Glossary

Check Box

A checkbox is a standard Windows control that can be either on (selected) or off (un-selected). They appear as small squares. MPMileCharter uses a number of check boxes to control various settings - eg. Should the data be sorted?

Costs Via Rate Table

MPMileCharter can calculate costs using MapPoint's cost estimates, or by using the calculated distance and a user supplied "rate table". This rate table lists costs or per-mile rates on a by-distance basis. Ie. a different rate can be applied for customers who are further away.

Duplicate Routes

A conventional "square" mileage chart (ie. one where the same locations are used for the start and the end locations) will result in duplicate route pairings. For example the route for A to B will appear as B to A. Due one-way streets and frontage systems, these routes may not be exactly the same; but MPMileCharter has the option to skip these duplicates.

Find Shortest / Quickest

Typically Milecharter is used to calculate all route combinations. However, often you are only interested in finding the closest locations. For example, you may wish to match customers up with their closest sales offices. The Only Report Shortest/Quickest option will do this. You can specify the number to find (eg. "three closest") and apply limits on the maximum distance and/or travel time.

Note that MPMileCharter can run much faster in this mode because it does not have to calculate all routes.

Fixed Rate Table

A Fixed Rate Table is a Rate Table that specifies fixed rates for each range of distances. For example, you might specify a fixed charge of $20 for all distances between 10 and 20 miles.

Mileage Chart

MPMileCharter calculates mileage charts which give the distances for all combinations of routes from one group of points to a second group. Although technically a mileage chart refers to route distances, MPMileCharter can also calculate straight line distances, route travel times, and cost estimates.

Overnight Stays

MapPoint's calculated route times can be either the actual traveling time, or the total time including rest stops and overnight stops. In the latter case, eight hours of traveling time is typically recorded as one day (ie. 24 hours).

Pushpin

Point data in MapPoint is represented by a pushpin. As well as storing a point location, pushpins can have different symbols, and text and data can be associated with them. An example of would be a customer's location.

Pushpin Set

This is what MapPoint calls dataset of pushpins.

Pushpin Symbol

This is the symbol (image) used for a pushpin. The default is a small black pushpin image. Most versions of MapPoint ship with a few hundred different images that can be used. You can also import your own.

Rank Order

The Only Report Shortest/Quickest option can sort the results and report them in order with the closest first. These routes are then described as being Ranked in Order.

Rate Table

This is an Excel spreadsheet that stores the costs or per-mile rates to use for cost calculations.

See Types of Rate Table.

Rest Stop

MapPoint has the option to automatically include rest stops (or breaks) after a specified number of hours of driving. The duration of the rest stop can also be specified. MPMileCharter supports this option.

Road Preferences

Instead of trying to find the shortest route or the fastest route, MapPoint can find a route based on personal road preferences. For example, you might prefer interstates or motorways that are not tollways. MPMileCharter supports this route type, and also lets you set the road preferences to use.

Route Costs

MPMileCharter can calculate cost esimates for each route using two different methods. The first uses MapPoint's own estimates which are based on fuel consumption estimates for different average speeds. Or you can use rate tables which specify absolute costs or per-mile rates according to different distance ranges.

Straight Line Distances

Although MPMileCharter was designed to calculate route distances, it can also calculate "straight line" or "as the crow flies" distances. Note that the Earth's surface is an ellipsoid, so these distances are technically the shortest arc possible of a great circle that goes through both points.

Travel Time

Time required to travel the route in question. This is the actual time spent travelling, and does not include overnight stays.