Geocoding & Matrices in TransCAD

Murtaza Haider
murtaza.haider@ryerson.ca
Tel: 416.979.5000, ext. 2480
Geocoding and Spatial Analysis

Goal: Understand how to:

Locate your data on a map
Merge areas to form districts such as sales territories or
administrative regions
Create bands to see areas of influence
Overlay areas to extract data from other areas
Measure distance and area
Basics: Pin Mapping

Definition: A process of creating a new geographic

file containing a single geographic point for each
record in a database or spreadsheet. Used to locate
customers, prospects, facility locations, and other
features.
Geocoding and address matching are other terms
that are used.
Example: Pin Mapping
Pin Mapping: Locating by Address #1

Choose File-Open or click on the toolbar.

Open the dBASE file CUSTOMER.DBF in
TCW\TUTORIAL. TransCAD displays a dataview
of 45 customers in Connecticut.
Click on the toolbar, or choose Tools-Locate by
Address, and click OK. TransCAD displays the
Save As dialog box.
Locating by Address #2

Enter MYCUSTOM as the geographic file name

and click OK. TransCAD locates most of the
addresses and shows the pins in a new map.
Click OK after reading the dialog box with the
results of the process.
Locating the Unmatched Records

Make sure the dataview is the current window, and

choose Unmatched Records from the drop-down list
in the toolbar.
Click on the toolbar, or choose Tools-Locate by
Address, and click Options.
Check Try only nearby ZIP Codes, then click OK
twice. TransCAD finds most of the unmatched
records.
Locating by ZIP Code

Make sure the dataview is the current window, and

choose Unmatched Records from the drop-down list
in the toolbar.
Choose Tools-Locate by ZIP Code and click OK.
TransCAD locates the last records by ZIP Code.
Choose File-Save Workspace, enter
MYPROJ1.WRK and click OK.
In Depth: Pin Mapping

You can locate records four ways:

By address, in the U.S.
By ZIP Code, in the U.S.
By value, using any matching field in a layer such as state
abbreviation
By coordinate, if the table already has longitude/latitude
or XY coordinates
Ways That Points Are Chosen

By Coordinate: at that point

By Address: offset from the matching side of the
street segment, at a proportional distance down the
segment
By ZIP Code or Value:
At the center of matching point, line or area
Scattered within area
Scattered around center of point, line or area
Locating Records by Value

Choose Tools-Locate by Value for the Locate by Value

dialog box:
Locating Records by Value: Options

Click Options for the Location Options dialog box:

Basics: District

Definition: In TransCAD, an area that is made up of

several smaller areas all joined together.
Example: District

Census Tracts Shaded Districts Created from

by District Census Tracts
Quick Start: Getting Ready to Merge by Value

Choose File-Close All, then choose File-Open or

click on the toolbar.
Open the geographic file DETROIT.CDF in
TCW\TUTORIAL. TransCAD displays a map of
TAZs in the Detroit region.
Choose Tools-Merge by Value or click on the
toolbar.
Merging by Value

Choose [CO#] from the Based on drop-down list.

Enter County in the Create Layer edit box.
Check Compute Attributes and click OK.
Enter MYDIST as the file name and click OK.
TransCAD creates the districts.
Using the New District Layer

Label the counties with their number.

Create a color theme on based on SumPopulation.
Merge by Value: Compute Attributes Settings

Check Compute Attributes

for the Attribute Settings
dialog box:
Basics: Band

Definition: An area of a specified width that

surrounds one or more map features. You create
bands when you want to examine the areas that are
affected by activities that take place at or near the
map features.
Example: Band
Quick Start: Creating Bands #1

Choose File-Close All, then choose File-Open or

click on the toolbar.
Open the geographic file FACILITY.CDF in
TCW\TUTORIAL. TransCAD displays a map of
transport facilities in the Northeast.
Choose Tools-Bands or click on the toolbar.
Quick Start: Creating Bands #2

Enter 30 as the fixed size and click OK.

