Latest Contributions by TomDeWitte

By Tom DeWitte In January 2020, Esri launched an initiative to create a Utility Network data model that would enable District Heating and Cooling industry (DHC) customers to more fully leverage the ArcGIS platform. From the beginning, this was undertaken as a collaborative effort involving Distributors, Business Partners, and customers. To assure the initiative factored in regional requirements, working groups for North America, Europe and Asia were formed.  These working groups are comprised of volunteers from DHC organizations, and the business partners and Esri Distributors who support them. These working groups started meeting virtually twice a month in March.  This blog is an update on the progress made by these working groups in our efforts to create a geodatabase data model for Steam, Heated Water, and Chilled Water pipe systems with the Utility Network capabilities, by the end of 2020. Its Taking Shape In February of 2020, a team of Esri staff started meeting with DHC organizations to begin the process of understanding these pipe systems and the assets which comprise them. Thru March and April the aggregated feedback from these organizations has started to coalesce.  With this coalescing of feedback, a geodatabase data model with utility network capability is starting to take shape. As the feature class subtypes, attributes, coded domains, and default values settle into a final schema, other aspects of a geodatabase data model are starting to be defined.  These are the business rules of District Heating and Cooling.  In the just released Alpha 3 version of the data model, you will see some initial defining of Contingent values.  Over the course of the summer, this will be expanded to include attribute rule calculations and attribute rule constraints. Alpha3 will also be the first iteration of the data model to start to include the Utility Network specific definitions and rulebase. With Alpha 3 you will see the first iteration of definitions for the pipe system tier group, and its tiers of system and pressure. Alpha 3 will also include beginning rulebase definitions for containment and connectivity.  These too will be enhanced thru additional iterations over the course of the summer. We Have Sample Data We have data!!  A sample data set is an important part of the data model template download.  It allows everyone to see through a map what part the data model assets play in the pipe system and where in the pipe system these assets appear. With the alpha 3 posting of the DHC 2020 data model, we will be including for the first time our developing sample data set.  This data set will include examples of steam, heated water, and chilled water pipe systems.  You can download the DHC 2020 Alpha 3 version here. Much Yet To Do Building a spatially aware data model requires a little more work than defining a standard relational database data model.  Over the next several months, the working groups will continue to build out this data model.  This work will center around how the inventory of DHC pipe system assets interact with each other.  With upcoming releases of the data model over the summer of 2020 you will see the result of this effort in the defining of:                 - Connectivity rules to define how this pipe system should be assembled                 - Containment rules to define within which facilities these assets are allowed to reside                 - Contingent values to define the dependency between an asset’s attributes                 - Attribute rules to automate data entry and improve data quality                 - Subnetwork definitions to define the subsystems of the pipe system     There is much yet to do. Conclusion Even though there is much yet to do, this effort is on schedule.  But we are always looking for more volunteers with industry knowledge to help with this effort.  If you work in, or support the Steam, Heated Water, or Chilled Water utility organizations and are interested in joining one of our working groups, please let us know.  You can contact me via geonet or directly via email: [email protected]. ... View more

This is the third alpha release of the District Heating and Cooling Data model.  It is a version 2.5.0 asset package.  This is a specific configuration of a file geodatabase ,that when coupled with the Utility Network Package Tools, can be used to create, load and configure a full utility network for this industry.   Please post any comments or suggestions to this geonet site.   Thanks Tom DeWitte Esri, Inc ... View more

This is the second alpha release of the District Heating and Cooling Data model.  It is a version 2.5.0 asset package.  This is a specific configuration of a file geodatabase ,that when coupled with the Utility Network Package Tools, can be used to create, load and configure a full utility network for this industry.   Please post any comments or suggestions to this geonet site.   Thanks Tom DeWitte Esri, Inc ... View more

This is the first alpha release of the District Heating and Cooling Data model.  It is a version 2.5.0 asset package.  This is a specific configuration of a file geodatabase ,that when coupled with the Utility Network Package Tools, can be used to create, load and configure a full utility network for this industry. Please post any comments or suggestions to this geonet site. Thanks Tom DeWitte Esri, Inc ... View more

After reviewing everyone's initial feedback on types of linear structures which should be included in the DHC data model, I have compiled an initial list.  Here is the list:  Some specific questions I could use some help on are: 1. Tunnels:  Are there different types of tunnels.  If so, what are they? 2. Are tunnels a shared structure across multiple utility systems (hot water, steam, chilled water, water, electric, telco, etc)  systems? 3. Pipe Casings.  Are there different types of pipe casings.  If so, what are they? 4.Are Pipe casings a shared structure across multiple types of pipes (hot water, chilled water, steam, water, etc)? 5. What makes a concrete trench box different from a trench?  Is a Concrete trench box actually just a type of trench? 6. Are there different types of trenches? 7. What is the difference between a conduit and a duct? Thanks  Tom DeWitte Esri, Inc ... View more

