Introduction to TransCAD
Murtaza Haider
[email protected]
Tel: 416.979.5000, ext. 2480
TRANSCAD
The only true comprehensive, transportation GIS
System
A true vector-based GIS with comprehensive
mapping capabilities
Extensive econometric ability for travel demand
modeling, (UTMS)
Matrix-based Object Oriented Programming
Language
Closest rival EMME/2, Vissum
TransCAD Screen
Everything is contained in a main window
Data are shown and controlled in one or more
windows
There are often several ways to perform a command
Status information and help are always available
Example: The Screen
TransCAD Menus, Toolbar and Toolboxes
Menus: list all the TransCAD commands
Toolbar: buttons for frequently used commands
Toolboxes: contain tools for general and specific
needs
Commands or tools are gray when they cannot be
used
Example: Menus, Toolbar and Toolboxes
TransCAD Dialog Boxes
Menu commands ending with three dots (...) have
dialog boxes
Some dialog box buttons take you to additional
dialog boxes
You can use defaults settings or change any of the
options
Example: Dialog Boxes
Help Is Available Several Ways
Balloon help appears if you leave the cursor over a
button
Status bar shows brief help and other information
Context-sensitive, on-line help by pressing the F1
key or using the Help menu
Example: Help
Types of Windows
Map: an electronic version of a paper map
View: two kinds:
Dataview: to view and edit tables of data from geographic
files, databases or spreadsheets
Matrix view: to view and edit values in a matrix
Figure: a window containing a chart or other
graphic
Layout: presentations with maps, views and figures,
plus freehand text and other items
Example: Three Types of Windows
Workspaces Save All Open Windows
You can save more than one window
You can save windows of different types
Workspaces are good ways to organize projects
Designing Maps and Creating Themes
Goal: Understand the parts of a map and how to use
them to:
Organize your data
Study relationships
Present information
Get your point across clearly
Basics: Map
Definition: classically, a drawn or printed
representation of the earth and its features. In this
case, an electronic version of that representation.
Example: Map
Basics: Layers
Definition: a group of map features of the same
type, such as states, highways, or retail stores;
conceptual equivalent of an acetate overlay on a
physical map
Example: Layers
Basics: Map Features
Definition: entities such as customers, rivers, cities,
states, and roads, that are displayed as points, lines
or areas on a map
Example: Map Features
Basics: Saving and Retrieving Maps
All the information needed to recreate a map is
saved in a .MAP file
Example: Saving and Retrieving Maps
File-Save
File-Save As
File-Open
Basics: Printing a Map
You can print a map directly, or place it in a layout
and print the layout
Example: Printing a Map
Quick Start: Overview
Step-by-step tutorial, showing basics in action
In this Quick Start we will create a map and move
around it
We are just touching the surface of what TransCAD
can do
In-depth sections will go into more detail
Creating a New Map
Choose File-Open or click
on the toolbar.
Choose Geographic File from the List Files of Type
drop-down list.
From the TCW\TUTORIAL subdirectory, choose
the file NES_HWY.CDF and click OK. TransCAD
displays a map of highways in southern New
England.
Moving around the Map: Zoom In
Click
tool.
in the main toolbox to activate the Zoom In
Click in the middle of the map. TransCAD redraws
the map at twice the scale.
Drag a rectangle around Boston. TransCAD
enlarges the Boston area to fill the map.
Moving around the Map: Zoom Out
Click
to activate the Zoom Out tool.
Click in the middle of the map. TransCAD redraws
the map at half the scale, with Boston still in the
middle.
Moving around the Map: Pan
Click
to activate the Pan tool.
Drag Boston to one corner of the window and
release the mouse button. TransCAD redraws the
map in the new location.
Moving around the Map
Choose Map-Previous Scale. TransCAD redraws
the map as it was before you used the Pan tool.
Choose Map-Previous Scale again. TransCAD
redraws the map as it was before you used the
Zoom Out tool.
Choose Map-Initial Scale. TransCAD redraws the
map as it was when you started.
Adding a New Layer
Choose Map-Initial Scale, then choose Map-Layers
or click
on the toolbar.
Click Add Layer to display the File Open dialog
box.
From TCW\TUTORIAL, choose the file
NESOUTH.CDF and click OK.
