Please note: This is an upcoming release, targeted for the week of September 21st. Not all of it is available yet, we sometimes share these notes in advance to help you prepare. 

Welcome to the September 2026 release! This update is all about meeting your teams where they already work—and making sure nothing gets lost along the way. A new Microsoft Teams App captures stakeholder engagements right from your meetings and chats, GIS Data Integration brings your external ArcGIS and file-based map data directly into Borealis, and the Microsoft 365 Email Integration graduates from beta to general availability for every client. Alongside these highlights, you'll find refinements to the Consultation Process and a range of targeted improvements across Stakeholder Engagement, Land Management, Maps, Tasks, and more—each one focused on cleaner data, clearer visibility, and less manual effort.

Featured

• Microsoft Teams App – Capture Engagements Where They Happen
• GIS Data Integration – Now Connect External GIS Data Into Borealis
• Microsoft 365 Email Integration – Out of Beta, Now Available to Everyone

Additional improvements

• Engagement Plans – Consultation Process Improvements
• Land Management – Agreement Renewal Process
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Land Management
• Tasks
• Maps
• Outlook Add-in
• Email Notifications

Featured

Microsoft Teams App – Capture Engagements Where They Happen

A large share of stakeholder engagement now happens in meetings, not email—and until now, logging those conversations in Borealis meant reconstructing them from memory after the fact. This release closes that gap with a new Microsoft Teams App that adds a Borealis tab directly inside your Teams meetings and chats.

From within Teams, users can create a brand-new Borealis communication or update an existing planned meeting in just a couple of clicks—without switching tools or rebuilding the conversation later. Key details are captured automatically where available: title, date and time, organizer, participants, transcript, recording link, and any files shared during the call. When a meeting was already planned in Borealis, the app detects it and lets you move it from Planned to Recorded rather than creating a duplicate, keeping planned and actual engagements connected.

Engagements captured from Teams are classified exactly as they are in the Outlook Add-in—assign Engagement Plans, Subject categories, or any other complementary field—so data stays consistent across every channel.

More Complete Engagement History, Less Manual Work

Because meeting content is captured as it happens rather than re-entered afterward, nothing falls through the cracks between the conversation and the record. Transcripts document what was actually said, and—where Teams permits—attendance data shows who actually attended versus who was invited, giving a clearer picture of real engagement. The result is a more complete, accurate stakeholder history and a stronger data foundation for reporting and Ask AI, with far less manual effort for field teams and relationship managers.

Key benefits

• Create or update a Borealis communication directly from a Teams meeting or chat, without leaving Teams
• Automatically capture title, date/time, organizer, participants, transcript, recording link, and shared files where available
• Avoid duplicates—the app detects an existing planned meeting and lets you move it from Planned to Recorded
• Track who actually attended with Teams attendance data, where available
• Classify engagements with the same fields you use in the Outlook Add-in, keeping data consistent across channels
• Stay in control with a user-driven flow—you decide what gets captured, when

Where to Look

• Install the App: If you don't see the Borealis tab in Teams yet, the app may not be installed. Follow How to Install the Borealis for Microsoft Teams App to add it from the Microsoft Marketplace—depending on your organization's security policies, you may need your IT department to install or deploy it.
• Teams Meetings & Chats: Look for the new Borealis tab to create a communication or update a planned meeting once the call is done.
• Connect & Sign In: On first use, connect the app to your Borealis instance and log in with your own credentials. Available on both Teams desktop and Teams web.
• Field Configuration: Fields follow the same configuration as the Borealis web app. Superusers can add fields such as Related Record: Issue to link an issue directly to the communication.

GIS Data Integration – Now Connect External GIS Data Into Borealis

Until now, Borealis could publish your spatial data out to your GIS—exposing parcels, issues, and agreements as live map layers in ArcGIS or QGIS through what was previously called the Geospatial Data API. This release completes the picture with the other direction: Connect external GIS data, a new capability that brings your organization's GIS data into Borealis maps. To reflect that it now works both ways, this capability has been renamed GIS Data Integration—the outbound publishing you already know (formerly the Geospatial Data API) together with the new inbound connection, for one connected, two-way view of your spatial data.

