VISUALIZER Guide

Learn how to use VISUALIZER to explore your emissions data with interactive charts, maps, and visualizations.

What is VISUALIZER?

VISUALIZER is an interactive tool that lets you:

View emissions data as charts, maps, and tables
Compare different scenarios and time periods
Explore data by vehicle type, fuel type, road type, and more
Combine your custom order data with public CAT Grand Database data (hybrid data sources)
Select multiple custom orders for comparison
Export visualizations for presentations and reports

Accessing VISUALIZER

Click "VISUALIZER" in the sidebar (REPORT section)
Or click "VISUALIZER" from the Welcome page under "Explore Your Data"
The VISUALIZER page will load with several sections (accordions)

Understanding the Interface

The Visualizer is organized into sections that you expand and collapse:

SELECT CUSTOM ORDER DATA: Choose your own order data to include
CHOOSE YOUR SCENARIO: Select what data to visualize (geographic area, year, pollutant, etc.)
PROFILE: Summary statistics and overview
TOOLBOX: Multiple visualization types (charts, maps, etc.)

Step-by-Step: Using the Visualizer

Step 1: Select Custom Order Data (Optional)

If you want to visualize data from your own orders:

Expand the "SELECT CUSTOM ORDER DATA" section
You'll see a table listing your orders
Select one or more orders by clicking the checkboxes
Selected orders' data will be loaded and used in visualizations

Note: VISUALIZER uses hybrid data sources - it combines CAT Grand Database data with your custom order data. You can skip this step to view only public CAT Grand Database data. Your custom order data will override public data for the same county/year if both are available. VISUALIZER uses intelligent caching (shared with COMPARE ORDERS) to improve performance when loading order data.

Step 2: Choose Your Scenario

Expand the "CHOOSE YOUR SCENARIO" section to configure what you want to visualize:

Search (Table Selection)

In the "SEARCH" dropdown, select a table:
- Granddata tables: Public data (e.g., "granddata.d36109" for Tompkins County, NY)
- Orderdata tables: Your custom order data (e.g., "orderdata.d36109_u8_o1")
The table name includes the FIPS code (geoid) for the county

Year

Select the year you want to visualize
Available years depend on the selected table

Pollutant

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
Different pollutants show different aspects of emissions

Highlight

Select what to highlight in visualizations:
- Options vary but may include vehicle types, fuel types, road types, etc.
This affects how data is grouped and displayed

Options (Metrics)

Select one or more metrics to display:
- Emissions: Total emissions values
- VMT: Vehicle miles traveled
- Vehicles: Vehicle counts
You can select multiple metrics to compare

Step 3: View Profile

The "PROFILE" section shows:

Summary statistics for your selected scenario
Key metrics and totals
Overview of the data

This gives you a quick summary before diving into detailed visualizations.

Step 4: Explore Toolbox Visualizations

The "TOOLBOX" section contains multiple visualization types. Click the tabs (pills) at the top to switch between them:

FACTSHEET

Summary statements and key metrics
Text-based overview of the data
Good for quick reference

MAP

Geographic visualizations
Shows emissions by sub-jurisdiction or geographic area
Color-coded maps showing spatial patterns
Interactive: hover or click for details

DONUT

Pie/donut charts showing distribution
Displays how emissions are divided by category (e.g., by vehicle type, fuel type)
Interactive: hover for values, click to highlight segments

TIME TREND

Line charts showing emissions over time
Useful for seeing trends across years
Can show single or multiple series

TIME TREND BY TYPE

Multi-series line charts
Shows trends for multiple categories on the same chart
Compare different vehicle types, fuel types, etc. over time

RANK

Ranking visualizations
Compares different areas or categories
Shows which areas have highest/lowest emissions
Bar charts or similar ranking displays

Understanding the Visualizations

Reading Charts

X-axis: Usually time (years) or categories
Y-axis: Usually emissions values, VMT, or vehicle counts
Colors: Different colors represent different categories (vehicle types, fuel types, etc.)
Hover: Move your mouse over chart elements to see exact values
Click: Some charts allow clicking to filter or highlight

Reading Maps

Colors: Different colors or shades represent different emission levels
Legend: Shows what colors/shades mean
Click/Hover: Interact with map areas to see details
Zoom: Some maps allow zooming in/out

Comparing Data

You can compare:

Different years: Select different years to see trends
Different pollutants: Switch pollutants to see different aspects
Different areas: Select different tables (counties) to compare
Custom vs. Public: Your order data vs. public granddata

Tips for Using the Visualizer

Start Simple: Begin with one table, one year, one pollutant to understand the interface
Explore Gradually: Add complexity (multiple years, custom orders) as you get comfortable
Use Custom Orders: Include your own order data to see your specific modeling results
Try Different Visualizations: Each visualization type shows data differently - explore them all
Compare Scenarios: Use the Visualizer to compare different years, areas, or scenarios