Memphis MPO Project Application Tool

A web-based mapping tool for analyzing transportation project proposals against regional planning datasets. Built for the Memphis Metropolitan Planning Organization's Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) 2055.

🔗 Development Preview: https://mavrick-f.github.io/project-application-tool/

Overview

Users draw project alignments or mark specific locations on an interactive map. The tool automatically identifies intersecting or nearby transportation infrastructure and planning features, then generates a PDF report summarizing the findings.

Current Status: v1.1 - Production release with enhanced UI, improved analysis methods, and comprehensive dataset descriptions.

Features

Drawing & Analysis

• Line Drawing - Draw corridor alignments for linear projects (roads, trails, transit routes)
• Point Marking - Mark specific locations for intersection improvements or spot projects
• Real-time Analysis - Results update automatically as you draw
• Multiple Analysis Types:
  • Corridor matching (parallel routes, minimum 300ft overlap)
  • Length summation (e.g., miles of reliable vs unreliable roads)
  • Intersection detection (polygons)
  • Proximity detection (nearby points)
  • Counting and aggregation (e.g., crash severity counts)

PDF Reports

• Static map showing project location with all reference layers
• Complete analysis results organized by category
• Project length, metadata, and timestamp

Integrated Datasets (20 total)

Transportation (7):

• Bridges - Bridge inventory with condition-based colors (Green/Yellow/Red)
• Crash Locations (KSI) - Fatal and Suspected Serious Injury crashes (counting by severity)
• Greenprint Bike Network - Regional/Intermediate/Local routes (dashed, color-coded)
• High Injury Corridors - Safety priority corridors
• MATA Routes - Transit network
• STRAHNET Routes - Strategic Highway Network
• Travel Time Reliability - Road segments with reliability percentages and mean LOTTR

Economic Development (6):

• ALICE ZCTAs - Economic distress indicators (≥45% threshold, shows % below ALICE)
• Freight Clusters - Designated freight activity zones (teal)
• Freight Routes - Regional/local freight routes (warm tones: brown/tan)
• Major Employers - Significant employment centers
• Opportunity Zones - Census tract designations
• Tourist Destinations - Regional attractions

Environmental/Cultural (7):

• Critical Wetlands - Freshwater forested/shrub wetlands (filtered from all wetlands)
• EPA Superfund Sites - Environmental cleanup locations
• Flood Zones - 100-year flood plains (dashed border)
• Historic Points (NHRP) - Individual historic sites
• Historic Polygons (NHRP) - Historic district boundaries
• Parks - Public park boundaries
• Wetlands - All wetland areas (olive green)

Usage

For End Users

1. Draw Your Project

   • Click "Draw Alignment (Line)" for corridor projects
   • Click "Mark Location (Point)" for specific locations
   • Click on map to place vertices or drop marker
   • Double-click to finish

2. Review Results

   • Analysis results appear automatically in sidebar
   • Results grouped by category (Transportation, Economic, Environmental)

3. Generate Report

   • Enter project name
   • Click "Download PDF Report"
   • PDF saves as Project_Application_[ProjectName]_[Date].pdf

4. Start Over

   • Click "Clear & Start Over" to reset

Requirements

• Desktop browser (minimum 1024px width)
• Modern browser with JavaScript enabled (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)

Development

Local Setup

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/mavrick-f/project-application-tool.git
cd project-application-tool

# Serve locally
python -m http.server 5050

# Open http://localhost:5050

Architecture

File Structure:

project-application-tool/
├── index.html                    # Main HTML (stays at root)
├── datasets.txt                 # Dataset configuration (self-documenting)
├── assets/                       # Logos and images
├── data/                         # GeoJSON datasets
├── src/                          # Application code
│   ├── datasets.js              # CONFIG + YAML loader
│   ├── map.js                   # Map init, layers, drawing
│   ├── analysis.js              # Spatial analysis functions
│   ├── pdf.js                   # PDF generation
│   ├── app.js                   # Init and event handlers
│   └── styles.css               # All CSS styling

Configuration System (v0.9.3):

• datasets.txt - YAML-based configuration (replaces hardcoded JavaScript)
• Self-documenting with inline comments explaining every field
• Planners can add datasets by copying/modifying YAML entries
• Zero code changes required for new datasets

External libraries (via CDN):

• Leaflet.js (v1.9.4) - Interactive mapping
• Leaflet.Draw (v1.0.4) - Drawing controls
• Turf.js (v6.5.0) - Geospatial analysis
• jsPDF (v2.5.1) - PDF generation
• html2canvas (v1.4.1) - Map capture
• js-yaml (v4.1.0) - YAML parsing

Adding New Datasets

Configuration-driven - add datasets by updating datasets.txt:

1. Open datasets.txt in the root directory
2. Find a similar dataset (matching your geometry type)
3. Copy and modify the YAML entry:
4. Save and refresh - no code changes needed

Available config options:

• geometryType: Point, LineString, Polygon, MultiLineString
• analysisMethod: see datasets.txt for complete list
• styleByProperty - Conditional colors/styles based on field values
• staticLabel - Show constant text instead of field value
• filterByThreshold - Filter by field value with translucent below-threshold display
• lazyLoad - Load Feature Services on-demand (not at startup)
• featureServiceUrl - ArcGIS Feature Service URL (alternative to filePath)

The YAML file includes extensive inline comments documenting every field and valid values.

Data Requirements

All datasets must be:

• Valid GeoJSON with geometry and properties
• WGS84 coordinate system (EPSG:4326)
• Property fields matching DATASETS config (case-sensitive)

Expected Memphis bounds: lng -90.1 to -89.6, lat 34.9 to 35.3

Optimizing GeoJSON Files

Use optimize_geojson.py to reduce file sizes for large datasets (recommended before adding to data/ folder):

# Basic optimization (default tolerance 0.0001)
python optimize_geojson.py input.json

# Custom output file
python optimize_geojson.py input.json output.json

# Aggressive simplification (larger tolerance = smaller files but less detail)
python optimize_geojson.py input.json output.json --tolerance 0.001

What it does:

• Reduces coordinate precision to decrease file size
• Simplifies line and polygon geometries
• Analyzes before/after file sizes
• Supports all geometry types (Point, LineString, Polygon, Multi-* variants)

Example: A 1.4MB file reduced to 500KB with minimal visual impact.

Typical workflow:

1. Export GeoJSON from GIS tool (ArcGIS, QGIS, etc.)
2. Run optimize_geojson.py input.json data/my_dataset.json
3. Add dataset entry to datasets.txt
4. Refresh browser to see new data on map

Known Limitations

• Desktop only - Requires 1024px minimum width (complex mapping UI)
• No data persistence - Refresh clears all work (by design)
• PDF capture timing - Must wait for all layers to render (~5-10 seconds with many features)
• No undo/redo - During drawing (Leaflet.Draw limitation) (Just draw a new line)
• Synchronous analysis - May briefly freeze UI on very large projects with many overlaps

Intentional Design Decisions

• No backend server - Client-side only (IT infrastructure constraints)
• No build process - Vanilla JS for maintainability by non-developers
• Local GeoJSON - Kept datasets local (is size alows) for simplicity and reliability
• Configuration over code - Add features via config, not custom logic

Browser Support

Tested and working on:

• Chrome/Edge 90+
• Firefox 88+
• Safari 14+

Acknowledgments

Built by Mavrick Fitzgerald using Claude Code. Uses open-source mapping libraries. Basemap by CARTO and OpenStreetMap contributors.

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Memphis Metropolitan Planning Organization | Regional Transportation Plan 2055