Food Asset Mapping Platform: Food System Mapping Software for Municipal Planning
See how Food Web's Asset Mapping Platform gives municipal planners a shared, always-current map of local food infrastructure — plus an API that plugs into existing GIS.
Food System MappingMunicipal PlanningAsset MapLocal Food
Written by
Justin Andrews
Justin Andrews is a chef-turned-founder who has spent the last decade working across farms, markets, restaurants, nonprofits, and academic research. He’s now the CEO of Food Web, a platform built to unlock underused commercial kitchens and strengthen local food systems. Justin writes about food, entrepreneurship, and the work of building resilient local economies.
The Food Web Asset Mapping Platform is food system mapping software that gives municipalities a shared, continuously updated map of local food infrastructure — commercial kitchens, farms, processors, retailers, and community food programs — with collaboration tools, embeddable public maps, and an API, so planning decisions across departments start from the same data.
This overview covers what the platform includes, how municipal teams use it, how the data stays current, and how it connects to the GIS and reporting stack you already run. For category basics, start with what food system mapping software is; for a rollout plan, see our municipal how-to guide.
Key takeaways
The Food Web Asset Mapping Platform combines a free public map, a team portal with saved maps and embeds, and a Platform API.
Data freshness is structural: marketplace activity, community suggestions, and place-data enrichment keep assets current.
Departments share one live map instead of reconciling spreadsheets — planning, economic development, health, and emergency management see the same picture.
It complements municipal GIS through exports and an API rather than replacing it.
Municipalities can pilot on the free map before committing budget.
What is inside the platform?
Food Web's platform has four parts that work together:
Underneath all four sits one asset database covering local food infrastructure: commercial kitchens, farms, processors, distributors, retailers, and community food programs, each with a verified location, category, and status.
Why do municipal planners choose food system mapping software?
Because the alternative is reconciliation work. Food data scatters across licensing, health, planning, and economic development systems, and every cross-department initiative starts with merging spreadsheets that disagree. A shared food asset mapping layer removes that step. The American Planning Association has long argued that food systems belong in core planning; the platform is what makes that practical for lean municipal teams.
Every department sees the same live map — no more emailing shapefiles or reconciling spreadsheets.
What can your departments do with it?
Planning and zoning
Overlay food assets on parcels and plans to check coverage, spot gaps in food access before they become food deserts, and ground official plan updates in current data rather than the last consultant study.
Economic development
See where commercial kitchen capacity sits idle and connect food entrepreneurs to it — Food Web's marketplace makes those kitchens directly bookable, which also keeps the capacity data honest.
Public health and food security
Map food banks, meal programs, and retail access together to target interventions, and share the same view with community partners so everyone plans against one picture of community food access.
Resilience and emergency management
Query which assets sit in a flood zone or heat-vulnerable area before the event, and coordinate response using live status rather than phone trees.
How does the platform keep data current?
A food asset map is only as useful as its last update, so freshness is built into the system rather than delegated to an annual review:
Marketplace signal: kitchens and spaces bookable through Food Web keep their own listings current because their business depends on it.
Community suggestions: residents and organizations propose additions and corrections through a moderated queue.
Place-data enrichment: assets are checked against live place data to catch closures, moves, and renames.
Editorial review: changes pass a verification step before publication, so the map stays authoritative.
How does it fit your existing GIS and data stack?
The platform is GIS for food systems, not a GIS replacement. Your team keeps parcels, utilities, and base layers where they are; the Asset Map contributes a maintained food layer through the Platform API and exports. Embed public maps in municipal sites with a snippet, feed dashboards from the API, and pull extracts into ArcGIS or QGIS on your own schedule.
Asset Map data flows into reports, grant applications, and council presentations.
What does it cost?
The public map is free. Team features — saved maps, custom layers, embeds, and API access — are subscription-based through the mapping portal, with tiers sized for individuals, professionals, and organizations. Nonprofits and community partners can also participate in the kitchen credit system through the partner portal, which several communities pair with local food-security funding.
Frequently asked questions
Can we embed the map on our municipal website?
Yes. Saved maps from the portal embed directly into municipal sites, so residents see the live map without leaving your domain — no custom development required.
Can residents and organizations suggest updates?
Yes. Public suggestion workflows feed a moderated verification queue, so community knowledge improves the map without compromising its reliability.
Does the platform replace our GIS?
No. It maintains the food layer and hands it to your GIS through exports and the API. Your GIS team keeps their tools; your planners get a map they can actually update.
See your municipality's food system on one map
Explore the free map to see what is already visible in your community, then talk to us about a pilot for your planning team — we will help scope layers, load your first inventory, and connect the API to your GIS. Reach us through the contact page.
Justin Andrews
Lil MacPherson
