Creating Orders

Learn how to submit new emissions modeling orders through the Cloud MOVES system on the CAT Platform.

What is an Order?

An order is a request to run emissions modeling for a specific geographic area (county) and year through the Cloud MOVES system. Cloud MOVES is the distributed computing infrastructure that processes MOVES emissions calculations. When you submit an order:

  1. Cloud MOVES runs the MOVES (Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator) model for your selected county and year
  2. Processing typically takes 5-10 minutes
  3. Results include emissions data, vehicle miles traveled (VMT), vehicle counts, and more
  4. You can download the results, visualize them, and use them for analysis

Accessing the New Order Page

  1. Click "New Order" in the sidebar (MENU section)
  2. Or click "New Order" from the Welcome page under "Customize Your Scenarios"

Step-by-Step: Creating an Order

Step 1: Select Geographic Area

You can choose a county in two ways:

Option A: By County Name

  1. In the "Choose Type" dropdown, select "By Name"
  2. In the "Geoid" dropdown, search for or select your county
    • Example: "Tompkins County, NY"
    • The system will show counties in a searchable list

Option B: By FIPS Code

  1. In the "Choose Type" dropdown, select "By Geoid"
  2. In the "Geoid" dropdown, select or enter the 5-digit FIPS code
    • Example: "36109" for Tompkins County, NY
    • FIPS codes are standardized county identifiers

Tip: If you know the FIPS code, using "By Geoid" is often faster. If you're not sure, "By Name" is easier to search.

Step 2: Select Year

  1. In the "Year" dropdown, select the year you want to model
  2. You can select multiple years if needed (up to 5 years at a time for non-admin users)
  3. Available years typically range from historical data to future projections

Note: You can select multiple counties and multiple years. The system will create a separate order for each combination (county × year).

Step 3: Upload Custom Files (Optional)

If you have custom MOVES input files, you can upload them to customize the modeling:

Supported File Formats:

  • Excel (.xlsx): Single Excel workbook with multiple sheets
  • ZIP file (.zip): Archive containing multiple CSV files
  • CSV file (.csv): Single CSV file (will be converted to ZIP automatically)

What Are MOVES Input Files?

MOVES input files contain activity data such as:

  • Vehicle miles traveled (VMT) by vehicle type
  • Vehicle counts
  • Vehicle starts
  • Operating hours
  • Vehicle type distributions
  • Fuel type distributions
  • Road type distributions

If you don't upload custom files, the system uses default MOVES activity data for your selected county.

How to Upload:

  1. Click "Choose File" or "Browse"
  2. Select your file(s)
  3. The file name will appear once selected
  4. You can upload one file per order

Note: If you upload a CSV file, it will be automatically converted to a ZIP file. Excel files are also converted to ZIP format for processing.

Step 4: Check Your Limits

Before submitting, check your order limits:

  • Orders This Month: Shows how many orders you've created this month vs. your monthly limit
  • Total Orders: Shows your total orders vs. your account limit
  • Remaining: How many orders you can still create this month

If you're approaching your limit, you may want to:

  • Wait until next month
  • Upgrade your subscription
  • Delete old orders you no longer need

Step 5: Submit Your Order

  1. Review your selections:
    • Geographic area(s)
    • Year(s)
    • Uploaded files (if any)
  2. Click "Submit Order"
  3. You'll see a success message
  4. A modal will confirm your order submission

What Happens Next:

  • Your order appears in the "View Orders" table within 1-2 minutes
  • Order status will show "Processing" initially
  • Processing typically takes 5-10 minutes
  • Once ready, status changes to "Ready" and you can download results

Understanding Order Limits

Subscription Limits

Each subscription tier has different limits:

  • Free: Typically 5 orders per month, limited total orders
  • Basic: More orders per month
  • Premium: Even more capacity
  • Institutional: Custom limits based on contract

Multiple Selections

If you select:

  • 3 counties and 2 years = 6 orders will be created (3 × 2 = 6)
  • 1 county and 5 years = 5 orders will be created

Important: The system creates one order per county-year combination. Make sure you don't exceed your limits!

Non-Admin Limits

If you're not an admin user:

  • Maximum 5 counties per submission
  • Maximum 5 years per submission
  • This prevents accidentally creating too many orders at once

Order Processing

Orders are processed by the Cloud MOVES system, which uses distributed cloud computing to run MOVES emissions calculations efficiently.

Processing Time

  • Initial Registration: 1-2 minutes (order appears in table)
  • Data Processing: 5-10 minutes (Cloud MOVES runs MOVES model)
  • Total Time: Typically 6-12 minutes from submission to ready

Processing Status

You can check order status in "View Orders":

  • Processing: Order is being calculated
  • Ready: Order is complete, data available
  • Error: Something went wrong (check details or contact support)

What Gets Calculated

Each order generates:

  • Emissions by pollutant (CO2e, CO, NOx, PM, etc.)
  • Vehicle miles traveled (VMT) by category
  • Vehicle counts by type
  • Data broken down by:
    • Vehicle type (cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, etc.)
    • Fuel type (gasoline, diesel, electric, CNG, etc.)
    • Road type (rural/urban, restricted/unrestricted)
    • Regulatory class

Tips for Creating Orders

  1. Start Simple: For your first order, select one county and one year without custom files
  2. Check Limits First: Always review your order limits before submitting multiple combinations
  3. Use FIPS Codes: If you work with specific counties regularly, learn their FIPS codes for faster entry
  4. Plan Ahead: If you need many orders, consider upgrading your subscription or spreading orders across months
  5. Custom Files: Only upload custom MOVES input files if you have specific activity data to use

Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: Single County, Single Year

  • Select: 1 county, 1 year
  • Result: 1 order
  • Use case: Quick analysis for a specific area and year

Scenario 2: Multiple Counties, Single Year

  • Select: 3 counties, 1 year
  • Result: 3 orders (one per county)
  • Use case: Comparing multiple counties for the same year

Scenario 3: Single County, Multiple Years

  • Select: 1 county, 5 years
  • Result: 5 orders (one per year)
  • Use case: Time series analysis for one county

Scenario 4: Multiple Counties, Multiple Years

  • Select: 3 counties, 3 years
  • Result: 9 orders (3 × 3 = 9)
  • Use case: Comprehensive regional analysis
  • ⚠️ Warning: Make sure you have enough order capacity!

Troubleshooting

"Out of Space" Error

If you see an "Out of Space" message:

  • You've reached your monthly or total order limit
  • Options:
    • Wait until next month (for monthly limits)
    • Upgrade your subscription
    • Delete old orders you no longer need

File Upload Errors

If file upload fails:

  • Check file format (must be .xlsx, .zip, or .csv)
  • Ensure file isn't corrupted
  • Try converting Excel to CSV if having issues
  • Contact support if problems persist

Order Not Appearing

If your order doesn't appear in "View Orders":

  • Wait 1-2 minutes (there's a slight delay)
  • Refresh the page
  • Check that submission was successful (you should have seen a success message)

Next Steps

After creating an order:

  1. View Your Orders - Check status and download results
  2. Visualize Your Data - Explore results with interactive charts
  3. Generate a Report - Create a Word document report
  4. Publish Your Data - Share verified results publicly (if verified)

Ready to view your orders? See Viewing Orders for how to check status and download results.