One of the stated requirements for the district heating and cooling data model is to support simple asset management.  This sounds great, but I think everyone has a slightly different opinion on what this means.  So, if you were to make a top ten list of what it means to perform simple asset management of a DHC in a GIS what would that list be.  Here are my thoughts to get the discussion started: Tom's Top Ten List of Simple Asset Management 1. Ability to create and maintain a digital representation of the physical pipe system. 2. Spatial representation and accurate location of the pipes, devices, fittings and supporting structures of a DHC. 3. Each asset has enough physical description (material, diameter,etc) to support analytical needs of hydraulic analysis, risk analysis, and operational management. 4. Each asset knows its manufacturer and manufacturer lot number to support factory recall identification. 5. Pipe system digital representation is of enough detail to support hydraulic analysis. 6. Pipe system digital representation is of enough detail to support emergency management/leak response tasks. 7. Pipe system digital representation is of enough detail to support risk analysis. 8. Pipe system digital representation is of enough detail to support system growth planning. 9. Each asset has a unique assetID. 10. Each asset knows the Project Number and Work Order ID under which it was installed. That's my top ten list.  What is yours? Tom DeWitte Esri, Inc ... View more

Based on the feedback from data model group participants around the world, it looks like the recommended categorization and sub-categorization is as follows: Does this look like the correct method for organizing DHC pipes?  Is this list complete?  Is the list of sub-categories for these different types of pipe complete and correct?  What about these additional potential pipe categories? Let me know what you think? Tom DeWitte Esri, Inc ... View more

DHC Geonet users, I am trying to understand how to model Leak Detection systems within a Utility Network.  This monitoring system seems to be commonly used in District Heating and Cooling systems.  What I have learned so far is that a Leak Detection system is comprised of the following components: -Leak Detection Panel -Leak Detection Test Point -Leak Detection Wire -Leak Detection Withdrawal Point A customer was kind enough to share the following drawing to help explain this system. Here are my initial questions: 1) Is this a complete inventory of the components which comprise a leak detection system. 2) Is the leak detection wire always embedded in the insulation of the main? 3) If the wire is embedded in the pipe insulation, could it be stored as an attribute of the pipe versus being a separate feature? Thanks Tom DeWitte Esri, Inc ... View more

