CHALLENGES OF UTILITY DATA REPOSITORIES

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CHALLENGES OF UTILITY DATA REPOSITORIES
Data Integration with DOT Enterprise GIS
Tied to NGS HARN
Construction As-Builts
Maintenance, Safety, Damage Prevention, Emergency
Response
Design
SUE Utility Data Acquisition
Permitting
Planning/Coordination
Utility GIS

• Phil Meis, P.E. Utility Mapping Services, Inc.
• Jim Anspach, P.G. J.H. Anspach Consulting /
  So-Deep, Inc.

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Utility Data Repositories are Changing

• 1980s and before
• Used to be collection of paper maps maintained
  and controlled by individual utility owners
• 1990s
• Digital CADD files and paper maps
• Now
• All of the above, plus GIS
• Who is in control of data?
• Who keeps data current?

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CADD GIS are Merging

• CADD is Graphical
• GIS is Database Graphics
• GIS has much more available data, and data can be
  organized and searched
• Both CADD GIS are going 3-D
• GIS will serve many more masters than CAD, and
  therein lies the challenge

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How Close is GIS to Taking over the Utility
Engineering Field?

• FAA already requiring all airports to do their
  layout plans for design in GIS rather than CAD
• SHRPII R-01A Research project is about developing
  standards and protocols for GPS/GIS to build
  Utility Data Repositories for state DOTs

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Utility Management System Architecture
A Geographic Information System (GIS) assembles
information from several sources, including
ground surveys, existing maps, aerial photos, and
satellite imagery. In a GIS, specific information
about a place, such as the locations of utility
lines, roads, streams, and buildings, is layered
over a set of geodetic data. Because a GIS
stores data digitally, information can be quickly
and economically updated, easily reproduced, and
made widely available. In fact, because of its
power and speed, GIS technology is doing most of
the cartographic (mapmaking) work that, in the
past, was laboriously done by hand on paper
charts and maps.
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Geographic Information Systems

• Challenges
• system architecture for creating robust legacy
  data inventory and data integration
• GIS, Geodesy, National Standards, State Statutes
• management buy-in and funding
• initial data collection
• data maintenance

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• Everybody needs to understand lingo and basics.
• Good idea to run everyone through basics.

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• Need multi-discipline team to manage initiative
  dont just turn it over to GIS nerds.
• Leader needs to have multi-discipline background
  to understand and guide effort.
• GIS, PLS, and engineering communities have in
  general not yet fully meshed. Throw on top of
  that, all of them lack an understanding of
  utilities.

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• Managing three data types
• attribute (what it is)
• coordinate (where it is)
• metadata (data about the data)

Need to be able to access, update, query, and
retrieve data readily, and push it back into
variety of CADD platforms, tied and projected to
desired project coordinate system.
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• What defines robust, legacy data?
• Need essential attribute data fields
• e.g., size, capacity, material, ownership,
  conduit, quality levels, coordinates
• Need essential meta-data
• e.g., data source, acquisition campaign, survey
  control and projection, engineer-of-record
• Need coordinate data tied to national datum
• Comply with Federal and international data
  standards (FGDC and ISO)

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• Positional accuracy is paramount for utilities.
• Ensure system development includes individuals
  who understand the science of geodesy. Otherwise
  data usage will be limited to inventory type
  applications.

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Geodesy - the science of measuring and monitoring
the size and shape of the Earth and the location
of points on its surface. NOAA's National
Geodetic Survey (NGS) is responsible for the
development and maintenance of a national
geodetic data system that is used for navigation,
communication systems, and mapping and charting.
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National Spatial Reference System
Datum to securely support other spatial
information

• Positional data and accuracy is the foundation
  for a GIS based utility data management system.

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NSRS Horizontal Datum
In 1927 the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, the
predecessor of the National Geodetic Survey,
"connected" all of the existing horizontal
monuments together and created the North American
Datum of 1927 (NAD 27). This datum was used
extensively during the next 60 years as the
primary reference for horizontal positioning. In
1983, NAD 27 was adjusted to remove inaccuracies
and to correct distortions. The new datum, called
NAD 83, is the most commonly used horizontal
positioning datum today in the United States.
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NSRS Vertical Datum
In 1929, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS)
compiled all of the existing vertical benchmarks
and created the National Geodetic Vertical Datum
of 1929 (NGVD 29). Since then, movements of the
Earth's crust have changed the elevations of many
benchmarks. In 1988, NGVD 29 was adjusted to
remove inaccuracies and to correct distortions.
The new datum, called the North American Vertical
Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88), is the most commonly
used vertical datum in the United States today.
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• Positional data and accuracy is the foundation
  for a GIS based utility data management system.

