Custom Economic & Industry Research
Northline researches one question for one decision and writes it up with every number traced to its source: what the official data show, how a place, industry or exposure compares, and what that means for the decision in front of you. Scenarios, where used, are conditional on stated assumptions and are not forecasts.
Who this is for
Business owners, consulting and advisory firms, economic-development offices, lenders, investors and analysts who need a place, an industry or a market understood before they decide.
Problems it solves
- You need to compare places or industries and the free dashboards stop short of your question.
- You have to explain the local economy to a board, a lender or a council and want a document with sources, not a screenshot.
- You suspect the economic backdrop matters to a decision but cannot say which indicators to watch.
What is included
Scoped to your question.
- Industry and sector analysis
- An industry where you operate: its size, its recent course, what has moved it, and the indicators worth watching.
- Economic trend analysis
- How the measures that matter to you have moved, nationally and where you operate, with what the data can and cannot show.
- Competitive and market landscape research
- The shape of a market from published sources: its size, its growth, the kinds of firms in it and how it compares across places. Not confidential information about competitors.
- Economic impact research, where appropriately scoped
- A descriptive account of the size, spending and jobs linked to an industry or a project, from published data, with the method and its limits stated. Multiplier modelling is not offered.
- Regional investment intelligence
- Where investment is going in a region: announced major projects, building activity and industry mix, within each source's terms.
- Business environment assessments
- The economic backdrop for a plan, a proposal or an expansion: growth, the labour market, prices and costs.
- Custom economic dashboards
- A set of indicators chosen for your decisions, delivered as charts and a data workbook and refreshed on an agreed schedule.
- Executive research briefs
- A short brief that answers the question a decision turns on, written for the people who will make it.
- Evidence-based decision-support reports
- A full report with findings labelled as data, assumption, scenario or interpretation, and every number traced to its source.
- Economic exposure assessments
- Which economic conditions (interest rates, prices, exchange rates, trade, commodities) your organization is exposed to, and how they have moved.
- Economic scenario analysis
- What-if arithmetic on your stated assumptions, kept apart from observed data. Scenarios are not forecasts.
What you receive
Written, sourced and limited honestly.
- A written report: findings labelled as data, assumption, scenario or interpretation.
- Charts and tables with the source and release date of every series.
- A short methods note listing what was used, what was left out and why.
- Where useful, a data file or charts made with the same engine as Northline's published research.
- A review by a person before delivery, a walk-through call and one round of revisions.
What it costs
Fees follow a short call and are fixed in a written proposal before any payment. Fees are before any applicable tax.
| Engagement | Scope | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Custom research project | Scope, method, deliverables and timeline agreed in a written proposal. | Priced by project scope |
What a project can look like
An illustration, not a client case.
A Calgary equipment supplier considering a second branch asks how Edmonton, Saskatoon and Regina compare on building permits, population growth and construction employment. The report ranks the three places on published measures, shows where the data are thin (for example city-level industry detail), and says plainly that it is a comparison of conditions, not a forecast of sales.
This is a hypothetical scenario written to explain the service. Northline has no published client work yet.
How an engagement works
From request to delivery.
- Request. Tell us the decision and what you already have. No payment, no commitment.
- Short call. We confirm the question, the scope and whether the work can answer it.
- Written proposal. Scope, deliverables, timeline, fee and terms in writing. Nothing is charged until you accept.
- The work. Built from official data and, where agreed, your own records, then reviewed by a person.
- Delivery. A written report and files, a walk-through, and one round of revisions within the agreed scope.
What we need to scope a project
So the proposal is specific.
- The question you need answered and the decision it supports
- The places, industries and period of interest
- Any data you already hold, and any you cannot share
- Your deadline and the format you want (written report, tables, charts)
- Who will read the result, so the depth and tone fit
A written scope, deliverables and fee are agreed before work starts. Please do not send confidential or personal information in a first message.
After you send a request
No automatic commitments.
- Your request is recorded for a person to read. Any automatic message only confirms that it arrived.
- If it is a fit, you are offered a short call and then a written scope and fee.
- If it is not, you are told so, and where possible pointed to a free tool or source.
- Nothing is charged until you accept a proposal.
What this service does not include
So expectations match.
- Economic impact assessments with input-output multipliers. Northline does not currently run a multiplier model; a descriptive account of the size and make-up of an industry or project is available, and any larger assessment would be scoped with an external partner and named as such.
- Forecasts of your own revenue or costs. Northline does not forecast individual businesses.
- Investment, tax, legal or real-estate advice.
- Intelligence Studio access or a Studio workspace. Studio is free to use on its own and is not part of any engagement yet.
Descriptive economic research. Not investment, tax, legal or real-estate advice, and not a forecast.