Already using the Geospatial Data API? Nothing changes in how your outbound publishing works—it's simply now presented as the outbound side of GIS Data Integration. The new inbound Connect external GIS data capability is added alongside it.

With this first release of the inbound direction, superusers can connect external GIS sources so their data renders directly on Borealis maps—no manual exports, no re-creation. Borealis consumes external data as read-only layers from ArcGIS Feature Services, OGC WFS, and file-based imports (ESRI Shapefile and KML/KMZ). External layers render alongside your Borealis-native layers with configurable styling—color, transparency, zoom level, and point icons—so you can see exactly how your records relate to the infrastructure and constraints stored in your GIS.

Query and Select External Features

External layers aren't just for viewing. Click any feature to open a read-only panel of its attributes, or use the Map Selection Tool to draw a point, line, or polygon—with an optional buffer—and return all external features intersecting your area of interest. Results open in a list you can sort and filter, making it easy to scope projects or run impact assessments against live GIS data. External layers are available across every Borealis map context: the main map, drawing flows, Analytics map widgets, and record map views.

Add Reference Layers From Files – With Any Projection

You can also bring in spatial context from files. Upload an ESRI Shapefile package (.zip) or a KML/KMZ file to add it as a read-only reference layer on your maps, using drag-and-drop or the file browser. Best of all, file imports read the .prj file directly and handle custom projections automatically—so you no longer need a projection to be pre-configured in the system before uploading, removing a key friction point of the legacy geometry import.

Key benefits

• Connect ArcGIS Feature Services and OGC WFS to visualize external layers without re-creating them in Borealis
• Add ESRI Shapefiles and KML/KMZ files as read-only reference layers, with seamless custom projection handling
• See external spatial data overlaid with your Borealis records for a single, unified map view
• Click features for read-only attributes, or spatially query external layers with the Map Selection Tool
• Style each layer independently—color, transparency, minimum zoom, and point icon
• Use external layers across the main map, drawing flows, Analytics widgets, and record map views
• Reduce reliance on ad-hoc GIS exports—layers stay connected to their source service

Where to Look

• On the Map – Everyone: Once a source is configured, external layers appear for all users in the Map Legend, where you can toggle their visibility. Click a feature to view its read-only attributes, or use the Map Selection Tool to query layers spatially—across the main map, drawing flows, Analytics widgets, and record map views.
• Source Setup – Superusers: Superusers manage external sources from the new management area in the Layers pane—add, edit, or delete a source and set its name, type, URL, visibility, and feature display label, then test the connection before selecting layers.
• Authentication – Superusers: Public sources need no credentials. For secured services, this release supports an existing ArcGIS Token or a custom API Header (key + value).
• File Import – Superusers: Drag and drop a Shapefile package (.zip) or a KML/KMZ file to add it as a reference layer, with progress and status indicators.

Microsoft 365 Email Integration – Out of Beta, Now Available to Everyone

When we introduced the Microsoft 365 Email Integration in beta this past January, the goal was simple: make stakeholder communications automatic, complete, and effortless—so relevant emails and meetings flow straight from Outlook into Borealis without anyone having to remember to log them. Since then, teams across a range of organizations have put it to work in the field, and we've listened closely to their feedback.

With this release, the Microsoft 365 Email Integration graduates from beta to a full product version available to all clients. Everything teams valued in the beta remains: automatic capture of emails and calendar meetings, rich stakeholder histories, and full control over what syncs through allow and block lists, timeframe selection, and folder-based rules. What's changed is the polish; refinements drawn directly from beta feedback that make everyday use cleaner, safer, and more reliable.

