Conduits vs Duct Banks

[TimHayes]

My situation:

I have direct buried conduits (i.e. those conduits that have been directly buried in the ground and are not in duct bank).

I have conduits located inside tunnels and basements.

I have duct banks which contain an array of conduits (buried).


Would you suggest creating 3 separate feature classes? or would you create one Feature Class with Direct Bury Conduits, Conduits inside Tunnels, Conduits in Basements, and Conduits in Duct Banks as subtypes?

Any ideas are welcome.

[SSMIC3038]

Personally I'd go with one feature, I always mull this over when new features are made.
My opinion is that having the analysis on a single feature is better than requiring analysis across 3 features, which the desktop user may not be aware of.

[MicahManuel]

I would stay with one class and make a sub-type or try making those situations part of the attribute field.

[kernelsphere]

Electrical conduit may be made of metal,plastic,fiber,or fired clay.this is generally used for protection and routing the electrical wiring.on the other side Duck bank is grouping of PVC conduits which are bundled together and protect by metal casting and concrete.

Thanks

[MelanieRosenberg2]

Would you say that: wherever there are more than one conduit, there is a ductbank? Or would there be a situation where this is not the case? Would you have conduits grouped together and not in a casing?

[TimHayes]

Yes, there are situations where 2 or more conduits (2in gray PVC) run parallel and are what is called "Direct Buried". This means they are not inside a Duct Bank. Why? it costs less to direct bury conduit than put it inside a duct bank.