UN for Fiber?

[COSPNWGuy]

Hi all. I am back from the UC and just wanted to verify\clarify something I heard with the broader community. We are investigating the UN for fiber management for our City. I asked ESRI at the booth if it can do conduit and splicing managment (fundamental needs for managing fiber). I was told that I would need to use a third party solution (i.e. Schneider)? Is this true? If so, then why does ESRI market the UN as a fiber solution if it can't do these fundamentally required things? Hopeing the person at the booth was just wrong.....

[SpatialNinja · Accepted solution]

Good morning, I'll try and clarify. There are 5 main  components to fiber management in ArcGIS. The utility network, communications utility foundation solution template (data model), ArcGIS apps and APIs, and partner solutions. Esri users doing fiber management in ArcGIS today are leveraging one or more of those components. The utility network itself is a topology or connectivity model that resides in the GDB and in order to use it you need an asset package data model, like the one found in the communications utility network foundation, which provides the data schema and network rules for different types of networks, like fiber. Once you have the utility network and data model in place, you can then start editing features and connecting up the network. This can be done through ArcGIS Pro, other ArcGIS apps, or using the APIs.

So regarding splicing, ArcGIS Pro offers a tool to create connections or associations between features, ie. associating a fiber strand to a port. This tools is used for any type of network, so its very generalized and not built specific for managing a fiber network. So can you connect up a fiber network in core ArcGIS? Yes, but connecting a fiber network specifically is very cumbersome and time consuming because the tools is not built with fiber engineers in mind who have to connect or slice hundreds of strands at a time. So if you are looking for a more user friendly experience ,or a traditional splicing tool, we'd recommend one of our dozen business partners who build these productivity tools for engineers either built on the utility network or built on the other ArcGIS components I mentioned previously. 

In the story map below, there are some videos and one of the videos  'modifying network connectivity' highlights how to connect up features in the utility network in core ArcGIS Pro. You'll also find a story map which highlights business partners with fiber solutions. 

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/19fd6813361a4ff585b528f77843f88c

[COSPNWGuy]

Thanks @SpatialNinja 

[SpatialNinja]

There are also Pro Tasks in the Communications Utility Network Foundation solution template that will walk you through the editing and connecting experience in ArcGIS Pro. https://doc.arcgis.com/en/arcgis-solutions/latest/reference/introduction-to-communications-utility-n...

[WaldoFrerichs]

Where could I find a list of businesses who build productivity tools on top of the UN for Fiber customers. I've partially configured a splice within the out of the box UN communications model and it's not fun. Thanks.

[SpatialNinja]

Here is a list of all partners that support fiber design and management in ArcGIS. Not all listed under the system of record section have solutions specific to the utility network. Feel free to send me an email (phuls@esri.com) if you'd like to touch base on which partners have tools for the utility network.

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/68cce2444978454f89692feaf081bea8

[AigerimIlyassova]

Hi @SpatialNinja 

I would like to know a bit more about ArcGIS Solution 'Communications Utility Network Foundation'.

Is it additional tool for extra price or just Template which goes together with UN License? 

I aslo found from UN demos that it can trace fiber of a cable. Is this tool (tracing) can show each fiber route (logical connection) of for example 96 fiber cable? Or this this tool just shows spatial data details ?  

I saw a tool in buiness partners that illustrates logical connection of each fiber and hihglites this route on the map. I was wondering does Communications UN Foundations have the similar tool? 

Thanks,

[SpatialNinja · Accepted solution]

Hi, 

Please see responses in line below.

Is it additional tool for extra price or just Template which goes together with UN License? Its a freely downloadable solution template that only requires the correct user licensing for ArcGIS utility network. 

I aslo found from UN demos that it can trace fiber of a cable. Is this tool (tracing) can show each fiber route (logical connection) of for example 96 fiber cable? Or this this tool just shows spatial data details ?  The ArcGIS utility network allows for spatial and non-spatial tracing of connected networks.  The communications utility network foundation data model supports strand level connectivity via the object tables and tracing at a strand level. The trace result selects all elements in the network that the strands traverse through, including the cable on the map. 

I saw a tool in buiness partners that illustrates logical connection of each fiber and hihglites this route on the map. I was wondering does Communications UN Foundations have the similar tool? The selection set resulting from a trace can be shown via the attribute pane in ArcGIS Pro, but the the solution template does not offer traditional fiber visualization tools, like splicing tools offered by business partners.

There are videos in this storymap which highlight functionality.  https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/19fd6813361a4ff585b528f77843f88c

[AigerimIlyassova]

@SpatialNinja Thanks a lot for your reply.

Could you also please explian whether we can show each fiber signal status (system of record) and search on the map by their status or service name (fiber cable signal) or not? I could not see this functionality on demos available. 

There are tools (Signal Trace) available in business partners, is it possible to create similar one through Communications UN Foundations?  

Thanks,

[SpatialNinja]

Communications Utility Network Foundation data model stops at strand level documentation. Signal, wavelength, or any LNI would require additional configuring of the data model or a partner solution for an off the shelf option.