Creating Orders

Learn how to submit new emissions modeling orders through the CLOUD MOVES system on the CAT Platform, including how to customize your orders using the ADAPT API, manage tables, and submit orders with custom MOVES input files.

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 (CLOUD MOVES section)
  2. Or click "New Order" from the Welcome page under "Customize Your Scenarios"

Understanding the New Order Interface

The New Order page is organized into several cards:

  1. Make a New Order - Instructions and overview
  2. Order Configuration - Select geographic area and year, with navigation buttons
  3. Customize Your Order - Download MOVES input tables from ADAPT API
  4. MY TABLES - View, edit, save, and manage your tables
  5. File Upload (Optional) - Upload CSV, Excel, or ZIP files
  6. SELECT TABLES FOR MY ORDER (OPTIONAL) - Select specific tables for order submission
  7. Submit Order - Final submission button

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 AREA BY" dropdown, select "County Name"
  2. In the "CHOOSE YOUR AREA" 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 AREA BY" dropdown, select "County FIPS Code"
  2. In the "CHOOSE YOUR AREA" 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 FIPS Code" is often faster. If you're not sure, "By County Name" is easier to search.

Step 2: Select Year

  1. In the "CHOOSE YOUR YEAR" dropdown, select the year(s) 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 1990 to 2060

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

Step 3: Customize Your Order (Optional)

After selecting your geographic area and year, you have several options to customize your order:

Option A: Download Tables from ADAPT API

The ADAPT API provides pre-configured MOVES input tables for your selected county and year. These tables are prepared by CAT to provide a realistic baseline scenario.

To download tables:

  1. Click the "CUSTOMIZE" button (this scrolls to the "Customize Your Order" card)

  2. In the "Customize Your Order" card, you'll see a table listing available MOVES input tables:

    • Fuel Formulation: Fuel characteristics and properties
    • Fuel Supply: Fuel supply by region and month
    • Fuel Usage Fraction: Fuel use by year and county
    • AVFT: Fleet technology and fuel types
    • Vehicle Population: Vehicle population by vehicle type
    • Vehicle Miles Traveled: VMT by vehicle type
    • Daily/Hourly/Monthly VMT Fraction: VMT distribution over time
    • Age Distribution: Vehicle population by age and type
    • Average Speed Distribution: Average speeds by hour
    • Road Type Distribution: VMT distribution by road type
    • Vehicle Starts: Annual, daily, and hourly vehicle starts
    • Hotelling Activity: Hotelling activity by zone
    • Total Idle Fraction: Total fraction of idling
    • I/M Coverage: Inspection & maintenance coverage
    • Zone Month Hour: Meteorological conditions by hour

  3. Download Individual Tables:

    • Click the "Download" button next to any table name
    • The table will be downloaded and saved as a draft
    • You can download multiple tables individually

  4. Download All Tables:

    • Click the "Download All Tables" button at the bottom of the table
    • All available tables will be downloaded as a ZIP file
    • Individual tables will also be saved as drafts for editing

What Happens After Download:

  • Tables are automatically saved as drafts
  • Tables appear in the "MY TABLES" section
  • Tables are added to the "SELECT TABLES FOR MY ORDER" datatable
  • You can edit, save, or delete downloaded tables

Option B: Use MY TABLES

The MY TABLES section lets you view, edit, save, and manage tables you've previously downloaded or saved.