Enter MYBAND.DBD as the file name and click
OK. TransCAD creates bands, filled with a color
theme, showing the areas within 30 miles of the
transport facilities.
Add some other layers, including CCCNTYL.CDF,
and experiment with placing the bands among the
layers.
Creating Bands

Choose Tools-Bands for

the Bands dialog box:
Exercise

Find the parcels that are within a quarter mile

notification area of a land use change for parcel
54022 0007 in Newton MA:
Open the geographic file NEWTBDRY.CDF and add
layer NPARCELS.CDF, both in TCW\EXERCISE.
Select for [SBL-ID]=54022 0007 and create the band.
Use Dataview-Select by Location to select the parcels
within .25 mi. Save the map.
Basics: Overlay

Definition: A procedure that estimates the attributes

of an area by superimposing its boundary over the
boundaries of other, smaller areas and calculating
the extent to which they overlap.
Example: Overlay
Quick Start: Overlay

Choose File-Close All, then choose File-Open or

click on the toolbar.
Open the map OVERLAY.MAP in
TCW\TUTORIAL. TransCAD displays midtown
Manhattan.
Choose Tools-Overlay or click on the toolbar.
The settings are correct. Click OK.
Enter MYOVRLAY as the file name and click OK.
TransCAD displays the attributes calculated from
the ZIP Codes.
Overlays

Overlay splits data from a reference layer and

reassembles it for the working layer
You should always use a reference layer with areas
that are smaller than the areas in the working layer
You have several choices for dealing with how each
field is calculated, just like you did for Merge by
Value
Creating an Overlay

Choose Tools-Overlay for

the Geographic Overlay
dialog box:
Exercise

What is the total land value of the parcels within the

.25 mile band you made in the band exercise?
Use the map that you just saved
[Land Value] is a field in the Parcels dataview
Basics: Distance and Size

Use the Info tool or a dataview for a layer to see the

automatically calculated length of line features or
the size of area features
Use the Distance tool to draw a line on the screen
and report the total length of the line
Use the Size tool to draw an area on the screen and
report the size of the area and the length of its
perimeter.
Example: Distance and Size
Quick Start: Measuring Distance

Open a map or geographic file, if one is not open.

Click to activate the Distance tool. The status
bar shows the elasped length.
Click at the starting point on the map. You can click
at one or more shape points.
Double click to end the line. TransCAD displays the
total length.
Measuring the Size on an Area

Click to activate the Size tool.

Click at the first corner of the area, then click at the
other corners.
Double click to end the area. TransCAD displays
the size and perimeter of the area.
Lesson 4: Matrices

Goal: understand what a matrix is and how to:

Create a matrix
Display and edit matrices
Import data to and export data from matrices
Display portions of a matrix
Perform matrix operations
Basics: Matrix

A data structure in TransCAD that contains rows

and columns:
Each row is identified by a row ID
Each column is identified by a column ID
Each entry in a matrix is a cell and has a value for
that pair of row and column
In most matrices, each row and column refers to a
feature in a map layer
Example: Matrix
Example: Relation to Map Features
Basics: How TransCAD Stores Matrices

TransCAD stores matrices in a matrix file with an

.MTX extension
A matrix file contains one or more matrices
Each matrix in a matrix file contains the exact same
set of rows and columns
There are several options available for storing
matrix information
Example: Matrix File With Multiple Matrices
Getting Ready to Create a Matrix File

Choose File-Close All, then choose File-Open or

click on the toolbar.
Open the geographic file FL_ZONE.CDF in
TCW\TUTORIAL. TransCAD displays an area
zone database.
Choose File-New, click Matrix File and click OK to
display the Create Matrix File dialog box.
Creating a Matrix File

Choose ZONE from the IDs are in drop-down list

and click OK.
Enter MYMATRIX as the matrix filename and click
OK. TransCAD creates an empty matrix file and
displays it in a matrix view.
In Depth: Creating a Matrix File

You have several options when creating an empty

matrix file:
Matrix files can be created from maps or dataviews.
Rows and columns can come from any field
Rows and columns can come from selection sets
Any number of matrices can be created in a matrix file
Creating a Matrix File
Choose File-New and click Matrix File for the Create
Matrix file dialog box:
Basics: Displaying Matrices

Like dataviews, there are many ways of displaying

matrices. You can:
choose the matrix you want to see
change the labels that identify rows and columns
show row and column sums and averages
choose matrix font and grid settings
change the row and column sort order
Exercise

Open up any point or line geographic file and create

a matrix from a selection of geographic features.
Experiment with changing selections, changing ID
fields and changing the number of matrices you
want to create.
Basics: Matrix View

Definition: A special type of dataview for matrices.