By Tom DeWitte and Tom Coolidge Installing the correct components when constructing a new pipe system or replacing an existing portion of a pipe system is critical to the safety and reliability of the overall pipe system.  When dealing with buried pipe utilities such as natural gas, water, district heating, district cooling, and hazardous liquids, this is a real issue.  Every year field crews inadvertently make the following mistakes:    -install polyethylene assets that have been sitting in the service yard for too long    -contractor installed a component for a utility company that is not on the utility companies’ approved manufacturer list    -field crew installed a pipe system component which is no longer compatible with company standards.  Without real-time field validation, these honest mistakes typically do not get identified until after the construction is complete and the pipe components have been covered over.  This latency in identification leads to expensive post-construction repairs.  Real-time Validation If the field construction crews could be notified that a specific pipe component about to be installed does not meet the requirements for valid installation, the previously listed issues could be eliminated. What field crews need is real-time validation. Configuring Collector for Real-time Validation In early 2019 Collector for ArcGIS was enhanced to support arcade scripting in the web maps which provide the configuration of Collector’s behavior.  As noted in previous blog articles, this opened the capability for real-time decoding of a pipe component’s barcode. -Tracking and Traceability 2019: Part 1 -Tracking and Traceability 2019: Part 2 The ability to add arcade scripts to the web map pop-up provides an advanced configuration ability to provide field crews with real-time validation.   What’s a field person to do? A field person can easily use this real-time validation capability.  Since Collector runs on Apple, Android and Windows mobile devices, they could check the validity of pipe segments, plastic device and plastic fittings while unloading them from the delivery truck.  All the field person would have to do is to use their smart phone running the Collector to scan the barcode using the device’s camera. Screenshot of portion of Collector pop-up Collector will automatically decode the barcode information and open a pop-up window with the validation results.  Invalid pipe segments, devices and fittings never reach the installation trench.          Keeping invalid pipe components out of installation trenches improves safety, system reliability, and eliminates unwanted costs. No one wants to have to re-dig the construction location to remove the invalid pipe components. How is this possible? Esri makes real-time validation possible by allowing arcade scripts to be added to the web map configuration file.  More specifically the arcade script is added to the pop-up configuration in the web map of the pipe, device or fitting layer. Screenshot of portion of pop-up layer configuration With the arcade script added to the desired layer pop-ups, the web map is now ready for real-time validation.  For the field user, initiation of the validation process occurs automatically when the field user presses the “Submit” button in the upper right corner of the Collector display. Screenshot of top portion of Collector application The pressing of the “Submit” button after collecting some information such as scanning of a barcode also automatically opens the pop-up to show the validation results.  It really is that easy to deploy and that seamless an experience for the field user.             What is the script doing? The logic in the arcade script is the key to enabling Collector to perform real-time validation.  What must the script do?  The simple answer is that it must be able to acquire the information needed to answer a question.  For example, a core validation for plastic pipe construction is whether the polyethylene plastic material is too old.  Polyethylene plastic is susceptible to the suns UV rays.  Let a roll of medium density polyethylene pipe site in the service yard for over 3 years and the sun’s UV rays will have degraded the material to the point where it should not be installed. The information needed to assess whether the role of pipe is too old is the date of manufacture and the current date.  The date of manufacture is acquired form the scanning and decoding of the ASTM F2897 barcode.  The current date is acquired from the mobile device itself.  Subtract the manufacture date from the current date and you have a time difference.  If the time difference exceeds the industry recommended shelf life then that roll of pipe is invalid and should not be installed.  Here is a snippet of the arcade script to determine whether the polyethylene plastic pipe or component has exceeded the recommended shelf life. Portion of arcade script to determine material shelf life   Where can I get these scripts? Many people have told me that they find it easier to modify someone else’s script than to write one from scratch. With that statement in mind we have written arcade scripts against a UPDM 2019 data model and the ASTM F2897 barcode standard to address three validation scenarios. Scenario 1: Material for HDPE and MDPE has exceeded its shelf life Scenario 2: The manufacturer of the pipe system component is not on the utilities approved list. Scenario 3: The specific size and model of the component is not part of the utilities set of codes and standards. These arcade scripts are available for download from the following location on geonet. https://community.esri.com/docs/DOC-14615-tracking-and-traceability-2020-scripts In addition to the scripts are detailed instructions on how to configure and deploy the scripts into your ArcGIS Enterprise or Online organization.  That’s right, web map based arcade scripts not only work for ArcGIS Enterprise environments they also work for ArcGIS Online organizations. What else can Collector real-time validations do In addition to the real-time validation scenarios previously listed, there are other opportunities for applying real-time validation.  For example, you could create custom barcodes for welding and plastic fusion operators.  The custom barcodes could embed the worker’s operator qualifications. A Collector web map embedded arcade script could decode that scanned operator’s badge barcode and immediately determine whether the operator is qualified and whether the qualifications are still valid. The advanced configuration capabilities of web maps with arcade scripting open capabilities that previously required complex and expensive customization.  The universal use of web maps in web applications and mobile applications such as Collector allow this configuration to be done once and utilized across Windows mobile devices, Android mobile devices, Apple mobile devices, and web applications.  And did I mention that these real-time validations work even when the device is disconnected from the network? PLEASE NOTE: The postings on this site are our own and don’t necessarily represent Esri’s position, strategies, or opinions. ... View more

This zip file contains the arcade scripts to enhance Collector for ArcGIS with the following capabilities: 1) To decode the ASTM F2897 barcodes used by natural gas industry plastic pipe and component manufacturers. This works in both a network connected and a network disconnected mode. 2) Perform real-time validation of the collected pipe and pipe component information.  Validation checks include:    -Verify medium density and high density polyethylene components have not exceeded industry recommended shelf life.    -Verify the pipe or pipe component manufacturer is a gas organization approved manufacturer.    -Verify the pipe type and size are compliant with gas organization codes and standards. 3) Automatically capture GPS data and write to feature attributes (GPSX, GPSY, GPSZ). 4) Automatically calculate and populate the pipe feature's pipe volume and surface area when record is submitted to server.    Additionally, the zip file contains documentation on how to apply these arcade scripts as attribute rules and as expressions to your web maps for Collector.     If you have questions, or suggestions for further improvement of the Collector for ArcGIS digital data collection process, please post them to Geonet, so everyone can see and share the information.   Thank you Tom DeWitte Esri Technical Lead – Natural Gas Industry ... View more