To use MY TABLES:

  1. Click the "MY TABLES" button (this scrolls to the "MY TABLES" card)

  2. In the "MY TABLES" card, you'll see:

    • A dropdown to select a table (shows all your drafts and saved tables)
    • SAVE button: Save the current table to your CAT account (Firestore)
    • DOWNLOAD button: Download the table as a CSV file
    • DELETE button: Delete the table
    • An editable table showing the table data

  3. Select a Table:

    • Use the dropdown to select a table you want to view or edit
    • Tables are labeled with "(Draft)" if they haven't been saved
    • Saved tables show without the "(Draft)" label

  4. Edit a Table:

    • Once a table is selected, it appears in an editable DataTable
    • Click on any cell to edit its value
    • Press Enter or click elsewhere to save the change
    • Changes are automatically saved to the draft file

  5. Save a Table:

    • After editing, click "SAVE" to save the table to your CAT account
    • You'll be prompted to enter a name for the table
    • Saved tables are stored in Firestore and can be loaded later
    • Saved tables can be used in future orders

  6. Download a Table:

    • Click "DOWNLOAD" to download the table as a CSV file
    • Useful for backup or use in other tools

  7. Delete a Table:

    • Click "DELETE" to remove a table
    • You'll be asked to confirm deletion
    • Drafts and saved tables can both be deleted

Table Status Indicators:

  • Red dot: Table is a draft (not saved)
  • Green dot: Table is saved to your account

Option C: Upload Custom Files

If you have custom MOVES input files, you can upload them:

Supported File Formats:

  • Excel (.xlsx): Single Excel workbook with multiple sheets (each sheet becomes a separate table)
  • ZIP file (.zip): Archive containing multiple CSV files
  • CSV file (.csv): Single CSV file

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

How to Upload:

  1. Click "Choose File" or "Browse" in the "File Upload (Optional)" card
  2. Select your file(s) - you can select multiple files
  3. The file name(s) will appear once selected

What Happens After Upload:

  • CSV files: Each CSV is added as a draft table
  • Excel files: Each sheet is extracted and saved as a separate CSV draft table
  • ZIP files: All CSV files inside the ZIP are extracted and saved as draft tables
  • All uploaded tables appear in "MY TABLES" and "SELECT TABLES FOR MY ORDER"
  • Tables are automatically selected for order submission

Note: If you upload a CSV file, it will be added to your table collection. Excel files are converted to CSV format (one CSV per sheet). ZIP files are extracted and each CSV inside is added as a separate table.

Option D: Skip Customization

You can skip all customization and use default MOVES input data:

  1. Click the "SKIP" button (this scrolls to the "Submit Order" card)
  2. Proceed directly to order submission
  3. The system will use default MOVES activity data for your selected county

Step 4: Select Tables for Order Submission (Optional)

If you've downloaded tables from ADAPT API, uploaded files, or have saved tables, you can select which tables to include in your order:

  1. Scroll to the "SELECT TABLES FOR MY ORDER (OPTIONAL)" card

  2. You'll see a datatable showing all available tables:

    • Name: Table name with geoid and year (e.g., "sourcetypeyear_36109_2025")
    • GEOID: 5-digit FIPS code
    • Year: Year for the table
    • TableType: Type of MOVES input table
    • Source: Where the table came from (Adapted, Uploaded, My Tables)
    • Status: Draft or Saved

  3. Select Tables:

    • Click checkboxes on the left to select tables
    • Use "Select All" to select all tables
    • Use "Deselect All" to clear selections
    • Use "Delete Selected" to remove tables you don't need

  4. Table Filtering:

    • The datatable automatically filters by your selected geoid and year
    • You can manually filter or search if needed
    • Only tables matching your order's geoid and year are shown by default

Note: You can select any tables or none. The CAT platform will use default values for any tables you don't include. If you select tables, they will be bundled into a ZIP file and included with your order submission.

Step 5: Check Your Limits

Before submitting, check your order limits (shown on the page):

  • 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 6: Submit Your Order

  1. Review your selections:

    • Geographic area(s)
    • Year(s)
    • Selected tables (if any)
    • Uploaded files (if any)

  2. Click "SUBMIT ORDER" button

  3. You'll see a success message and a confirmation modal with:

    • Order submission confirmation
    • Timeline information (1-2 minutes for order to appear, 5-10 minutes for data to be ready)

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 through CLOUD MOVES
  • Once ready, status changes to "Ready" and you can download results

