Using Monitor

This page contains detailed instructions for using the Monitor view after you have opened a template.

What is new compared to the Viewer?

The Monitor module uses the Viewer module as its base and adds charts on top. If you are familiar with the Viewer, you only need to learn:

• Charts grid: Overlay of charts on top of the map
• Monitor panel: A separate panel on the left (next to Filters) with display options, reference period, aggregation, time window, and export
• Display in the Monitor panel: User objects (with Use unique colors), Show charts (with sub-options Show helper lines, and if configured Show signal values / Show target values). These options do not exist in the Viewer.

For all Viewer functionality (map layers, filters, time selection), see the Viewer documentation.

Charts

The Monitor module shows charts in a grid layout on top of the Viewer map. These charts are updated automatically when new data becomes available and automatic refresh is on.

Grid layouts

Monitor templates can have different grid layouts:

• 3x3: 9 chart positions (3 columns, 3 rows)
• 3x4: 12 chart positions (3 columns, 4 rows)
• 4x4: 16 chart positions (4 columns, 4 rows)

Each position in the grid can contain a chart, but not all positions need to be filled.

Chart types

Depending on the configuration, different types of charts can be shown:

• Volume (veh/h): Number of vehicles per unit of time
• Speed (km/h): Average speed
• Travel time (min): Travel time on routes
• Occupancy (veh): Number of occupied parking spaces

Chart lines

Each chart shows different data lines:

• Day value (orange line): The current value for the selected day
• Reference (grey line): The average value for the days within the reference period
• Baseline (grey dashed line):
  • For travel time: Free-flow travel time
  • For speed: Max. speed
  • For volume and occupancy: Capacity
• Target value (green dashed line, if configured): The desired target value. You can hide this line via Show target values in the Monitor panel.
• Signal value (red dashed line, if configured): The signal value for warnings. The chart background turns red when this value is exceeded (only visible when Show signal values is on). You can hide the signal line and red warning by turning off Show signal values.

Chart interaction

• Hover: Move over a chart for detailed information in a tooltip
• Zoom: Use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out on that one chart
• Time window: Limit all charts to the same part of the day via the Monitor panel (overrides a previous mouse-wheel zoom)
• Reset zoom: Double-click a chart to reset that chart’s zoom to the chosen time window

Linking a chart to the map

Each chart has a location button at the top right:

• Click the location button to select the corresponding point or line segment on the map
• The map automatically zooms in on the location
• This helps identify which location belongs to which chart
• The reverse also works: when a user object on the map is clicked, the corresponding chart is selected.

When several NDW segments at the same location run in the same direction, a chooser is shown first. Only segments matching a selected prefix are included. Hover over a candidate to highlight its segment, then click it to confirm the selection. The charts are temporarily hidden while choosing and return after selection.

Title bar

At the top, the title bar shows the project name and the template name of the active monitor template (separated by ·).

Monitor panel

Alongside the Viewer filter panel (Filters), Monitor has a separate Monitor panel on the left. There you will find display options, reference period, aggregation, time window, and export.

Display

• User objects: Turn this map layer on or off to show or hide the objects (points and lines) linked to the chart tiles on the map. The layer is on by default. If you turn it off, the linked objects disappear from the map; the charts remain visible.

When User objects is enabled, the following appears:

• Use unique colors: When ticked, each object on the map and its corresponding chart get their own colour, making it easier to tell objects apart and see which chart belongs to which object. When disabled, all objects use the same default colour.

Other display options:

• Show charts: Turn the charts overlay on top of the map on or off. On by default. When disabled you see only the map; the screenshot button is then unavailable.

When Show charts is enabled, the following appear:

• Show helper lines: Shows or hides the horizontal guide lines in the charts. On by default.
• Show signal values: Only visible when at least one chart tile has a signal value. On by default. When disabled, the red signal lines and the red background on charts where the signal is active disappear.
• Show target values: Only visible when at least one chart tile has a target value. On by default. When disabled, the green target lines disappear; signal warnings continue to work when Show signal values is on.

Reference period

• Select a reference period from the dropdown used for comparison in the charts
• The reference period determines which historical data is used for the daily pattern (reference line)
• The reference line shows the average value for the same weekday within the selected reference period

Custom reference period

• Click Custom period to compose your own reference period
• This lets you make additional comparisons with a specific period of your choice

The custom period now appears as Custom in the dropdown menu. You can switch between the preconfigured periods and this custom period.

