upload your own files, then run the same buffer and intersect against the facilities you are responsible for: clinics, care homes, pumping stations. Export the finished map to QGIS when the work continues on the desktop. See adding data by URL.
Frequently asked questions
Can I add a layer from our own ArcGIS Server?
Public services, yes: add them by URL. Services that need a token or a login can't be added yet.
How current is a public layer?
As current as its source. The map records when the layer was fetched; saved queries can refresh on an interval.