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Taking it to Next Level - CORS and GIS
The Continuously Operating Reference Stations
(CORS) system is a network that continually
corrects GPS signals, and provides these
corrections to GPS users over the Internet.
Relatively simple to tie all observations to the
NSRS
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National Committees and Centers

• Federal Geographic Data Committee -
  representatives from
• Dept.s of Ag, Commerce, Defense, Energy,
  Housing and
• Urban Development, Interior, State,
  Transportation, EPA,
• FEMA, Library of Congress, NASA, National
  Archives, and
• Tennessee Valley Authority.

• CADD/GIS Technology Center for Facilities,
  Infrastructure,
• and Environment, located at the U.S. Army
  Engineer
• Research and Development Centers
  Information
• Technology Laboratory in Vicksburg, MS - a
  consortium
• for joint development of CADD and GIS
  standards by the
• Army Corps of Engineers, Army, Air Force,
  Navy, Marines,
• and other federal, state, local government
  agencies.

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National GIS Data Standards
Spatial Data Standard for Facilities,
Infrastructures, and Environment
(SDSFIE) CADD/GIS Technology Center, Information
Technology Laboratory (ITL), U.S. Army Engineer
Waterways Experiment Station (WES) Vicksburg, MS,
a complex of five laboratories of the U. S. Army
Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC).
The CADD/GIS Technology Center was chartered in
1992 to promote the use of CADD and GIS
technologies for life-cycle facilities management
within the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
Navy, and Air Force.
ESRI ArcGIS Survey Analyst (Oct 02) developed
under contract with US Army Corps of Engineers as
a result.
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• Need business process
• Capture data from permitting, construction, and
  SUE activities
• Need digital data standards, special provisions,
  and templates for data submittals
• Need repository

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Be mindful of state statutes regulating
publication of mapped fixed features of
engineering.Model Law for management of
survey data in a GIS
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Utility Management System Buy-In

• Need management to support need.
• Need cost / benefit analysis and business
  process.
• Need funding.
• Consider banding with regional metropolitan
  entities, cities, counties, transit authorities,
  and other state agencies with identical needs -
  support a single system with pooled permit fees.
• Need to educate continuously on why this is not a
  trivial exercise.
• May need legislative changes and utility lobby
  support.

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Utility Management System Buy-In

• Immediate GIS Database Benefits for Big
  Projects
• Flag Utility Conflicts
• Rapid Query of Database for Conflicts
• Cost Sensitivity Analysis
• Value Engineering (mitigate conflict cost)
• Recommend Resolutions
• Exacting Summary Reports for Utility Coordinator
• Track Conflict Resolutions
• Monitor Critical Path

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Utility Management System Buy-In
Extended Advantages of a Utility GIS Inventory
Retain Investment of SUE Investigations ROW
Management Tool Facilitate Permitting Shift SUE
Data Burden to Utilities Easement
Commodity Maintenance Use Planning Safety Move
SUE Effort Up to Planning or EA / EIS Stage GASB
34 Compliance FHWA Office of Asset Management
Data Integration

• Port to handheld PC for Field Staff

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FHWA Office of Asset Management - 1999
Utility Management System Buy-In
Bridges
Data
Pavements
Materials
Roadway Hardware
Vehicles
ROW
Utilities
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Asset Management Goal
Utility Management System Buy-In
Data
Bridges
Pavements
Materials
Roadway Hardware
Vehicles
Utilities
ROW
Data Integration
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Utility Management System NOW!
Dont Miss the Boat!

• Utilize Existing/New GeoSpatial Data Standards
• Generate Legacy Data Sets
• Share OM Costs with Other Agencies
• Utilize Share Data with National/State/Local
  Sources
• Harness the Digital World and Enable Planners,
  Designers, and Maintenance to Perform Fantastic
  GeoSpatial Data Analyses and Use Emerging
  Technologies (e.g., BIM, 3D Modeling, etc.)

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The New Utility Management System
Captain, sensors indicate an oil pipeline
ofprobable Romulan origin is in conflict with
our new storm drainage system. However, Ive
instructed the computer to develop a new optimal
alignment that allows the pipeline to remain
without threat.
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Your time is very much appreciated.
Utility Mapping Services Phil Meis, P.E. Office
406.933.5300 Cell 801.209.2032 email
pjmeis_at_umsi.us