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Truck Parking Analysis User Guide

Updated

The Truck Parking Dashboard in RITIS Trip Analytics allows users to analyze INRIX truck parking event data using interactive maps and charts. Users can identify parking patterns by location, duration, vehicle weight class, land use, day of week, and time of day.

Dashboard Overview

Before creating a query, familiarize yourself with the main dashboard components.

 ComponentDescription
①Header FiltersRefine dashboard results using available filter options. Changes update both the map and charts.
②Map SettingsControl visible layers and map display options.
③Interactive ChartsAnalyze parking activity and click chart bars to filter results.
④Draw Dynamic Spatial FilterDraw polygons on the map to analyze specific areas.

Create a New Analysis

Creating a Truck Parking analysis consists of four steps:

  1. Select Dataset and Create a Study
  2. Define Study Area
  3. Configure Filters
  4. Submit the Analysis

Step 1: Select Data Set and Create a Study

1.

Select Truck Parking as the dataset.

2.

Select Create A Study.

Step 2. Define Study Area

1.

Define the Study Area

  1. Select Option 1 - Do not Bound the study area
  2. Click the Next button. 
2.

Define Custom Reporting Zones (Optional)

If you have a GeoJSON file containing custom land use boundaries for analysis:

  1. Click Choose File.
  2. Upload your GeoJSON file.
  3. Click Next.

If you do not have a custom boundary file, simply click Next. 

3.

Name the Study

  1. Enter a study name.
  2. Click Save Study and Proceed to Filters. 

Step 3: Configure Filters

1. Configure Spatial Filters

Spatial filters identify parking events for analysis by location. Selecting broad spatial filter ranges for your initial query is recommended, because you can drill-down later when exploring in the dashboard.

1.

From the Spatial Filters section, select one of the following:

  • Single - Analyze parking events within a single polygon
  • Any - Analyze parking events that occur in any one of multiple polygons.
  • All - Analyze parking events that occur in all polygons.

The spatial filter can be identified on the map by selecting Show labels on map option.

2.

NOTE: For this query, we are going to use the Single option

Set Spatial Filters 

  • Optional: Click the pencil icon to rename the filter.
     

  • Click in the Filter 1 heading bar to display additional fields.
3.

Area Selection Options

There are two area filter options.

  1. Use the base geography - This option uses the entire area for the base geography selected. 

     

  2. Add a custom area  - This option allows you to either Select a predefined polygon, Draw a polygon on the map, or Upload a geoJSON or zipped shapefile. The predefined geographic polygons are:

    1. State
    2. County
    3. Subcounty
    4. Zip Code
    5. Transportation Analysis Zone (TAZ)


4.

Save the Spatial Filter

Once your area has been defined:

  1. Click Save.
  2. Verify the selected area appears on the map.

2. Configure Temporal Filters

Temporal filters identify parking events by time and date. Selecting broad temporal filter ranges for your initial query is recommended, because you can drill-down later when exploring in the dashboard.

1.

Select one of the following Temporal Filter(s) options

  • Times - Analyze a specific date and time range.
  • Dates - Analyze selected dates, days of week, and times of day.
  • Months - Analyze selected months, days of week, and times of day.
  • Year - Analyze selected years, days of week, and times of day.

Step 4: Submit the Analysis

1.

From the Name Analysis section 

  1. Enter a name for the analysis.
  2. Click Submit. 

Explore the Dashboard

Once the analysis is complete, results are displayed in an interactive dashboard.

All dashboard elements are dynamic and interconnected. Selecting data in one location updates the map and all charts automatically. 

Users can:

  • Filter using header controls
  • Click chart bars
  • Draw polygons on the map
  • Adjust display settings
  • Change map color bands

Understanding the Charts

The dashboard includes several interactive charts.

Parking Duration

Displays parking events grouped by duration.

Weight Class

Displays parking events by vehicle weight class.

Land Use

Displays parking events by land use category.

Day Event Began

Displays the day of week when parking events began.

Hour Event Began

Displays the hour of day when parking events began.

Important Data Considerations

  • Parking events represent samples of actual truck parking events lasting 15 minutes or longer. 
  • To avoid bias in parking duration analysis, deselect the 2-hour option in the Rotation Provider filter.
  • Tall building concentrations may reduce spatial and temporal accuracy. 
  • Residential parking events are intentionally generalized for privacy and displayed on a preset grid (denoted with R's)
  • Non-residential locations retain full spatial precision.

Best Practices

  • Begin with broad spatial and temporal filters. 
  • Use charts and maps together to explore patterns. 
  • Investigate clusters using lasso or polygon tools. 
  • Compare parking behavior across land use categories.