Understanding Order Submission Scenarios

The New Order module supports several submission scenarios:

Scenario 1: ZIP File Upload

  • Upload a ZIP file containing MOVES input tables
  • ZIP file is used directly for order submission
  • No table selection needed

Scenario 2: Selected Tables from Drafts/Firestore

  • Download tables from ADAPT API or upload files
  • Select specific tables in "SELECT TABLES FOR MY ORDER"
  • Selected tables are bundled into a ZIP for submission

Scenario 3: Saved Tables from Firestore

  • Load previously saved tables from MY TABLES
  • Select tables for order submission
  • Tables are bundled into a ZIP for submission

Scenario 4: Mix of Drafts and Saved Tables

  • Combine tables from different sources
  • Select any combination for order submission
  • All selected tables are bundled together

Scenario 5: No Custom Tables (Use Defaults)

  • Skip all customization
  • Use default MOVES input data
  • No ZIP file included with order

Scenario 6: Empty Selection

  • Don't select any tables
  • Order submitted with no custom files
  • System uses default MOVES data

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 customization to see how the system works
  2. Try ADAPT API: On your second order, try downloading tables from ADAPT API to customize your scenario
  3. Use MY TABLES: Save frequently used tables to MY TABLES for reuse in future orders
  4. Check Limits First: Always review your order limits before submitting multiple combinations
  5. Use FIPS Codes: If you work with specific counties regularly, learn their FIPS codes for faster entry
  6. Plan Ahead: If you need many orders, consider upgrading your subscription or spreading orders across months
  7. Edit Before Saving: Edit downloaded tables before saving them to ensure they match your needs
  8. Select Strategically: Only select tables you've customized - the system will use defaults for others

Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: Quick Order with Defaults

  1. Select: 1 county, 1 year
  2. Click "SKIP" button
  3. Click "SUBMIT ORDER"
  4. Result: 1 order with default MOVES data

Scenario 2: Customized Order with ADAPT API

  1. Select: 1 county, 1 year
  2. Click "CUSTOMIZE" button
  3. Download specific tables from ADAPT API (e.g., Vehicle Population, VMT)
  4. Edit tables in MY TABLES if needed
  5. Select tables in "SELECT TABLES FOR MY ORDER"
  6. Click "SUBMIT ORDER"
  7. Result: 1 order with customized tables

Scenario 3: Order with Uploaded Files

  1. Select: 1 county, 1 year
  2. Upload ZIP file containing custom MOVES input tables
  3. Files are automatically added to table collection
  4. Select uploaded tables for order (or use all)
  5. Click "SUBMIT ORDER"
  6. Result: 1 order with uploaded custom files

Scenario 4: Order with Saved Tables

  1. Select: 1 county, 1 year
  2. Click "MY TABLES" button
  3. Load previously saved table from Firestore
  4. Edit if needed, or use as-is
  5. Select table in "SELECT TABLES FOR MY ORDER"
  6. Click "SUBMIT ORDER"
  7. Result: 1 order with saved custom table

Scenario 5: Multiple Counties, Multiple Years

  1. Select: 3 counties, 3 years
  2. Download all tables from ADAPT API (optional)
  3. Click "SUBMIT ORDER"
  4. Result: 9 orders (3 × 3 = 9)
  5. ⚠️ 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

ADAPT API Download Errors

If downloading tables from ADAPT API fails:

  • Check your internet connection
  • Verify you've selected a geoid and year
  • Try downloading individual tables instead of "Download All"
  • Contact support if problems persist

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

Table Not Saving to Firestore

If saving a table fails:

  • Check that you're logged in
  • Verify you entered a table name
  • Try again - sometimes there's a brief delay
  • 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)

Tables Not Showing in Selection

If tables don't appear in "SELECT TABLES FOR MY ORDER":

  • Verify tables match your selected geoid and year
  • Check that tables were successfully downloaded/uploaded
  • Try refreshing the page
  • Check MY TABLES to see if tables are there

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.