Refined From Your Feedback

Since the beta, we've added a set of refinements that make everyday use cleaner, safer, and more reliable:

• Faster noise control: block an email or domain in one click from a communication in Borealis or the Outlook Add-in, with conflict validation between allow and block lists.
• More control over configuration: pause the integration without losing your setup, and create stakeholders from unknown senders only when you choose to (now off by default).
• Easier cleanup: delete stakeholders or communications created by mistake even when records are linked, plus a fix for cancelled meetings that lingered as active communications.
• Clearer connection status: an in-app alert now flags a dropped Microsoft connection, and Unlink is always available.

Key benefits

• Capture emails and meetings from Microsoft 365 automatically, with no manual logging
• Build richer stakeholder histories and more trustworthy reports—and a stronger foundation for Ask Borealis AI
• Stay in control with allow/block lists, past emails synchronization, and folder-based rules
• Block unwanted senders or domains in one click, from Borealis or the Outlook Add-in
• Clean up erroneous stakeholders and communications easily, even when records are linked
• Know instantly when a connection drops, thanks to in-app disconnection alerts

Where to Look

• Getting Started: New to the integration? See Introduction to Microsoft 365 Email Integration for setup and configuration.
• Activation: Now available to all clients. Activation is handled through a service request—contact your Account Manager to enable the integration for your team.
• Noise Control: Add senders or domains to your blocklist directly from a communication in Borealis or from the Outlook Add-in.
• Connection Status: Watch for the connection icon in the top-right corner—it flags a dropped Microsoft connection and links straight to the integration settings.

Additional improvements

Engagement Plans – Consultation Process Improvements

Since the Consultation Process launched in January, we've refined it based on field feedback to make it clearer, better scoped, and easier to keep accurate across large consultations. The process is now opt-in per Engagement Plan type: a dedicated Is a consultation engagement plan option scopes the whole workflow to the plans that need it, so it never disrupts teams that don't run a consultation. 

A new per-stakeholder Consultation status gives an at-a-glance view of who still needs follow-up— auto-calculated as Not engaged yet, No response received, or No objections made, set to Consultation stopped manually when outreach ends, and available in Analytics for filtering (e.g. "list every stakeholder not yet engaged").

On communications, a new Requires follow-up field has been added to tag which communications require action. The field is also available in the Outlook add-in and as a Word template tag. The Consultation Reporting section has also been reworked. For meetings involving several stakeholders, new stakeholder overrides let one communication carry a distinct Requires follow-up, summary, and linked issues per stakeholder, so a group call or a town hall meeting where some raised concerns and others didn't is captured accurately without splitting it into separate communications. 

Finally, the Analysis fields have moved out of issue creation and into the Assess action—matching the real order of work (assess first, capture the handling second, close last)—with a quick-assess shortcut directly from the Engagement Plan and a Reassess action to update the analysis before closure. This change is not limited to consultation: the Assess and Reassess actions replace analysis-at-creation for every Issue in the module, whether or not the Engagement Plan type has the consultation process enabled.

Key benefits

• Scope the process precisely—it's opt-in per Engagement Plan type and every field can be turned off per client
• See who still needs follow-up at a glance with an auto-calculated, overridable Consultation status per stakeholder
• Set follow-up expectations with a single field, Requires follow-up, available in the Outlook add-in and report tags
• Capture multi-stakeholder meetings accurately with per-stakeholder overrides on one communication
• Fill in analysis when the information actually exists—during assessment—for more complete records at closure
• Capture analysis at the right moment on every issue—the Assess and Reassess actions apply across the Issues module, not only to consultation Engagement Plans

Where to Look

• Engagement Plan Setup: In the data dictionary of Engagement Plan types, enable Is a consultation engagement plan to turn the process on for that type.
• Engagement Plan → Planning → Stakeholders: The new Consultation status column appears per stakeholder—filter it to plan outreach.
• Communications: The renamed Requires follow-up field and the reworked Consultation Reporting section (including stakeholder overrides) appear when a communication is linked to a consultation Engagement Plan.
• Issues – Assess Action: The Analysis fields now live in the Assess action for all issues—consultation or not—with a quick-assess shortcut from the Engagement Plan and a Reassess action before closure.