Matrix views show the current display settings for a
matrix. Matrix views, like dataviews, can be saved
to a file.
Example: Displaying Matrices
Quick Start: Getting Ready to Display a Matrix

Choose File-Close All, then choose File-Open or

click on the toolbar.
Open the dBASE file LABEL.DBF in
TCW\EXERCISE.
Open the matrix file TRANSIT.MTX in
TCW\EXERCISE. TransCAD displays a transit OD
matrix.
Changing Matrix Settings

Choose another matrix to display by clicking on the

Matrix to Display drop-down list in the toolbar.
Choose Matrix-Settings or click in the toolbar.
Change the font to Arial and the size to 12.
Check the Grid option and choose Sum from the
Marginals option.
Labeling a Matrix

Click OK. TransCAD changes the font and size,

adds a grid and displays row and column marginals.
Choose Matrix-Labels or click on the toolbar.
Choose LABEL for the Dataview, ZONE for the ID
and ZONENAME for the Label with drop-down
lists.
Saving and Retrieving a Matrix View

Click OK. TransCAD labels each ID in the matrix

with the zone name.
Choose File-Save or click in the toolbar.
Enter MYVIEW as the matrix view filename and
click OK. TransCAD saves the matrix view.
Choose File-Close All, then click .
Open the matrix view MYVIEW.MVW.
Basics: Editing Matrices

There are many ways to edit matrices. You can:

Edit a cell value directly
Multiply or divide cells by a value
Add or subtract values from cells
Use a formula to compute cell values
Clear the values from cells
Basics: Selecting Matrix Cells

There are several ways you can select matrix cells.

You can:
Select a single cell
Select a range of cells
Select an entire row or column
Select several rows or columns at once
Getting Ready to Edit a Matrix

Choose File-Close All, then choose File-Open or

click on the toolbar.
Open the matrix file TRANSIT.MTX in
TCW\EXERCISE. TransCAD displays a transit OD
matrix.
Click on any cell in the matrix and change its value.
Editing a Matrix

Highlight a range of cells by dragging the mouse and click

on in the toolbar or choose Matrix-Fill.
Choose Add as the operation and enter 10 in the edit box.
Click OK. TransCAD adds 10 to each cell that was
highlighted.
Click on again. This time, choose Scale by and enter 10
as the scale value.
Filling a Matrix With a Formula

Click OK. TransCAD multiplies each cell value by 10.

Click on again. This time, choose Fill with Formula.
Enter 2 * [Matrix 2] + 3 * [Matrix 3] as the formula and
click OK. Click OK again. TransCAD fills the range with
the formula using the cell values from the other matrices.
In Depth: Editing Matrices

Choose Matrix-Fill to
display the Fill
Matrix dialog box:
Exercise #1

Using the matrix you created in the previous

exercise, change the matrix views font to Arial and
its size to 16. Display a grid on the matrix and
display marginals that calculate the averages of the
rows and columns.
Exercise #2

Using the same matrix, experiment with filling cells

in the matrix. Try filling with fixed values, adding
values, or multiplying values. Also, try filling just
the diagonal of the matrix. If you have more than
one matrix in the matrix file, try filling with a
matrix formula, or add or multiply matrices
together.
Basics: Importing and Exporting Matrices

TransCAD provides several matrix import/export

functions. You can:
Create a new matrix from a dataview
Create a new dataview from a matrix
Import a field in a dataview to a row or column of a
matrix
Export a row or column of a matrix into a dataview
Getting Ready to Import Matrix Data

Choose File-Close All, then choose File-Open or

click on the toolbar.
Open the dBASE file OD.DBF in
TCW\EXERCISE. TransCAD displays a dataview
of origin to destination flow.
Choose Matrix-Import from Dataview to display the
Create Matrix from Dataview dialog box.
Importing Matrix Data

Choose ODFLOW from Data Fields and click OK.