Click Close. TransCAD adds counties to the map.
Saving a Map
Choose File-Save or click
on the toolbar.
Choose a writeable drive and then create
TCW\TUTORIAL subdirectory.
Enter MYFIRST as the map name and click OK.
TransCAD saves the map.
Choose File-Close to close the map.
Retrieving a Map
Choose File-Open or click on the toolbar, and
choose MYFIRST.MAP from the
TCW\TUTORIAL subdirectory.
Click OK. TransCAD opens and displays the map,
as it was when you saved it.
Printing a Map
Choose File-Print or click
on the toolbar.
Choose Landscape from the Orientation drop-down
list and check the other printer settings.
Click Print. TransCAD prints the map.
Returning to a Previous Scale and Center
Map-Previous Scale command: use scale and center
from before the last change
Map-Initial Scale command: use scale and center
from when map was created or last saved. Style and
other changes shown
Map-Snapshot command: shows how the map
looked when last saved. Subsequent style and other
changes not shown
How Map Features Are Organized
Grouped into layers, stored in files
Layer can be points, lines or areas
Layers can be visible or not
Visible layers are drawn in order
Working layer is one shown in layer list
Changing a Map's Layers
Click
for Layers dialog box:
Renaming a Layer
Rename Layer dialog box:
Printing a Map
Click
for Print Map dialog box:
Basics: Style
Definition: The colors, patterns, symbols and lines
that are used to draw map features
Example: Style
Basics: Label
Definition: a way of identifying features on a map
using text
Example: Label
Basics: Freehand Item
Definition: a point, line, shape, symbol, bitmap, or
text item that is drawn using the freehand tools.
Freehand items may be moved or edited with the
pointer tool
Example: Freehand Item
Quick Start: Retrieving Your Map
Choose File-Close All to close any windows that
you have open.
Choose File-Open or click on the toolbar, and
choose MYFIRST.MAP from the
TCW\TUTORIAL subdirectory.
Click OK. TransCAD opens and displays your
Quick Start map.
Using Styles
Choose County from the drop-down list in the
toolbar.
Click on the toolbar to display the Style dialog
box.
Choose Solid from the Fill Style drop-down list and
a color from the Color drop-down list.
Click OK. TransCAD redraws the map with the new
style.
Changing the Map Background Style
Choose Map-Settings, then choose Solid from the
Background Styles drop-down list and a color from
the Background Color drop-down list.
Click OK. TransCAD redraws the map with the
background color behind the filled counties.
Labeling Features in a Map
Click
on the toolbar; click Add Layer.
From TCW\TUTORIAL choose the file
NES_PLC.CDF, then click OK.
Click
box.
on the toolbar to display the Labels dialog
Choose City from the Field drop-down list.
Click OK. TransCAD labels the places with their
names.
In Depth: Using Styles
Styles for points, lines, areas and the map
background each have their own dialog box
Two ways to changes styles (and labels) for a layer:
Choose the layer from the drop-down list on the toolbar
and click
Click
to get the Layers dialog box and click Style
Labeling Features in a Map
Labels identify map features
You can use any data field as a label
Labels can be:
Automatic: TransCAD decides how to place the labels,
and which features are labeled
Manual: you decide how to place the labels, and which
features to label. The labels become and act like freehand
text
Automatic Labels
Click
for Labels dialog box:
Manual Labels
Click
for Manual Label dialog box:
Notes on Using Manual Labels
If you zoom in to a larger scale, manual labels get
bigger; if you zoom out, they get smaller
More automatic labels may appear as you zoom in
Add manual labels to unlabeled features as a last
step to touch up a map design
Quick Start: Using Freehand Items #1
Click
tool.
in the main toolbox to activate the Text
Drag a rectangle on the map where you want the
text, type your name and press Enter.
Click
tool.
in the main toolbox to activate the Pointer
Using Freehand Items #2
Click on the text to select it.
Click on one of the editing handles in a corner and
drag it to change the size of the text. The text is
redrawn at the new size.
Click anywhere inside the text, but not on one of the
handles, and drag the text to a new location.
Using Freehand Items #3
Drag the rotation handle to rotate the text.
Double-click on the text to display the Freehand
Text dialog box.
