By Alan Agadoni, Senior Vice President, EDR® at LightBox
Welcome back to the future of environmental due diligence—where we’re pushing the boundaries of what environmental pros can do inside LightBox Live. So far, we’ve previewed the streamlined interface and smarter workflows and new tools for faster navigation, cleaner data cards, and historical image overlays. Now, let’s talk about something just as critical: content. LightBox has always taken pride in delivering the industry’s best data and images, but as the number of records grows exponentially, the key to efficient research is an optimal viewing experience of the most comprehensive databases out there. This is what we mean by richer content—and it’s changing how environmental professionals research, review, and report.
Tax Parcel Data, Upgraded
We’ve always led the pack when it comes to tax parcel coverage—LightBox owns one of the largest tax parcel databases in the country, with more than 154 million continuously updated records. For years, you’ve had access to key tax details like owner name, land use, and lot size via the mini parcel cards.
With LightBox Live, those cards have gotten a serious upgrade.
Inside LightBox Live, you can now access full assessor records directly within your workflow. We have expanded our offering from a tax parcel mini card to include full property details, such as location information (legal description, census tract), last sale information, property characteristics (year built, building area, number of units, number of stories, roof material, parking spaces, etc.). Why does this matter? Because these property characteristics—especially year built—can clue you in to the likely presence of things like asbestos or lead-based paint long before you click into agency records.
Bonus: You can now toggle a full list view of assessor records, just like with your database findings. And yes, the “Hide Not Reported” feature still applies, so you’re not scrolling past blank fields. This is premium-level data that firms used to pay multiple external sources for access. Now, all the details are seamlessly linked to tax parcels, delivering deeper property insights, right at your fingertips.
Soils Data Without the Scavenger Hunt
Gone are the days of digging through clunky USDA websites to get soil classifications. We’ve integrated soils data from the USDA-NRCS directly into LightBox Live. It starts as a clickable overlay on the map, then expands into detailed profiles that help you evaluate groundwater flow and soil permeability—crucial for understanding contaminant transport during Phase I work.
And this isn’t just a data dump—we’ve widened the coverage area, improved visual clarity, and grouped details for faster scanning. You gain more usable information with less friction.
Historical Street View: Reel in the Years
Sometimes, you just want to drag the little yellow Pegman around and see what a property looked like in 2007. Now you can—without leaving the application. LightBox Live now integrates historical Google Street View images (back to 2007 where available), letting you quickly scan recent past uses or confirm conditions from aerials and database hits.
It’s one more way LightBox Live is helping EPs see more, decide faster, and validate assumptions—without breaking stride.
What’s Next
We built LightBox Live to be your one-stop platform for environmental due diligence—and these new content layers bring us one step closer. Full assessor records. Integrated soils data. Historical street view. All delivered in a clean, smooth interface that works the way you do.
Next time, I’ll dive into another smart upgrade you may not have noticed—but once you use it, you’ll wonder how you worked without it.
Have you seen LightBox Live yet? You’re missing out on faster workflows and richer intel.
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— Alan
