Choosing the right model for you
Update: Comments are now locked on this thread. If you have questions, please ask in them in the ArcGIS Utility Network Questions community.
With the Introduction of the new Migration toolset multiple paths now exist to implement a utility network. This article will compare each of these approaches, allowing you to make the best decision for your organization based on your requirements. Let’s quickly review the two approaches.
- Migrate your data into one of Esri’s Utility Network Foundations, or a well-defined partner model.
- Use the Migration toolset to migrate your geometric network data to a utility network and configure any additional capabilities you require.
Let’s review each of these approaches in more detail, starting with implementation using a Utility Network Foundation.
Esri’s Utility Network Foundations provide the best practice data models for representing a commodity with a utility network as well as preconfigured maps and instructions. Utility Network Foundations are available from Esri at no additional cost and are fully supported.
Some Utility Network Foundations include two data models, an Expanded Data Model and an Essentials Data Model, that provide differing levels of data representation.
- Expanded Data Models provide a robust schema with detailed asset descriptions and expansive network rules that enable an out of the box digital twin style representation.
- Essentials Data Models provide a simpler representation with just the minimum schema required to make a utility network function for a commodity. Essential Data Models use less capabilities of the utility network and capture less descriptive information about assets when compared to Expanded Data Models.
Customers who implement an Essentials model tend to add additional fields and asset types to the model, while customers who implement an Extended model tend to pair back the configurations in the model.
The second approach is to use the Migrate To Utility Network tool from the Migration toolset. This tool creates a utility network model that inherits your current schema. While this approach is faster and easier to get started with, it means that you will need to extend this utility network through additional configuration over time to satisfy some of your business requirements.
The discussion is abstract when discussed at a high level, so we will look at some industry specific examples of capabilities and whether they are included in a particular model or whether they require configuration. As we discuss these examples, we will classify each capability using one of the following values to indicate the level of effort that is typically associated:
- Included – This capability is included in the model and requires no additional configuration.
- Low – This should take less than a day’s work to implement. It typically involves a few configuration changes.
- Medium – This should take a few days to a week to implement. It may require a combination of configuration and/or data manipulation to complete.
- High – This feature can take weeks or months to implement. It typically requires a combination of configuration, data modelling, and data manipulation/creation to complete.
- *– As long as the original schema contains all the required information (fields, values, etc.), no additional configuration is required. Otherwise, it is the indicated level of effort.
In cases where an example of the configuration is documented, a link to the corresponding tutorial is provided.
Electric
The Electric Utility Network Foundation includes an Expanded Data Model and Essentials Data Model. The Essentials Data Model is only appropriate for representing unbalanced distribution networks, while the Expanded Data Model provides schema and configuration to support distribution, transmission, generation, and low voltage networks.
The Migrate To Utility Network tool will automatically create feeders without additional configuration if the source classes that contain features with an ancillary role of source are configured to be controllers and the enabled field is used to represent open/closed switches. The migration toolset does not currently support creating nonspatial objects, so any unit information must be represented as related records.
Capabilities | Migration Toolset | UN Foundation Essentials | UN Foundation Expanded |
Snapping and Rubber Banding | Included | Included | Included |
Connectivity Tracing | Included | Included | Included |
Offline Editing | Included | Included | Included |
Network Diagrams | Medium1 | Included | Included |
Web and Mobile Tracing | Low2 | Included | Included |
Feeder Management | Low*3 | Included | Included |
Upstream/Downstream Tracing | Low3 | Included | Included |
Protective Device Tracing | Low | Included | Included |
Phase Propagation | Medium4 | Included | Included |
Industry Specific Editing Rules | Low5 | Included | Included |
Substation Asset Management | Medium* | Included | Included |
OMS/ADMS Support | Medium* | Included | Included |
Units as network content | Medium | Included | Included |
Units for network connectivity | High | Medium | Included |
2 How to configure named trace configurations
3 Electrical Networks – Initial configuration
4 Electrical Networks – Advanced configuration
Gas
The Gas and Pipeline Referencing Utility Network Foundation includes only a single data model that is commonly referred to as the Utility and Pipeline Data Model (UPDM). This data model configures the utility network and ArcGIS Pipeline Referencing to represent gas and hazardous liquid pipelines as a single pipe system with both connected topology and linear referencing. The Migrate To Utility Network tool will automatically create system zones without additional configuration if the source classes that contain features with an ancillary role of source are configured to be controllers and the enabled field is used to represent open/closed valves.
Capabilities | Migration Toolset | UN Foundation |
Snapping and Rubber Banding | Included | Included |
Connectivity Tracing | Included | Included |
Offline Editing | Included | Included |
Network Diagrams | Medium1 | Included |
Web and Mobile Tracing | Low2 | Included |
Emergency Isolation Tracing | Low3 | Included |
Industry Specific Editing Rules | Low5 | Included |
Directional Flow Devices | Low | Included |
System Zones | Low* | Included |
Pressure Zone Management | Medium4 | Included |
Cathodic Protection Management | High | Included |
Facility Modeling | High | Included |
Pipeline Referencing | Medium | Included |
Unified Data Structure | High | Included |
2 How to configure named trace configurations
3 Pressurized systems – Initial configuration
4 Pressurized systems – Advanced configuration
Water
The Water Utility Network Foundation includes an Expanded Model and an Essentials Data Model. The main difference between the two models is the Expanded Data Model includes a more detailed schema, including configuration for representing the contents of stations, cathodic protection, and district metering areas (DMA).
