Compare Orders Guide

Learn how to use COMPARE ORDERS to compare and aggregate emissions data across multiple orders and counties side-by-side.

What is COMPARE ORDERS?

COMPARE ORDERS (formerly called Aggregator) is a tool that lets you:

  • Select multiple orders from your orders table
  • Compare emissions data across different geographic areas and years
  • Filter by pollutant, aggregation level, group type, and metrics
  • View aggregated data in tables and charts
  • Analyze regional patterns and differences

This is useful for:

  • Regional planning: Comparing multiple counties in your region
  • MPO analysis: Analyzing emissions across your planning area
  • State-level analysis: Comparing counties within a state
  • Time series analysis: Comparing the same county across different years
  • Identifying patterns: Finding which areas have higher/lower emissions

Accessing COMPARE ORDERS

You can access COMPARE ORDERS in two ways:

Method 1: From VIEW ORDERS

  1. Go to "VIEW ORDERS" in the sidebar (CLOUD MOVES section)
  2. Select one or more orders by clicking the checkboxes
  3. Click the "COMPARE" button
  4. You'll be navigated to COMPARE ORDERS with your selections automatically loaded

Method 2: Direct Navigation

  1. Click "COMPARE ORDERS" in the sidebar (CLOUD MOVES section)
  2. The COMPARE ORDERS page will load
  3. Select orders from the orders table in the main panel

Note: If you navigate from VIEW ORDERS with selections, those orders will be automatically selected in COMPARE ORDERS. If you navigate directly, you'll need to select orders manually.

Understanding the Interface

COMPARE ORDERS has a unique layout with toggleable sidebars:

  • Main Content Area: Orders selection table and comparison results
  • Right Sidebar (Selection Panel): Filters and options (can be toggled)
  • Toggle Button: Show/hide the right sidebar

Toggle Button

At the top, you'll see a button to show/hide the right sidebar:

  • "☰ Selection Panel": Toggle the right sidebar (filters and options)

Click this button to show or hide the sidebar as needed.

Step-by-Step: Using COMPARE ORDERS

Step 1: Select Orders

If navigating from VIEW ORDERS:

  • Your selected orders are automatically loaded
  • Skip to Step 2

If navigating directly:

  1. In the main content area, you'll see a table listing your orders
  2. The table shows: ID, Year, GEOID, Bucket, Created (timestamp)
  3. Select orders by clicking the checkboxes on the left of each row
  4. You can select multiple orders at once
  5. Selected orders' data will be loaded from their storage buckets

Note: COMPARE ORDERS loads data from your actual order buckets (not sample data). You need to have completed orders (status "Ready") to compare them. The system uses intelligent caching to avoid redundant API calls.

Step 2: Choose Pollutant

  1. In the right sidebar (Selection Panel), find "Pollutant"
  2. Select the pollutant you want to analyze:
    • CO2e (code 98): Carbon dioxide equivalent
    • CO (code 2): Carbon monoxide
    • NOx (code 3): Nitrogen oxides
    • And others
  3. Available options depend on the data in your selected orders

Step 3: Select Aggregation Level

  1. In the right sidebar, find "Aggregation Level"
  2. Choose how you want data grouped:
    • Overall: No sub-grouping, total emissions
    • By Vehicle Type: Group by source type (motorcycles, cars, trucks, buses, etc.)
    • By Fuel Type: Group by fuel (gasoline, diesel, CNG, electric, etc.)
    • By Road Type: Group by road classification (rural/urban, restricted/unrestricted)
    • By Regclass: Group by regulatory class (light duty, medium/heavy duty, etc.)

Step 4: Select Group Type (if applicable)

  1. If you selected an aggregation level other than "Overall", a "Select Group" dropdown will appear
  2. Choose the specific group you want to analyze:
    • By Vehicle Type: Select specific vehicle type (e.g., "Passenger Cars")
    • By Fuel Type: Select specific fuel (e.g., "Gasoline")
    • By Road Type: Select specific road type (e.g., "Urban Unrestricted Access")
    • By Regclass: Select specific regulatory class (e.g., "Light Duty Vehicles")
  3. If "Overall" is selected, this dropdown won't appear

Step 5: Select Metrics

  1. In the right sidebar, find "Metrics"
  2. Select one or more metrics to display:
    • Emissions: Total emissions values
    • VMT: Vehicle miles traveled
    • Vehicles: Vehicle counts
  3. You can select multiple metrics to compare

Step 6: View Results

The main content area will automatically update showing:

  • Emissions Data Table: Pivot table with aggregated data
    • Rows: Years and counties (geoids)
    • Columns: Selected metrics
    • Values: Aggregated emissions/VMT/vehicles
  • Comparison Plot: Bar chart comparing orders
    • Separate panels (facets) for each metric
    • Color-coded bars for each order/county
    • Easy visual comparison

Understanding the Results

Data Table

The table shows:

  • Rows: Each row represents a year-county combination from your selected orders
  • Columns: Each column represents a metric (Emissions, VMT, Vehicles)
  • Values: Aggregated totals based on your filters
  • Sorting: Click column headers to sort

Comparison Chart

The bar chart shows:

  • X-axis: Counties/orders being compared
  • Y-axis: Values for the selected metrics
  • Facets: Separate panels for each metric (if multiple selected)
  • Colors: Different colors for visual distinction
  • Bars: Height represents the value

Reading the Chart:

  • Taller bars = higher values
  • Compare bars across counties/orders to see differences
  • Each metric has its own panel for clarity

Data Loading and Caching

COMPARE ORDERS uses an intelligent caching system to improve performance:

  • Data Source: Loads data from your order buckets via API
  • Caching: Data is cached in temporary files to avoid redundant API calls
  • Cache Management: System maintains up to 30 cached files (~75 MB total)
  • Automatic Cleanup: Oldest cached files are deleted when limit is exceeded
  • Shared Cache: Cache is shared with VISUALIZER module for efficiency

What This Means for You:

  • First time loading an order's data: May take a few seconds
  • Subsequent loads: Much faster (uses cached data)
  • No action needed: Caching happens automatically

Cross-Page Navigation

COMPARE ORDERS integrates seamlessly with VIEW ORDERS:

  1. From VIEW ORDERS to COMPARE ORDERS:

    • Select orders in VIEW ORDERS
    • Click "COMPARE" button
    • Navigate to COMPARE ORDERS
    • Selected orders are automatically loaded and selected

  2. Back to VIEW ORDERS:

    • Navigate back to VIEW ORDERS
    • Your previous selections are preserved (if you return quickly)
    • You can continue managing orders

This workflow makes it easy to:

  • Select orders you want to compare
  • Navigate to COMPARE ORDERS
  • Analyze the data
  • Return to VIEW ORDERS to select different orders

Tips for Using COMPARE ORDERS

  1. Start with Overall: Begin with "Overall" aggregation to see total emissions, then drill down
  2. Select Multiple Metrics: Compare emissions, VMT, and vehicles together to understand relationships
  3. Use Filters Strategically: Filter by specific vehicle types or fuel types to focus your analysis
  4. Toggle Sidebar: Hide the sidebar when you want more space for the charts
  5. Compare Gradually: Start with 2-3 orders, then add more as needed
  6. Use Cross-Page Navigation: Select orders in VIEW ORDERS first for easier workflow
  7. Check Order Status: Make sure orders are "Ready" before comparing (processing orders won't have data)

Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: Compare Total Emissions Across Counties

  1. In VIEW ORDERS, select 3-5 orders from different counties (same year)
  2. Click "COMPARE" button
  3. Navigate to COMPARE ORDERS
  4. Choose pollutant (e.g., CO2e)
  5. Select "Overall" aggregation level
  6. Select "Emissions" metric
  7. View table and chart to see which county has highest emissions

Scenario 2: Compare Vehicle Types

  1. Select orders from multiple counties
  2. Navigate to COMPARE ORDERS
  3. Choose pollutant
  4. Select "By Vehicle Type" aggregation
  5. Select a specific vehicle type (e.g., "Passenger Cars")
  6. Select "Emissions" metric
  7. See how passenger car emissions compare across counties

Scenario 3: Multi-Metric Analysis

  1. Select orders
  2. Navigate to COMPARE ORDERS
  3. Choose pollutant and aggregation
  4. Select all three metrics: Emissions, VMT, Vehicles
  5. View separate panels for each metric
  6. Understand relationships: high VMT doesn't always mean high emissions (depends on vehicle mix)

Scenario 4: Time Series Comparison

  1. In VIEW ORDERS, select multiple orders for the same county across different years
  2. Click "COMPARE" button
  3. Navigate to COMPARE ORDERS
  4. Choose pollutant and aggregation
  5. Select metrics
  6. See how emissions change over time for that county

Scenario 5: Fuel Type Comparison

  1. Select orders from multiple counties
  2. Navigate to COMPARE ORDERS
  3. Choose pollutant
  4. Select "By Fuel Type" aggregation
  5. Select a fuel type (e.g., "Electric")
  6. Compare electric vehicle usage across counties

Understanding Aggregation Levels

Overall

  • Shows total emissions without breakdown
  • Best for: High-level comparisons
  • Use when: You want to see which county/order has most total emissions

By Vehicle Type

  • Breaks down by vehicle categories
  • Best for: Understanding which vehicle types drive emissions
  • Use when: Analyzing fleet composition impacts

By Fuel Type

  • Breaks down by fuel categories
  • Best for: Understanding fuel mix impacts
  • Use when: Analyzing alternative fuel adoption

By Road Type

  • Breaks down by road classifications
  • Best for: Understanding geographic distribution
  • Use when: Analyzing urban vs. rural patterns

By Regclass

  • Breaks down by regulatory classes
  • Best for: Regulatory and compliance analysis
  • Use when: Working with regulatory frameworks

Troubleshooting

No Data Showing

If the table or chart is empty:

  1. Make sure you've selected at least one order
  2. Verify the selected orders have status "Ready" (not "Processing")
  3. Verify you've selected a pollutant, aggregation level, and metric
  4. Check that the selected group type (if applicable) exists in the data
  5. Try selecting "Overall" aggregation to see if data appears

Orders Not Available

If you don't see the orders you need:

  1. Make sure you've created orders first (see Creating Orders)
  2. Verify orders have status "Ready" (processing orders won't have data yet)
  3. Check that you're logged into the correct account
  4. Try refreshing the page

Chart Not Updating

If the chart doesn't change when you adjust filters:

  1. Wait a moment for the chart to recalculate
  2. Make sure you've selected orders, pollutant, aggregation, and metrics
  3. Try toggling the sidebar off and on
  4. Refresh the page if needed

Data Loading Slowly

If data takes a long time to load:

  1. First-time loads may take a few seconds (data is being fetched from buckets)
  2. Subsequent loads should be faster (uses cache)
  3. Very large orders may take longer
  4. Check your internet connection if consistently slow

Next Steps

After using COMPARE ORDERS:

  1. Create More Orders - Create orders for counties you want to compare
  2. Visualize Data - Use VISUALIZER for more detailed exploration of individual orders
  3. Generate Reports - Create reports comparing counties using REPORTER
  4. Download Data - Use DATAHUB for bulk downloads

Ready to download data in bulk? See DATAHUB Guide for bulk download capabilities.