Write down the first installation and the intended end state.
A pilot might be one module in an existing yard, a room inside a larger building or the first phase of a future facility. Those are different site searches. Before comparing locations, identify the equipment you intend to install, the load you are asking the utility to serve and what the operation must keep running through an interruption.
Atlas’s micro preset starts at 0.5 MW of utility demand, or 500 kW. It uses an illustrative PUE of 1.25 to calculate 0.4 MW of IT demand. “Micro” is an Atlas starting profile, not a market-wide definition, connection category or promise of a straightforward approval.
- Initial load
- Record the requested utility demand for the first operating phase, its ramp-up and target service date.
- Ultimate load
- Record the intended build-out separately. If it is unknown, say so; leave room in the brief for a later decision.
- Working footprint
- Include cooling equipment, electrical plant, access and construction space as well as the computing equipment.
- Operating requirement
- Specify outage tolerance, who maintains the site and the connectivity the workload actually needs.
Keeping the initial and ultimate loads separate avoids a common gap in the brief: a service enquiry for a pilot being treated as support for a much larger expansion. Ask the utility to assess each intended phase explicitly.
Dated BC example / Prince George
BCR Industrial Lands: establish the footprint first.
At the reference point 53.879686, −122.743947, the October 26, 2026 screen resolved parcel 011-271-311. Its mapped area was 0.356 ha. The nearest mapped transmission line was approximately 0.352 km from the pin. These are spatial observations from a partial automated screen.
The micro profile’s 0.1 ha land-search assumption is smaller than that mapped parcel. That comparison does not show whether the pilot fits. The selected parcel may be only part of the property described in the original public location reference; access, setbacks, equipment clearances and any shared services still need investigation.
The useful next question: which legal parcels, buildings and outdoor areas would the pilot actually occupy? Confirm that boundary before using area or utility-distance comparisons in an acquisition decision. The nearby transmission line supplies no evidence of spare MW or a permissible connection.
Evidence date and scope
This example uses a retained automated screen assembled . Its overall source status was partial. The parcel record carries a source date of 2025-03-24; other records have their own acquisition dates. A recent query date does not make every underlying record current.
The analysis uses the unique mapped parcel under the selected point. That parcel may cover only part of a marketed property. No site visit, legal boundary survey, human verification or owner confirmation is represented.
Snapshot reference: 38d2c500248795909860cd22c2649814ae4bf20955bf378ef463335909872818
Publisher records: ParcelMap BC · BC transmission lines · Agricultural Land Reserve polygons.
A small installation still needs a complete service brief.
Power: ask about the actual supply arrangement.
For an existing property, request the service documents and proposed single-line diagram from the party authorized to provide them. Separate the existing service from any incremental load the pilot needs. Ask the supplier to confirm the available connection path, study requirements and service date against the project brief. A transformer or line on the map cannot answer those questions.
If the intended use is cryptocurrency mining, review it separately. B.C.’s published policy describes restrictions on certain new cryptocurrency operations served by BC Hydro. Selecting a sub-1 MW Atlas profile does not establish an exemption. Read the Province’s cryptocurrency power policy.
Cooling: zero evaporative makeup is one assumption.
The micro preset uses dry heat rejection. Atlas therefore models zero evaporative cooling makeup under that assumption. It does not calculate domestic consumption, fire-water storage, treatment water or peak-day requirements. Ask the designer to check the proposed equipment’s electrical and thermal requirements during the site’s design weather conditions.
Connectivity: make the failure case explicit.
The default request is 1 Gbps on one physical route. Decide whether that matches the pilot’s workload and acceptable downtime. If you need a second route, ask the carrier to identify the entrances and shared physical dependencies. ISED’s National Broadband Map describes area coverage and explicitly directs users to the provider to confirm availability at a location. It is not an enterprise service quote. Read the National Broadband Map’s coverage limits.
Leave the first screen with questions someone can answer.
Start with the selected parcel, then adjust the profile and draw the intended footprint if it differs. Generate a report when the boundary and assumptions represent the pilot. Keep an initial-phase brief alongside the ultimate-load brief, so a utility, landlord or designer can see exactly which question is being asked.
Useful documents for the next conversation include the site plan, existing service information, equipment schedule, target operating date and any title or lease information you are authorized to share. If one of these is missing, make it an action in the brief. Atlas’s automated report organizes the evidence and gaps; Driftwood’s scoped engagement adds human review and concept work.
From a location to a project brief
Bring a specific pilot to the table.
Use the screen to identify the unresolved decisions. Driftwood can help turn the operating brief, available records and site questions into a scoped review and early concept work.
$7,500 CAD covers a human-reviewed site report and 25 hours of design consultation and concept development. Those 25 hours are additional to report preparation. The separate paid review brings public evidence together with authorized private and paid data sources, where available: licensed property or utility data and authorized utility or carrier responses. Driftwood checks each record’s source, date, site and project scope, reconciles it with the public screen and documents confirmed items, conditions and unresolved questions for concepts and next steps.
The free automated screen uses public data. Before work begins, Driftwood confirms scope, record availability, permissions, any third-party fees, deliverables, timing, taxes and terms. Utility studies, service commitments, approvals and construction documents require separate work.
This is general planning guidance and a dated automated example, not a reviewed opinion on a particular development. The example site is not represented as a customer project or currently available property. Available power, industrial water service and enterprise connectivity remain unconfirmed. Opening Atlas runs the current workflow; updated results may differ.