Looking back on “How’s Your Utility Network Data Going to Look?”

October 11, 2021 — Jake Bell

There are many questions to be answered before understanding how your data will look in the UN. Below are a just few examples:

  1. How is your data structured now?
  2. What functionality do you want from the UN?
  3. Do you have data to support desired functionality already?
  4. What changes would you like to make to your data during the migration to the UN?

Until then, what work can you do to set the UN migration up for success? This blog will discuss this question in further detail.

What is the Esri Utility Network?

The Utility Network, at its most basic level, is a data model accompanied by a set of business rules meant to help utility companies manage their assets. The flexible model is tailored to electric, gas, water and telecom utilities while respecting the unique properties of each utility infrastructure and their operations.

Upon migrating to the Utility Network, a set of ArcGIS Pro tools are provided by Esri to cater to the new functionality the Utility Network brings with it. Some of these tools are generic to the data model, while some are specific to the commodity being modeled in the Utility Network.

Once the Utility Network is stood up, mobile, web, and desktop application can access the data and its functionality through published feature services.

What’s so great about the Utility Network?

The Utility Network offers all sorts of bells and whistles to support utility workflows, but specifically, the Utility Network efficiently and effectively handles:

  1. Support for radial and mesh networks
  2. Network management and editing
  3. Network analysis and tracing
  4. More realistic representation of “real-world networks”
  5. Asset containment
  6. Integrated schematics and diagrams
  7. 3-D support
  8. Web-centric data sharing and workflows

It is important to weigh these enhancements against the previous functionality of the soon-to-be-retired Geometric Network. Some examples of the limitations of the Geometric Network are listed below:

  1. Desktop heavy
  2. 3rd party tools needed for mesh networks, advanced network modeling, quick tracing, and quality control
  3. Difficult to create realistic representations of “real-world networks”
  4. Additional Esri Module needed for schematics and diagrams
  5. No 3-D support

The Utility Network offers better and more widespread functionality to manage a GIS utility network, but moving from the Geometric Network to the Utility Network can be a daunting task. In the next section, the data model migration process will be explained.

What does the Utility Network data model look like?

High quality data management will ensure a successful migration to the Utility Network. Before beginning the data modeling process, it is important to understand the architecture of the Utility Network.

Domain Network

The Domain Network holds all the assets which control and allow the flow of electric/gas/water/telco/etc. These are predominantly assets which could have already been modeled in the Geometric Network.

The Domain Network is comprised of five Feature Classes:

  1. Device – Asset points, like transformers, valves, pumps, switches, etc.
  2. Line – Conductors, wires, or pipes
  3. Junction – Attachment and connection points which link devices and lines together
  4. Assembly – “Banks” of devices
  5. Subnetline – Information about circuits and zones

Each of the Domain Network feature classes can contain subtypes called Asset Groups, and those Asset Groups can also contain their own subtypes called Asset Types. Understanding your Asset Groups and Asset Types is pertinent when setting up the Utility Network.

Structure Network

The Structure Network holds the assets which support or hold up the Domain Network assets. Assets like poles, cabinets, and manholes all fall into this network.

The Structure Network is comprised of five Feature Classes:

  1. Structure Junction – Structural asset point features, like poles, vaults, cabinets, etc.
  2. Structure Line – Conduits, casing, ducts, trench lines, etc.
  3. Structure Boundary – Station or building boundaries
  4. Structure Junction Object – non-spatial object management, such as duct bank connections
  5. Structure Edge Object – non-spatial object management, such as ducts within a duct bank

Like the Domain Network, the Structure Network can also be broken down into Asset Groups and Asset Types.

Tier Groups

Tier Groups hold all the information surrounding different voltage or pressure zones. These groups help utilities manage operations like advanced network tracing, phase-based tracing, or Cathodic Protection tracing.

Subnetworks

Subnetworks define circuits or pressure zones within a Utility Network.

How do I prepare to move to the Utility Network?

There are many ways to prepare your data for migration to the Utility Network. Keep in mind, the following preparation steps are not necessarily sequential. A future decision during migration may impact a decision made previously, thus requiring some re-work of your migration methodology.

Asset Package

Download your commodity’s Asset Package from solutions.arcgis.com as a FGDB. This will act a starter dataset used to begin reviewing the Utility Network data structure. Please take note that Esri provides these starter packages to help guide a utility on how you could configure a Utility Network.  You do NOT have to use it as provided.  In fact, if you have a mature and well-curated GIS, it is possible to migrate the majority of your current attribute data as-is into the various Asset Groups of the data model.

Data Dictionary

Esri offers data dictionaries to help explain and understand nomenclature specific to each commodity represented in the Utility Network:

  1. Electric Data Dictionary
  2. Gas Data Dictionary
  3. Water Data Dictionary
  4. Telecom Data Dictionary

Asset Group and Asset Type Review

After you review Esri’s starter Utility Network dataset, there may be Asset Groups or Asset Types which may not be required for your Utility Network migration. These Asset Groups and Asset Types can be removed completely from the schema, or left intact incase there may be a future use. As mentioned previously, altering the Asset Groups and Asset Types later in the migration will require re-work of previous migration process steps. Defining Asset Groups and Asset Types early and concretely will make for an easier migration throughout.

Assembly Use

Assemblies are used to aggregate features into a single “bank” of features. Assemblies simplify the map view and handle multiple features within one point, like fusing on transformers or gas regulator stations. Assemblies are not a requirement for the Utility Network to function, but can help make maps easier to read.

Visual Data Representation and Asset Complexity

Due to the dense nature of the Utility Network data model, differing levels of map detail may persist depending on decisions made during the migration process. The more assets being modeled in the network, the more informational the maps can become, but also the more cluttered the maps can become. It is important to maintain a balance between seeing assets on the map and providing too much excess detail to viewers.

It should be noted that for electric utilities, you may need to model each device in a multi-phase bank if you want to perform individual phase operations at that bank.  This can introduce even more assets and complexity to your maps.

Each commodity’s Utility Network model is geared towards specific aspects of said commodities:

  • Gas is focused on regulatory requirements.
  • Electric is geared toward ADMS and analysis needs.
  • Water is dealing with more operational models.

However, these do not leave the model rigid. Users still have control over which attributes are used, how domains are constructed, how processes affect attributes rules, and how to future-proof the data model.

External Data

It is tempting to bring as much data as possible into the Utility Network. There are questions to help define how much data needs to live in the Utility Network:

  1. Does your GIS need all the asset data or just the operational data?
  2. Can integrations be used to better incorporate data from Systems of Record and Systems of Engagement?
  3. Does landbase data, customer information data, inspection data, or maintenance data need to exist in the Utility Network?
    1. Please realize that the Utility Network does not incorporate landbase or other ancillary GIS datasets. While those are important to your business operations, they should remain in their own data structures and not be included in the Utility Network data model unless there is a strong business reason.

Clearly defining the data needing to be in the GIS will lead to a more efficient Utility Network migration.

Wrap Up

Moving to Esri’s Utility Network data model is a large task, but with a proper understanding of the UN model and your company’s data, the migration can be simplified. Asking the right questions and making the right decisions early in the process will set the migration up for success. Hopefully, the steps provided above provide clarity into how to begin migrating to the Utility Network.

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