Compare the route options
Up to three refined alternatives where feasible, with agreed maps/GIS files, reasons and tradeoffs.
PathScore by Onward Land Solutions
The shortest route is not always the best route.
A short line on a map can mean more owners, difficult crossings and costly land work. PathScore helps your team compare practical route alternatives, investigate the selected route and plan what comes next.
GIS-supported route evaluation, led by experienced land professionals.
Complimentary preliminary screening within PathScore. Full PathScore is separately scoped paid work.
Start with a complimentary PathScore First Look.
Bring a proposed route, a KMZ/KML file, or two endpoints and your project requirements. We review available information, flag initial land and crossing questions, and discuss the next steps with your team.
The First Look is preliminary screening. Full title research and project execution are separately scoped.
Full PathScore
Three deliverables. One coordinated engagement.
Understand the selected route
A professional land/title package for the agreed search scope, with reviewed supporting documents, unresolved matters and curative needs.
Know what comes next
Acquisition, access, permitting/crossing and title/curative priorities, staffing, schedule dependencies and documented budget assumptions.
Practical routes follow project constraints, property and field edges where appropriate, crossings, access and professional judgment. Parcel geometry alone does not establish ownership or legal boundaries.
Appraisal names and document indexes are research leads. Preliminary screening is not completed title research or an engineered alignment. Neither preliminary screening nor the execution plan grants field permission or construction approval.
What the review covers.
- Title and recorded rights: ownership/title leads, existing rights and scoped professional review.
- Crossings and permitting: road, rail, waterway and utility interfaces, with permitting follow-up.
- Land-cost context: appraisal-district records and documented acquisition-budget assumptions.
- GIS mapping and data: parcels, corridor features and constraints, supplied survey/engineering and authorized field-data integration.
- Terrain, access and workspace: practical land use, access needs and working limits.
Formal valuation is coordinated with qualified independent appraisers; tax values are not formal appraisals or purchase prices. Planning GIS is not licensed surveying or underground utility locating.
Compare the tradeoffs.
Before reviewRefined
Illustrative positions only; routes follow project constraints.
Route A
Land continuity
- Fewer difficult crossings
- Modest extra distance
Route B
Shorter alignment
- Additional road crossing
- More separate land interests
Route C
More constraints
- Complex rail crossing
- Unresolved title and tighter workspace
The reasons guide a professional recommendation, not a guarantee. Scope, sources and comparison criteria are agreed with your team.
One land team from evaluation through execution.
Onward can carry the findings into title curative, landowner negotiations, easement acquisition, permitting coordination and GIS project tracking under a separately authorized scope.
Talk to OnwardScope and next steps.
What sources and files are included?
We agree source access, permitted use, dates and known gaps before review. First Look may include a brief, corridor map or mapbook, preliminary land/crossing screen and agreed KMZ/GIS files. Availability and source charges vary by location. Esri-compatible delivery can be scoped for full PathScore.
What do you need from us?
Start with a route/KMZ or endpoints, location and decision question. Deeper intake covers tie-ins, must-pass/must-avoid areas, corridor/work widths, engineering limits, installed versus material costs, crossing allowances, existing rights and studies, milestones and approved sources. Agree confidentiality and file exchange before sending sensitive materials.
How are alternatives evaluated?
We agree land, crossing, engineering, cost and schedule criteria. Assumptions, evidence gaps and hard constraints remain separate from route preference; missing data is not favorable. A professional recommendation supports the client's decision, not an autonomous final decision or guaranteed outcome. The scope explains where fewer viable alternatives are supported.
How are crossings and permits coordinated?
A scoped crossing/permit register identifies road, rail, waterway and utility interfaces, responsible parties, follow-up requirements and sequencing. The team coordinates with owners, agencies and relevant specialists; the register is not a permit or agency approval.
What supports acquisition-budget assumptions?
Appraisal-district records provide initial context, not negotiated prices. Documented assumptions distinguish land rights, workspace and other agreed acquisition allowances. Where formal valuation is needed, Onward coordinates qualified independent appraisers; compensation and acquisition terms remain project-specific.
How are survey, engineering and field data used?
Scoped GIS mapping organizes parcels, the corridor, features and constraints. Supplied survey/engineering and authorized field data are integrated with source, date and version notes. Relevant professionals resolve technical conflicts. Planning layers do not establish boundaries or locate underground utilities.
What does it cost?
First Look is complimentary within agreed scope and available sources. Full PathScore scope and fee are agreed to the project, including source access, document allowances and specialized work.
How much title work is included?
Agree tract scope, search period, effective date, document allowances and specialized work. There is no universal 40-year search or promise to cure every issue. Software supports, rather than replaces, title professionals.
Can the title package identify relevant parties?
Scoped tract/title packages may identify relevant parties and recorded interests. This is distinct from an unrestricted automated contact-data export, which is not offered.
How does execution begin?
Select a route, complete the agreed title and planning deliverables, then authorize any Onward mobilization through a separate work order. Confirm necessary permissions before affected work. Schedule and budget remain dependent on project conditions.
Who handles specialist work?
Licensed survey, engineering, environmental and legal work stays with the relevant professionals. Onward coordinates land work and survey support. Optional project contact channels and advance field notices are scoped services; notices confirm existing permission, not grant it.
Bring your route or endpoints.
We confirm scope, confidentiality and file exchange before review. An NDA can be arranged.
Complimentary preliminary screening within PathScore. Full PathScore is separately scoped paid work.