Change the color to blue, the font to Times New
Roman and the size to 24, then click OK.
TransCAD redraws the text.
Press the Delete key to delete the selected freehand
items.
In Depth: Drawing Tools
Symbol tool
Line tool
Polygon tool
Rectangle tool
Circle tool
More Drawing Tools
Text tool
Bitmap tool
North arrow tool
Working with Freehand Items
Pointer tool
is used to:
Select one or more freehand items
Change the size of a freehand item
Rotate text or symbol items
Move freehand items
Edit freehand items
More Working with Freehand Items
Pointer tool
is also used to:
Align
freehand
items:
Change the order of freehand items
Make copies of freehand items
Delete freehand items
Basics: Theme
Definition: a method of illustrating the data that go
with a map layer. Map themes use color, patterns,
charts, or other symbols to illustrate the
characteristics of map features.
Example: Color and Pattern Themes
Example: Dot-Density Theme
Example: Scaled-Symbol Theme
Example: Pie and Bar Chart Themes
Example: Combined Themes
Basics: Legend
Definition: an explanation of the symbols, colors
and styles used in a map, usually in a box next to
the map.
Example: Legend
Quick Start: Retrieving Your Map
Choose File-Close All to close any windows that
you have open.
Choose File-Open or click on the toolbar, and
choose MYFIRST.MAP from the
TCW\TUTORIAL subdirectory.
Click OK. TransCAD opens and displays your
Quick Start map.
Showing and Hiding a Legend
Click in the toolbar, or else choose Map-Settings
to display the Map Settings dialog box, check the
legend checkbox and click OK. TransCAD will
show the legend.
Click in the toolbar again. TransCAD will hide
the legend.
Getting Ready to Create a Theme
Choose Map-Scale or click in the toolbar to
display the Map Scale dialog box.
Click the Show an Entire Layer radio button, choose
the County layer and click OK. TransCAD redraws
the map to show the whole County layer.
Make sure County shows in the drop-down list in
the toolbar.
Creating a Theme
Click on the toolbar or choose Map-Color
Theme to display the Color Theme dialog box.
Choose Population from the Field drop-down list
and click OK. TransCAD redraws the map with the
color theme, and shows the legend.
Adding Another Theme
Click on the toolbar or choose Map-Dot Density
to display the Dot Density Theme dialog box.
Click on White and Shift-click on [Other Race] in
the Field drop-down list and click OK. TransCAD
redraws the map with the multi-variable dot-density
theme and updates the legend.
Adding a Third Theme
Click on the toolbar or choose Map-Chart Theme
to display the Chart Theme dialog box.
In the Field drop-down list, click on [Mode: Drove
Alone] and Shift-click on [Mode: Bus], Ctrl-click
on [Mode: Subway], then click OK. TransCAD
redraws the map with the pie chart theme and
updates the legend.
In Depth: Legends
Click
to show or hide legend
Double-click on legend with the pointer tool
Using Themes to Present Information
About map themes
MapWizard instant mapping
Color themes
Pattern themes (no button)
Dot-density themes
Scaled-symbol themes
Pie and bar chart themes
About Map Themes
Color often used first when exploring data
Pattern good for black and white printing
Color and pattern best with negative numbers and
non-numeric data
Use chart or dot density to show values for two or
more fields
Dont use chart or dot density for percentages, ratios
or averages
MapWizard(tm) Instant Mapping
Looks over the data
Creates the theme
Chooses a design that makes map clear and
attractive
To change the designs, choose Edit-Preferences
Color Themes
Click
for Color Theme dialog box:
Color Theme Style
Click Style for Color Theme Style dialog box:
Methods for Color and Pattern Themes
Equal number of features
Equal range of values
Equal area/length
List of values
Nested means
Standard deviation
Manual
Manual Theme
Click Manual for Manual Theme dialog box:
Dot-Density Themes
Click
for Dot-Density Theme dialog box:
Dot-Density Theme Styles
Click Style for Dot-Density Theme Style dialog
box:
Scaled-Symbol Themes
Click
for Scaled-Symbol Theme dialog box:
Pie and Bar Chart Themes
Click
for
Chart Theme
dialog box:
Chart Theme Styles