The Migrate To Utility Network tool will automatically create water systems without additional configuration if the source classes that contain features with an ancillary role of source are configured to be controllers and the enabled field is used to represent open/closed valves.
Capabilities | Migration Toolset | UN Foundation Essentials | UN Foundation Expanded |
Snapping and Rubber Banding | Included | Included | Included |
Connectivity Tracing | Included | Included | Included |
Offline Editing | Included | Included | Included |
Network Diagrams | Medium1 | Included | Included |
Web and Mobile Tracing | Low2 | Included | Included |
Emergency Isolation Tracing | Low3 | Included | Included |
Industry Specific Editing Rules | Low5 | Included | Included |
Directional Flow Devices | Low | Included | Included |
Water Systems | Low* | Included | Included |
Pressure Zone Management | Medium4 | Included | Included |
Cathodic Protection Management | High | High | Included |
DMA Subnetwork | Medium | Medium | Included |
Facility Modeling | High | High | Included |
2 How to configure named trace configurations
3 Pressurized systems – Initial configuration
4 Pressurized systems – Advanced configuration
Sewer
The Sewer Utility Network Foundation includes both an Expanded Data Model and an Essentials Data Model for representing separate (non-combined) sewers.
The main difference is the Expanded Data Model stops pipes at the boundary of each vault and uses nonspatial connectivity to manage the connectivity within the vault. This model is more appropriate for maintaining a high accuracy 3D pipe network.
Organizations who use the digitized directions of lines will be able to use the digitized direction option when tracing to perform upstream and downstream analysis without needing to create sewersheds.
The Migrate To Utility Network tool will create sewersheds automatically without additional configuration if the source classes that contain features with an ancillary role of sink are configured to be controllers.
Capabilities | Migration toolset | UN Foundation Essentials | UN Foundation Expanded |
Snapping and Rubber Banding | Included | Included | Included |
Connectivity Tracing | Included | Included | Included |
Offline Editing | Included | Included | Included |
Network Diagrams | Medium1 | Medium | Included |
Web and Mobile Tracing | Low2 | Included | Included |
Upstream/downstream tracing | Low*36 | Included | Included |
Industry Specific Editing Rules | Low5 | Included | Included |
Sewershed Systems | Low*3 | Included | Included |
Sub-basins | Low4 | Included | Included |
Detailed manhole channels | High3 | High | Included |
2 How to configure named trace configurations
3 Gravity-based systems – Initial configuration
4 Gravity-based systems – Advanced configuration (coming soon)
6 Get started with ArcGIS Utility Network for wastewater
Stormwater
The Stormwater Utility Network Foundation includes only a single data model.
Organizations who use the digitized directions of lines will be able to use the digitized direction option when tracing to perform upstream and downstream analysis without needing to create watersheds.
The Migrate To Utility Network tool will create watersheds automatically without additional configuration if the source classes that contain features with an ancillary role of sink are configured to be controllers.
Capabilities | Migration toolset | UN Foundation |
Snapping and Rubber Banding | Included | Included |
Connectivity Tracing | Included | Included |
Offline Editing | Included | Included |
Network Diagrams | Medium1 | Included |
Web and Mobile Tracing | Low2 | Included |
Upstream/downstream tracing | Low*36 | Included |
Industry Specific Editing Rules | Low5 | Included |
Watershed Systems | Low* | Included |
Catchments | Low4 | Included |
Channel connections | Low3 | Included |
Best Management Practices Containment | Low3 | Included |
2 How to configure named trace configurations
3 Gravity-based systems – Initial configuration
4 Gravity-based systems – Advanced configuration (coming soon)
6 Get started with ArcGIS Utility Network for stormwater
District Energy
The District Energy Utility Network Foundation includes only a single data model.
The Migrate To Utility Network tool will automatically create energy systems without additional configuration if the source classes that contain features with an ancillary role of source are configured to be controllers and the enabled field is used to represent open/closed valves.
Capabilities | Migration toolset | UN Foundation |
Snapping and Rubber Banding | Included | Included |
Connectivity Tracing | Included | Included |
Offline Editing | Included | Included |
Network Diagrams | Medium1 | Included |
Web and Mobile Tracing | Low2 | Included |
Valve Isolation Tracing | Low3 | Included |
Industry Specific Editing Rules | Low5 | Included |
Directional Flow Devices | Low | Included |
Energy System | Low* | Included |
Pressure Zone Management | Medium | Included |
Cathodic Protection Management | High | Included |
Facility Modeling | High | Included |
2 How to configure named trace configurations
3 Pressurized systems – Initial configuration
Communications
The Communications Utility Network Foundation includes only a single data model.
The Communications data model requires modeling strands and connectivity using nonspatial objects. Because the Migration To Utility Network tool doesn’t currently support creating non-spatial objects it is not possible to create a communications utility network capable of representing a communications network with connectivity. You must use a utility network foundation or partner model to implement a communications utility network.
Conclusion
Now that you’ve seen the pros/cons associated with each of the approaches you are better equipped to decide which approach is appropriate for your organization. If you’re not certain of which approach to take, you should consider using the Migration toolset to create a prototype that you can use to begin exploring the utility network. This will not only allow you to begin experiencing some of the tools with your own data but also allows you to quickly identify any show-stopping data quality issues that need to be addressed before you implement your utility network in production.
If you’re interested in accessing the migration toolset or want to see what additional resources are available discussing this approach, check out the Get started with the Migration Toolset article on the Esri Community site.
