Dashboard Starter Kit

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Area Filter ​

The Geographic Area Filter is a hierarchical navigation tool that allows users to narrow down dashboard data from a broad national perspective to highly localized granularities. This system uses a parent-child relationship between levels, ensuring that data remains contextually accurate as the user zooms into specific regions.

To accommodate different user workflows, the system operates in two synchronized modes: Hierarchical Drill-Down and Search & Jump.

Applying the Filter ​

The filter does not apply automatically as you select dropdowns or type in search. You must explicitly click Apply to commit your selection. The Clear button resets all selections and removes the active filter. Your selection persists across page navigation until you either Apply a new one or Clear it.

Hierarchical Drill-Down (Cascading) ​

This mode is ideal for users exploring data through a structured administrative lens.

  • Top-Down Logic: Each selection filters the subsequent level. Choosing a primary region (e.g., a County) automatically populates the next dropdown with only the relevant sub-areas (e.g., Subcounties within that County).
  • Data Integrity: This cascading effect prevents mismatched geographic selections, ensuring users only view valid administrative paths.
  • Flexible Depth: Users can choose to apply filters at any tier — viewing data for an entire region or narrowing the scope down to the most granular local level.
  • Explicit Apply: The filter only takes effect after clicking Apply. Selecting dropdown values alone does not update the dashboard.
  • Area Restrictions: If your account has an area restriction, your top-level selection appears as a fixed label you cannot change. You can still drill down into its sub-areas.

Search & Jump ​

For users who know exactly which area they need, the Search Mode bypasses the hierarchy for immediate results.

  • Level-Agnostic Discovery: Users can search for any area name across the entire database, regardless of which administrative level it belongs to.
  • Minimum Characters: Type at least 2 characters to trigger the search.
  • Result Format: Results show the area name and its level — e.g., "Nairobi — County".
  • Explicit Apply: Selecting a result does not apply immediately. You still need to click Apply to update the dashboard.
  • Instant Jump: Once applied, the dashboard focuses on the selected area, skipping the manual step-by-step drill-down process.
  • Area Restrictions: If your account has an area restriction, you can only search within areas below your restriction level.

Bi-Directional Sync ​

A key feature of the Area Filter is the bi-directional synchronization between the two modes. Switching between Search and Drill-Down never resets the user's progress. If a user searches for a specific local area and selects it, switching back to the drill-down view will show the entire breadcrumb path pre-selected in the dropdowns.

Area restrictions are always enforced — you cannot switch modes to bypass your assigned geographic boundary.

Area Restrictions ​

Some user accounts are restricted to specific geographic areas. When restricted:

  • Your assigned area appears as a fixed label (not a dropdown).
  • You can only navigate downward in the hierarchy — to sub-areas of your restriction.
  • You cannot navigate upward to parent areas or sideways to peer areas.
  • This restriction applies in both Drill-Down and Search modes.

Granularity on Area Insights ​

By default, the Area Filter stops at the second-to-last administrative level on most dashboard pages. The Area Insights page is the exception — it allows filtering all the way to the most granular level.