Land Management – Agreement Renewal Process

Renewing or amending an agreement used to mean leaning on the "Related agreements" link, which didn't clearly capture a renewal, kept no reliable history of expiry dates, and couldn't be reported on. This release introduces a structured, optional Agreement Renewal Process that closes those gaps. Rather than creating a disconnected new agreement, teams renew an existing one in place—preserving a full audit trail of every expiry-date change, along with the related comments, in the action history.

A new Expiry and renewal section on the Agreement form groups everything in one place: whether the agreement has a renewal clause, the Renewal process status (Not started, In progress, or Renewal submitted), renewal comments, and the process start date. When the renewal has been completed, a new Confirm renewal action sets the new expiry date, records whether the agreement can be renewed again, and—handily—lets users activate applicable pending (Provisional) payments right there, instead of as a separate manual step. If the agreement had already expired, confirming a renewal automatically returns it to Active. Because the whole process is optional and defaults to "No," it adds no overhead to projects that don't need it—land projects, for instance, can leave it off entirely.

Key benefits

• Renew or amend an agreement in place, without creating a disconnected new record
• Keep a full audit trail—old and new expiry dates plus comments—in the action history
• Activate pending Provisional payments directly when confirming a renewal, saving a manual step
• Spot agreements needing renewal early with Analytics reports and notifications on upcoming renewals

Where to Look

• Agreement Form – Expiry and Renewal: Find the new Expiry and renewal section on the create and edit an agreement forms. Note that Expiry date and Does this agreement have a renewal clause? are now required to set an agreement to Active (unless it's marked as not expiring).
• Confirm Renewal Action: Available on agreements with Active or Expired status for users with action rights on Agreements—set the new expiry date, activate applicable pending payments, and add a renewal comment.
• Analytics: The renewal clause and Renewal process status fields are available in Analytics to build reports and notifications on current and upcoming renewals.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Issues & Commitments – Overdue Tracking: The No. days overdue and No. days until target date fields, already available on Grievances, are now available for Issues and Commitments, making it easier to track and report on timelines against target dates.
  These fields are available in Analytics and as columns in the list view, following the same rules as Grievances.
• Communications – Convert a Communication into an Issue: A new Create as Issue action is now available on Communication records, working the same way as the existing Create as Grievance action. Relevant information carries over to the new Issue, a link is retained between the two records, and the original communication can optionally be deleted once the Issue is created.
  From a communication record page, go to the Actions menu. The Create as issue action appears when the Issues module is enabled and you have the rights to create new issues.
• Communications – Bulk Update the Summary Field: The Summary field can now be updated in batch on Communications, making it easy to fill in or revise summaries across many communications at once—including those generated from Smart Communications—rather than editing each one individually.
  From the Communications list page, select multiple communications and use the Batch update action. The Summary field is now one of the available fields.
• SMS – Organization Visibility: When an SMS is sent to an individual who has a main position, that position is now automatically linked to the communication, so the SMS also appears on the associated organization. The linked position can be edited on the recipient after sending (individuals only), and merge actions and Link main position to all engagements now work for SMS communications.
  This works automatically when sending an SMS to an individual with a main position.

