We're excited to announce the release of new functionality within the RailState user interface (UI). Here's a quick overview of what's included in this update:
1. Equipment Lists: Users can now create lists of equipment, and easily share those lists across your organization for easy recall on Search and Charts - eliminating the need for multiple parties maintaining equipment lists, or repetitive cut and pasting.
2. Group By Region or Interregional Transit: Within Charts, users can now visualize data based on Regions, or see volumes moving between regions via the new Interregional Transit selections.
3. Additional Map Metrics and Context: Within Map Metrics, users can now choose from a greater variety of Time Range selections, and easily see the Context of the values being compared.
Further below you will find some explanations and ‘how to’ steps.
Did you Know? So far in 2024 we have brought 23 new sensor sites online in Canada - with many more planned. Explore the Map to find new sites near you.
If you have any suggestions or would like an overview of any existing features please don't hesitate to reach out to us at support+UI@RailState.com.
EQUIPMENT LISTS:
When an equipment list is created, UI results can be quickly filtered to those results that match equipment contained within the list when pulled into an active search query, and compared to any equipment in which we successfully determined the equipment ID on. Specifically:
- As it relates to the 'Trains' tabs, the results will show any Train that contained one or more of the equipment IDs included within the active Equipment List.
- As it relates to the 'Cars' tabs, the results will show any equipment in which the equipment ID was included within the active Equipment List.
To create an Equipment list, find the new 'Equipment lists' menu on the UI, as highlighted below, then simply click on the '+Add new list'.
Create list - Naming an Equipment List:
Upon selecting '+Add new list' a 'Create list' form will be shown, in which the new list information can be entered.
- Under 'Name' enter any text that would assist you in later identifying the list in a future look-up on the Search or Charts screens. (This is totally up to you, so feel free to be specific.)
- Under 'Description' you can enter any text that would help give additional detail as to what the list contains. (This will show only on the Equipment lists screen.)
- In 'Public List' this is where you can define if it is private to you only, or visible to other users within your organization. (If you want it private to you only, select Public List = False.)
Note: Throughout the UI hover over any of the blue question mark icons to get further instruction and explanation.
Create list - Equipment IDs:
We have provided two methods in which you can load in your equipment lists.
- Under 'List of Equipment IDs' simply paste a list in. This list of cars that you paste in can be separated by semicolons, commas, or lines (having each equipment ID on its own line).
- Alternatively, within 'Add the .XLSX or .CSV File' option, click 'Choose File' and browse your system for a file containing the list of cars you wish to import.
- Note: Accepted formats include one column with both the alpha + numeric values, or two columns, one with the alpha values and one with the numeric values.
- Any Header/Title row will be detected and removed, and the system will format the IDs for easy retrieval within the system automatically.
- Note: Accepted formats include one column with both the alpha + numeric values, or two columns, one with the alpha values and one with the numeric values.
Create list - How-To:
After you have entered the above information, click 'Continue' and then 'Submit'.
If there are any issues with an equipment ID format you will receive an on-screen message, otherwise your list will be created, and you will now see it within 'Equipment lists' - including the Name and Description as entered, as well as a Count of the IDs that were included in the list creation.
Note: At any time you can View, Edit, or Delete the list you just created - simply look for those options to the right of the listed item in the 'Equipment lists' (as shown below).
Using an Equipment List:
Once the list is created, you can retrieve UI results via the Search and Charts screens by simply selecting the Equipment Lists.
You can do this in two ways:
1. Start typing within the Search bar, and select the suggested equipment list that matches the name of the list you are looking for (example below):
2. Click on the 'Filters' icon beside date, select 'Car', then scroll down to 'Equipment List', then select the list you are looking for (example below):
Note: Changes to Equipment Lists may take a couple minutes to show up in Search and Filters as options for selection.
GROUP BY REGION and INTERREGIONAL TRANSIT:
Within Charts, there are two new options to visualize data - 'Regions', and 'Interregional transit'.
Regions:
Regions are quick groupings of sensor sites, including all sensor sites located within that region. At present this can be defined as Countries and States & Provinces.
You can engage with Regions by typing it in the Search, making selections in the Filter card, by selecting the 'Group By' Region, or making a selection in the 'Regions' dropdown (which will allow you to toggle between Countries and States & Provinces).
Using a Region in Search will simply filter the results to that Region. Using a Region in 'Group By' will display the results broken down further by the selected Regions.
Note: We will be expanding this functionality in the future, including giving users the ability to define regions. If you have a Region to add in the meantime please let us know.
Interregional Transit:
(This is an early-release feature still in development. Interregional Transit and some regions are still being defined, and as such results may not be as expected.)
Interregional Transit will be a means of quickly identifying records in which a Train is deemed to have travelled between two regions. Essentially it will be an indicator of traffic moving between Regions.
To be included in Interregional Transit results, a Train record must be detected at a sensor site in the first region, then at a sensor site in the second region (or at a RailState defined 'border' sensor). If for whatever reason a train record is not detected in both regions it would not be included in the Interregional Transit results.
You can access the preliminary Interregional Transit functionality by selecting it in the Group By within Charts.
Tip: We will continue to develop the Interregional Transit functionality further. In the meantime, if you have feedback or questions please let us know.
ADDITIONAL MAP METRICS and CONTEXT:
Users can now choose from a greater variety of Time Range selections, and easily see the Context of the values being compared.
Map Metrics:
Within Map Metrics we have now added additional time ranges, which can help show changes over a greater variety of comparison values. Amongst others, some of the new options include Last 24 hours and 7 Days vs the last 30, 60, 90 days; and Last 30 Days vs the last 90 Days.
These new Metrics can be found under Time Range within the Map Metrics (as shown below):
Map Context:
Within Map Metrics we have now added a quick Context reference, which will help add scale to the measure being shown.
To see this context, hover over the rail line segment in review, and easily see the values being compared, which are the figures that have been used to determine the Value metric indicated above it.
Example below:
We look forward to your feedback and suggestions in general, or as it relates to these newly released and in-development features.