See period type for more information on setting up periods.

Aggregation

• Select the aggregation period for the charts from the dropdown:
  • 1 minute: Data is shown per minute
  • 5 minutes: Data is aggregated per 5 minutes
  • 15 minutes: Data is aggregated per 15 minutes
  • 1 hour: Data is aggregated per hour
• This determines how detailed the data is displayed in the charts

Timeslot

The time window zooms all charts to the same part of the selected day.

• Choose a preset in the dropdown menu, or drag the start and end handles of the dual slider (steps of 30 minutes)
• Full day (00:00–24:00) (default)
• Morning peak (06:00–10:00)
• Daytime (06:00–20:00)
• Evening peak (15:00–19:00)
• Custom: appears when the slider does not match a preset
• Zooming with the mouse wheel applies only to that chart; the Time window remains unchanged
• The vertical axis scales to the visible points
• Double-click a chart to reset that chart’s zoom to the chosen time window
• CSV export still contains the full day; a screenshot shows the zoomed window

Export

Open selection in Analysis

When the Analysis module is available for the project, the Monitor panel (under Export) shows the Open selection in Analysis button.

• First select a chart (via the location button or by clicking the user object on the map)
• Click Open selection in Analysis to open Analysis in a new tab
• The linked measurement locations of the selected object are prefilled in the Analysis selection list
• The button is disabled when there is no suitable selection (for example parking or upload data, or when no chart is selected yet)

See From Monitor or Evaluation for what happens in Analysis.

CSV download

• Click Download CSV to download the data of all charts as a CSV file
• The CSV file contains the following columns:
  • Object name: The name of the object
  • Time: The timestamp
  • Day value: The current value for the selected day
  • Reference value: The reference value (average of the days in the reference period)
  • Baseline value: The baseline value (for example free-flow travel time, max. speed, or capacity)
• The file is automatically named with template name, date, and aggregation level
• Useful for further analysis or reporting

Screenshot

• Click Screenshot (below Download CSV) to take a screenshot of the current map with charts
• The image is copied to the clipboard as PNG; paste it for example into an email, report, or presentation
• If copying to the clipboard is not supported or fails, the image is automatically downloaded as a PNG file
• The download filename contains template name, selected date, and aggregation level (e.g. My template-2024-03-15-5min.png)
• Above the map and charts a title bar is added with the TrafficDash logo, project name, template name, selected date and time, and the chosen reference period
• The button is disabled while data is still loading or when the charts are not visible; enable Show charts in the Monitor panel to show the overlay again
• While creating the screenshot the button shows a loading indicator

Tips for effective use

1. Use the location button: Click the location button on charts to quickly see which location is being monitored
2. Configure chart settings: Adjust reference period, aggregation level, and time window via the Monitor panel for better analyses
3. Open in Analysis: Use Open selection in Analysis to analyse the selected locations over longer periods
4. Download data: Use the CSV download function to export data for further analysis
5. Take a screenshot: Use the camera button to share the current map with charts in reports or meetings
6. Adjust time: Use the time selection to view different times and identify patterns on the map
7. Filter map layers: Turn off unnecessary layers via the Filters panel for a clearer view
8. User objects: Use the User objects option in the Monitor panel to show or hide objects linked to charts on the map; enable Use unique colors for better recognition per object
9. Signal and target lines: Turn off Show signal values or Show target values in the Monitor panel for a quieter view when you only want to see day value and reference
10. Compare times: Use the time selection to switch between different moments to compare them
11. Zoom on map: Zoom in on specific areas for a detailed view

Troubleshooting

No charts visible

• Check whether charts are configured for this template (or ask the project owner)
• Check whether the selected date/time is correct

Charts do not load

• Wait a moment; large datasets can take time to load
• Check your internet connection
• Try refreshing the page

Map shows no data

• Check whether the correct map layers are enabled
• Check whether data is available for the selected date/time

Screenshot does not work

• Wait until the map and charts are fully loaded
• Check whether Show charts is enabled in the Monitor panel
• If copying to the clipboard fails, the image is downloaded automatically