1. Define the geographic question before reading the data
Ashton-Sandy Spring is recorded as a CDP in Montgomery County, Maryland. The available population estimate describes the place, not the number of people searching for legal services, contacting a firm or becoming clients. It also does not establish language needs, case mix or competitive conditions. Start by deciding what “serving Ashton-Sandy Spring” means for your firm: inquiries from the CDP, matters involving people elsewhere in Montgomery County, or a broader Maryland service area. Attribution is more useful when the geographic question is explicit. A location page, intake field or matter record should not be treated as evidence of demand simply because it contains a place name.
Recommended approach
Ask Bosseo to show how geography would be represented in the journey record and how you would distinguish Ashton-Sandy Spring from Montgomery County and the rest of Maryland. Do not use the population estimate as a forecast. Use it only to define the place under review.