Enter MYOD as the matrix filename and click OK.
TransCAD creates a matrix file, taking the row IDs
from FROMZONE, the column IDs from
TOZONE, and the cell values from ODFLOW.
Getting Ready to Import and Export Rows

Choose File-Close All, then choose File-Open or

click on the toolbar.
Open the matrix file TRANSIT.MTX in
TCW\EXERCISE.
Choose Matrix-Export to Dataview.
Enter MYMTX.DBF as the output filename and
click OK. TransCAD exports the matrix into a
dataview.
Exporting Rows

Click on your matrix to make it the active window.

Highlight rows 3, 4, 5 and 6 by shift-clicking on
them.
Choose Matrix-Export Rows or Columns.
All the settings are correct. Click OK.
Enter in MYMTX2.DBF as the filename and click
OK. TransCAD exports the rows into a dataview.
Importing Rows

Change some of the values in fields F3, F4, F5 or

F6.
Click on your matrix to make it the active window.
Choose Matrix-Import Rows or Columns
Choose F3 from the From drop-down list and click
OK. TransCAD imports the dataview data into the
matrix.
In Depth: Importing Matrix Data

You have several options when importing data from

a dataview. You can:
Choose Row and column IDs from any field in the
dataview
Import data only from a selection set
Import more than one column of data. Each column is
imported into a new matrix in the matrix file
 Importing Matrix Data
Choose Matrix-Import from Dataview to import data into a
matrix:
Importing Rows and Columns From Dataview

Highlight a row or column in the matrix and choose Matrix-

Import. Click on the row or column radio button:
In Depth: Export To Dataview

Choose Matrix-
Export Rows or
Columns to
display the
Export Rows or
Columns dialog
box:
Basics: Displaying Portions of a Matrix

In the same way that you can display selections in a

dataview, you can also display portions of a matrix
in a matrix view
To display a portion of a matrix, you need to create
a matrix index
Basics: Matrix Indexes

Definition: A list of matrix row IDs or column IDs

stored in a matrix file
Indexes may contain subsets of the rows and
columns of a matrix
You can have any number of indexes in a matrix
file and can change how a matrix is displayed by
changing the current index
Indexes are identified by name
Example: Matrix Index

1 3 5

1
3
5
Getting Ready to Add a Matrix Index

Choose File-Close All, then choose File-Open or

click on the toolbar.
Open the matrix file TRANSIT.MTX in
TCW\EXERCISE.
Open the DBASE file MYMTX2.DBF created in
the previous example.
Click on the toolbar and enter ZONE = 1 or
ZONE = 3 or ZONE = 5.
Adding a Matrix Index

Click OK. TransCAD selects zones 1, 3 and 5 and

puts them in the Selection selection set.
Click on the matrix view to make it the active
window.
Choose Matrix-Indexes or click on the toolbar.
Click Add Index. TransCAD displays the Add
Index dialog box.
Changing Indexes

Choose SELECTION from the Selection drop-down

list. All the other settings are correct. Click OK.
TransCAD creates a new index called NEW and
returns to the Matrix Indexes dialog box.
Choose NEW from the Rows drop-down list and
NEW from the Columns drop-down list and click
Close. TransCAD changes the current index to
NEW and displays only zones 1, 3 and 5.
In Depth: Changing Indexes

Choose Matrix-Indexes for

the Matrix Indexes dialog
box:
In Depth: Adding a Matrix Index

Choose Matrix-
Indexes and click
Add Index for the
Add Matrix
Index dialog
box:
Exercise #1

Using the geographic file FL_ZONE.CDF and the

matrix file TRANSIT.MTX in TCW\EXERCISE,
create two matrix indexes. The first index will only
show zones in the north and the second index will
only show zones in the south.
Hint: Look at the diagram on pages 3-4.
Exercise #2

Using the matrix you created in the previous

exercise, create another index that displays only the
portion of the matrix you want to see. Then change
matrix settings and display row and column sums
for the index.
Hint: You can use FL_ZONE.CDF to help create your
index.
Associating Matrices with Different Layers

Sometimes it is useful to have one matrix represent

different features in different layers. For example:
A zone matrix file contains origin-destination flow from
zone to zone and you want to assign the matrix values to
a transportation network where each row-column must be
matched to the equivalent network node
This is accomplished by creating an index in the
matrix from a correspondence table.
Example: Matrix Associated with Zones
Example: Equivalent Nodes for Zones
Example: Correspondence Table