Create a Region-Based OD Study
When creating a region-based study in iNode, you’ll first configure the core parameters that define what data is included and how results are generated. This step allows you to write your study name, select a study type, vehicle types, trips outside region, and the map framework used to represent the road network. These selections ensure your study is tailored to the specific traffic characteristics, analysis goals, and geographic context you want to evaluate.
To start a new study:
- Click on Create
- Write the name of your study under Study Name
- Select the vehicle type(s) to include in your analysis
- Select the map type to use as the underlying road network. iNode currently supports both Orbis and Genesis map types during TomTom's transition between platforms
Trips Outside Your Defined Regions
Before drafting your study, it’s critical to define how trips outside the regions are handled. Your choice defines how iNode counts and assigns trips, leading to two different outcomes.
There are two options:
Trim to defined region
Add to external region
Selecting Your Region
In this step, you will create a study region.
Pro Tip
iNode’s Region-based OD tool tracks trips beginning when a traveler enters the first user-defined region and ending when they exit the last region. Any regions crossed in between are automatically recorded as pass-through regions. When creating a region-based study, there is no need to predefine whether a region serves as an origin, destination, or pass-through. Simply create all relevant regions, and move on to the next steps.
Origin, destination, and pass-through labels can be assigned and filtered when setting criteria for analyzing the results, after a study has been submitted. This approach makes Region-based OD tool highly versatile, especially when you can identify and define all relevant regions in advance.
Available Regions for Your Study Creation
The highlighted area(s) on the map represent the available regions to you for your study creation, which is determined and preset by your account access. They can range from a single area/segment, to a city/state,, or a country (countries).
Three Ways of Creating a Study
- Drawing your study areas
- Uploading shapefiles
- Using the search bar
1. Draw Your Study Areas
There are three tools available to create or add a new region. They are:
1.1 Segment selection tool
1.2 Polygon selection tool
1.3 Region selection tool
Pro Tip
The maximum number of selections allowed is 600 regions.
1.1 Segment Selection Tool
The Segment selection tool allows you to select a single road segment from the map.
To use this tool:
- Click on Add New on the left side of the map.
- Enter the name of the region.
- Click on the Segment selection tool in the top-left corner of the map.
- Zoom into the road section you want results for.
- Select a road segment from the available options on the map. When you zoom in on your study area, all available road segments are shown in blue. Simply click and select the road segment(s) from which you’d like to set as your study region. Each segment will be defined as a region. If you are to create multiple segments, each will be defined as a separate study region.
- Accept the region(s).
- Once accepted the selected segment will turn blue once this has been done.
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1.2 Polygon Selection Tool
The Polygon selection tool allows you to draw a custom polygon on the map.
To use this tool:
- Click on Add New on the left side of the map.
- Enter the name of the region.
- Select the Polygon selection tool in the top-left corner of the map.
- Draw a polygon(s) on the map
- Accept the region(s)
- Once accepted, the name of the region you picked will show up
1.3 Region Selection Tool
The Region selection tool is a polygon tool with the added function of selecting all entrances and exits to or from the polygon you created at once. All streets of the FRC defined by you that intersect with the drawn polygon will be automatically chosen as origin/destination regions. This is useful for understanding how traffic flows through a neighborhood: what streets vehicles use to enter, whether they stay within the region, and what streets they use as a cut-through route and exit.
To use this tool:
- Click on Add New on the left side of the map.
- Enter the name of the region.
- Click on the Region selection tool in the top-left corner of the map.
- Draw a region(s) on the map.
- Once you have defined your region a window will show where you can select your road classes. Remembers that all road classes are selected as a default.
- Select all your road classes and click save
- After you have saved, your region will appear similar to the image below
2. Upload a File
You can upload a region(s) of interest in four different file formats:
- Shapefile
- GeoJSON
- KML
- ZIP (Shapefile)
To upload a file:
- Click on the Upload button in the top-right corner of the map.
- Select the file format.
- Locate the file on your device and upload it.
Important Note:
If you have multiple regions to upload, they must be consolidated in one file.
3. Use the Search Bar
You can use the search bar to look up an address, name of the area/city/town, postal/zip code, etc. The app will zoom in on the selected location, where you can draw your study area using the segment selection or polygon selection tool. If the searched name is associated with a geometry, you can also select that geometry as a region.
For example, if you search for an FSA (the first part of a Canadian postal code) like K1G, the area associated with that FSA will appear on the map and can be used as a region.
To do this:
- Add a new region.
- Enter the name of the region.
- Search for the FSA in the search bar.
- Accept the geometry
Table of contents
- Create a Region-Based OD Study
- Trips Outside Your Defined Regions
- Trim to defined region
- Add to external region
- Selecting Your Region
- Available Regions for Your Study Creation
- Three Ways of Creating a Study
- 1. Draw Your Study Areas
- ‣ 1.1 Segment Selection Tool
- ‣ 1.2 Polygon Selection Tool
- ‣1.3 Region Selection Tool
- 2. Upload a File
- 3. Use the Search Bar