Generating HTML Format Reports for Travel Demand Models

1
Generating HTML Format Reports for Travel Demand
Models

• May 18, 2009
• Chunyu Lu
• Gannett Fleming, Inc.

2
Outline

• Introduction

• Generating HTML Formatted Reports

• Demonstration of CFRPM Reporting

• New Technology

• What Can be Improved?

3
Background

• In 2004 FDOT chose to begin converting all models
  from TranPlan to Cube Voyager.
• Cube Voyager scripts were used to replicate the
  models procedures.
• Mini-validations were required to meet the FDOT
  validation criteria at the regional level.
• Standard TranPlan reports were left out of model
  conversions.
• No new standards for reporting model output were
  defined.

4
Example of TranPlan Model Output
FLORIDA D.O.T. CFRPM4_00

PAGE NO. 301 FSUTMS
P1 HBW, P2 HBSH, P3 HBSR, P4 HBO, P5
NHB
DATE 17JAN07 VER 5.50 P6
LTII, P7 HTII, P8 TAXI, P9 IE
TIME
004237
TRIP LENGTH FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION

GRAVITY MODEL -- ITERATION 5 ON ATTRACTIONS

PURPOSE NO. 1 PERCENT
OF TRIPS 5.0 4.8 4.6
4.4 4.2
4.0
3.8 3.6
3.4
3.2
3.0
2.8

2.6
2.4
2.2
2.0

1.8
1.6
1.4

1.2
1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MINUTES 1
5 10 15 20 25
30 35 40 45 50
55 60
5
Modeling Reports

• Cube Reports
• Developed by Citilabs
• Built-in component that has limited functionality
• Crystal Reports
• Recommended by FDOT Central Office to produce
  model output but did not provide flexibilility
  for model users
• Customized plain text reports
• HTML formatted model reports
• Developed by Gannett Fleming
• Graphic components including table, maps and
  charts

6
Outline

• Background Introduction

• Generating HTML Formatted Reports

• Demonstration of CFRPM Reporting

• New Technology

• What Can be Improved?

7
Generating HTML Format Report

• The new report must meet the following
  requirements
• The report has to be generated from the Cube
  scripts.
• The report has to be easily formatted and user
  friendly.
• The report should not request the model users to
  purchase any additional software.
• The report should offer graphics including bar
  charts and line charts.
• The HTML based reporting mechanism was initiated
  by the model validation team and a software
  development team was therefore assembled.
• The consultant realized that there were
  additional efforts required to develop graphical
  functionality.

8
HTML Introduction

• HTML - Hyper Text Markup Language
• well-known and predominant markup language for
  web pages
• suitable for the world wide web
• accessible by many web browsers including
  Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Google
  Chrome
• HTML is a text based document easily editable in
  any text editing software.
• Cube Voyager scripts can be used to produce basic
  text output files, and therefore can produce web
  pages as long as it follows the HTML standards.

9
Technical Challenges

• Dynamic information exchange
• CGI (Common Gateway Interface)
• ASP (Active Server Pages)
• Cube Voyager scripts
• Graphics also needed to be generated for better
  visualization
• Bar Charts Trip Productions by Trip Purpose
• Line Charts Trip Length Distribution
• Maps Area Type, Facility Type, and Number of
  Lane Display
• The reporting system should act as a stand alone
  system.

10
Resolutions

• Cube Voyager scripts is used to generate HTML
  reports
• Opened directly by any web browser
• Databases including input datasets and output
  model results are also generated and downloadable
  from the webpage
• The graphical components are generated in SVG
  (Scalable Vector Graphics) format.
• Dynamic information is exchanged using Voyager
  scripts, no web server is required.
• A Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) file is used for
  color designed schemes and reporting formats.

11
Understanding XML and SVG

• Similar with HTML, XML (Extensible Markup
  Language) is a general purpose specification for
  creating custom markup languages. It is used in
  the current model for two purposes
• Display large amount of information with
  acceptable refresh speeds
• Offer graphical components to generate SVG.
• XLST (Extensible Stylesheet Language
  Transformations (XSLT) is a XML-based language
  used for the transformation of XML documents to
  SVG graphics.
• SVG viewer, a free software offered by Adobe is
  required to display the SVG graphics in web
  browsers.

12
Understanding SVG Graphics

• Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) is a family of
  specifications of XML-based file formats used for
  describing two-dimensional vector graphics, both
  static and dynamic. In the current model, only
  static SVGs are generated.
• Only Internet Explorer can display the SVGs
  generated by the model. Mozillas Firefox can
  display the tables, but the graphics display
  improperly.

13
Generating Web Content from Cube
Cube Voyager
XML
XSLT
SVG (Graphic)
Text Content
Map Content
HTML Output
14
Example of XML and XSLT Format
External Trips by
Station 40000 20

320
550
External
Station (Trips 5000) -font-size11
12
11
11nt-size

12528 4506

12528
XML Example
slvariable name"tableTitle" select"title"/ lvariable name"width" select"width"/ able name"height" select"height"/ name"xAxisTitle" select"x-axis-title"/ riable name"yAxisTitle" select"y-axis-title"/ xslvariable name"axisTitleFontSize"
select"axis-title-font-size"/ name"fontSize" select"font-size"/ name"axisFontSize" select"axis-font-size"/ lvariable name"titleFontSize"
select"title-font-size"/
XSLT Example
15
Example of SVG (Bar Charts)
16
Outline

• Background Introduction

• Generating HTML Formatted Reports

• Demonstration of CFRPM Reporting

• New Technology

• What Can be Improved?

17
Demonstration of HTML Reporting

• The HTML reporting mechanism was implemented into
  the following regional planning models
• TBRPM (Tampa Bay Regional Planning Model)
• WCFRPM (West Central Florida Regional Planning
  Model)
• CFRPM (Central Florida Regional Planning Model)
• The CFRPM reports are demonstrated since they are
  the most recent versions.

18
Setup Cube Environment
19
Launch the Web Reports in IE
20
Demonstration of CFRPM WebPages
21
Demonstration of Download Datasets
22
Demonstration of Tables
23
Demonstration of Bar Charts
24
Demonstration of Distribution Charts
25
Demonstration of Area Type Map
26
Demonstration of Congested Time Map
27
Outline

• Background Introduction

• Generating HTML Formatted Reports

• Demonstration of CFRPM Reporting

• New Technology

• What Can be Improved?

28
New Technologies

• SVG is used in the current model structure, but
  it is a software that is being phased out. The
  graphics could be re-produced using Microsofts
  Silverlight or Adobes Flash Player.
• Java scripts or some other programmable script
  languages could be used to make better web page
  displays as needed for other reporting needs such
  as for corridor validation.
• More GIS based web components will be considered
  including dynamic map generation of model results.

29
Outline

• Background Introduction

• Generating HTML Formatted Reports

• Demonstration of CFRPM Reporting

• New Technology

• What Can be Improved?

30
What can be Improved

• The user interface is user friendly but it is
  very difficult to generate them using Cube
  Voyager scripts.
• Refresh speeds are fairly slow.
• No ideal solution for printing the HTML format
  reports.