By Tom Coolidge and Tom DeWitte   Part 3 of 3 This the third and final blog in a series that explains how the ArcGIS platform with the ArcGIS Utility Network Management extension and the Utility and Pipeline Data Model (UPDM) can be utilized to model a cathodic protection system.   What is a cathodic protection zone and why does a pipe organization need to understand it?     Cathodic Protection Zones What is a CP zone? In the second blog of this series we described the components which comprise a cathodic protection zone and how UPDM 2019 provides a template for organizing the information about those components.  But, a cathodic protection zone is more than its components. Cathodic Protection System A cathodic protection zone is really an electrical circuit.  Electricity flows through it to protect the connected components from corrosion. So, to understand what a cathodic protection zone is, we need an understanding of the connectivity between the components.  But even that is not enough. In addition to understanding connectivity we need to understand what connected components have characteristics which will cause the flow of electricity to stop.    This means the GIS model representing the cathodic protection zone needs to know that plastic pipe is non-conducting and will therefore stop the flow of electricity.  The GIS system needs to understand that devices and fittings can be insulated, and this will also stop the flow of electricity.    The ArcGIS Utility Network Management extension provides this higher level of understanding within ArcGIS.   Defining the Cathodic Protection Zone To create a cathodic protection zone within the utility network, all PipelineLine, PipelineDevice and PipelineJunction features must have their CPTraceability populated. Additionally, the test points must be configured as terminals and designated as a subnetwork controller. The logic that defines how the utility network discovers a cathodic protection zone is as follows: Start the trace from the sources (Test Point(s)) Use the utility network connectivity to begin traversing the system. Stop traversing the network when the trace encounters a feature with a CPTraceability = Not Traceable. The tool within the utility network which performs this task is the “Update Subnetwork” geoprocessing tool.   When the “Update Subnetwork” is run, it aggregates the following PipelineLine features to create the subnetwork geometry. Distribution lines Transmission lines Gathering lines   Additionally, the “Update Subnetwork” is preconfigured in UPDM 2019 to summarize the following information and write it to the subnetwork feature record. Number of Anodes Number of Rectifiers Number of Test Points Total Length Total Surface Area Defining Flow for Cathodic Protection In the digital world of flow analysis, there are two types of flow networks; source, and sink. SOURCE — A source is an origin of the resource delivered. For example, for a natural gas distribution system, sources of natural gas are the utility transfer meters within town border stations. SINK —A sink is the destination of the gathered resource. For example, when modeling the Mississippi river basin, the sink of the pipe network is the outflow into the Gulf of Mexico, just south of the city of New Orleans. A pressure system is another example of a source flow system. The source of gas to the gas pressure zone is the regulator device. A single gas pressure zone will typically have multiple regulators feeding gas into the pressure zone. Diagram of Pressure Zone Within the utility network, a single domain may only have one type of subnetwork controller (Source or Sink). The gas pipe system tiers (System, Pressure, Isolation) are modeled as sources.  In UPDM 2019, the Pipeline domain models the subnetwork controller type as a “Source” to support the pipe system tiers.   The cathodic protection system of a pipe system is not as consistent a flow model as the pressurized pipe system. For the impressed current system, the rectifier would be the logical source and the anode would be an intermediate device.  For the galvanically protected system, the anode would be the logical source. Because of this inconsistency, it was decided that the best option was to make the test point the source as it is typically a part of both the galvanically protected system and the impressed current protection system.   Tracing Across a Cathodic Protection Zone Now that the cathodic protection zones have been defined with the “Update Subnetwork” geoprocessing tool users can begin to perform traces across the cathodic protection system.  Some common questions to ask the utility network via a trace are: Where is are the Test Points? Where is the nearest test point? Which pipe system components participate in the zone? Outside of the trace tools simple attribute queries can be run to understand the following: Which pipe system components are bonded? Which pipe system components are cathodic protection insulators With the cathodic protection zones defined in the utility network, these questions can be easily answered.   Conclusion Data management and analysis of cathodic protection systems was a challenge in legacy geospatial systems.  Entering the information has always been a straight forward process.  Maintaining an intelligent representation of the cathodic protection system has historically been the challenge. With the utility network combined with the UPDM 2019 configuration, maintaining and analyzing a cathodic protection system is now an intuitive process. If you missed the first two blogs in this series, we encourage you to check them out. The first blog provided an overview of how cathodic protection systems works to provide GIS professionals and IT administrators with enough knowledge to be able to correctly create a digital representation of a cathodic protection system utilizing UPDM 2019 and the utility network . The second blog went into detail on the use of UPDM 2019 to organize the digital presentation of the cathodic protection system.   PLEASE NOTE: The postings on this site are our own and don’t necessarily represent Esri’s position, strategies, or opinions ... View more