Land Management

• Agreements – Email Notifications & Standard Notifications: Email notifications are now available on the Agreements form. Reminders can be set based on creation, start, end, expiration, and last-modification dates, and notifications can be triggered on actions such as creation, updates, status changes, and responsible-person changes. Three standard system notifications are included out of the box—New assignment, Status update, and Reminder (based on the expiry date).
  Existing users are unsubscribed from the standard notifications by default; new users are subscribed automatically. Everyone can manage their subscriptions from their profile under Email notifications and superusers can create custom notifications based on Agreements.
• Permits – A Dedicated Section for Legal Authorizations (New Beta): Permits now have their own section in Land Management—between Agreements and Payment items—so Compliance teams can track authorizations, issuing authorities, and validity dates without that overhead. The workflow mirrors Agreements (with Submitted replacing In Negotiation, and no Conditions or Payments), and everything else stays familiar: related records, the same geometry and renewal options, configurable permit types and issuing authorities, an Excel importer, workflow and expiry notifications, and full Analytics reporting.
  Now available in beta—activated on request at no additional cost. Contact your Account Manager to enable the section for your team.
• Parcels – Identify Titleholders Who Are Also Occupants: A new read-only Active Occupant column has been added to the Titleholders section on Parcels, showing whether each titleholder is also an active occupant on the same parcel—making it easy to find and standardize records where a stakeholder is a titleholder but not an occupant.
  The Active Occupant column is available when in the Titleholders page on a Parcel record page and in Analytics. Select Titleholders in the left-hand menu of a Parcel record to access this page.
• Land Units – Now Visible on Linked Stakeholders: Manual links between stakeholders and land units now display consistently on both records. A new Linked land units section (hidden by default) has been added to Individuals and Organizations, and the existing section has been renamed Overlapping land units to clearly distinguish manual links from overlaps.
  As a superuser, enable the new Linked land units section in the Fields configuration of Individuals and Organizations.

Tasks

• Task Completion – Attach Evidence Documents: A new Evidence document field has been added to the Complete task action, letting users attach supporting documents directly during close-out. Documents added there also appear in the task's Documents section, improving traceability and making review more efficient.
  The Evidence document field appears in the Complete task action.

Maps

• Show or Hide Inactive Records on the Map: Map layers now include a Show inactive records toggle in the map menu whenever a layer contains deactivated records, letting users turn their visibility on or off. Inactive records are hidden by default, and the behavior is consistent across the global map and map widgets—applying to layers such as Parcels, Land Units, Conditions, Properties, and Company Assets.
  Use the Show inactive records toggle in the map menu on any layer that contains deactivated records.
• Occupant Details on the Parcel Map: Clicking a parcel on the map now shows its linked occupants alongside the titleholders in the details popup, giving users the occupant information they need directly from the map rather than only the parcel's active status.
  Click a parcel on the map to see occupants and titleholders in the details popup.
• Staff Members on a Map Widget: Staff Members can now be displayed on a map based on their address field, shown as location points. This makes it possible to build map widgets and dashboards that visualize the geographic distribution of staff—such as an executive home page showing where the team is located globally.
  Build a map widget on Staff Members.

Outlook Add-in

• Auto-Assign the Responsible Person for Issues Created from Outlook: A new option automatically assigns the responsible person of an Issue created from the Outlook add-in (via This is an issue) to the staff member linked to the creating user—so new issues appear immediately in that user's filtered dashboards without manual editing.
  As a superuser, enable this option under the Email section of General parameters.

Email Notifications

• Send One Email per Record: A new Send one email per record option is available in the notification configuration. When enabled, each record that triggers an action notification generates its own separate email instead of being grouped into a single one.
  As a superuser, enable Send one email per record in the notification configuration.
• Mandatory Subscriptions: Some notifications are too important to be optional. Superusers can now mark a notification as a mandatory subscription, so users can't unsubscribe from it—useful when leadership needs the certainty that critical alerts reach everyone. In a user's Email notifications preferences, a mandatory notification appears checked, greyed out and flagged with a Mandatory badge. Any user who had already unsubscribed is re-subscribed automatically when the option is enabled, and superusers keep the final say: a specific user can still be unsubscribed from the notification's User subscriptions list.
  As a superuser, enable Mandatory subscription in the notification configuration. Notification configuration is available to superusers only.