An introduction to ESRI GIS and the ArcGIS Pipeline Data Model.

1. APDM 101
(ArcGIS Pipeline Data Model)
or "What did you do to my As-Builts
and Alignment sheets and how am i
supposed to use this new acronym
thingy?"

2. First, an introduction to GIS
Geographic Information System
• A geographic information system (GIS) integrates hardware,
software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and
displaying all forms of geographically referenced
information.
GIS allows us to view, understand, question, interpret, and
visualize data in many ways that reveal relationships, patterns,
and trends in the form of maps, globes, reports, and charts.
A GIS helps you answer questions and solve problems by
looking at your data in a way that is quickly understood and
easily shared.
• System of :
o Data, Software, Hardware, People and Processes

3. GIS - Data makes the world go round
Geographic Information System
• Data
o Raster - Aerial Photography
 A continuous grid of Values at X,Y coordinates
o Tabular - "Object Classes"
 Rows and columns of attribute values
o Vector - "Feature Classes"
 Points,
 X,Y coordinate (with attribute values)
 Lines,
 Collections of X,Y coordinates (with attributes)
 Polygons
 Area within a closed loop consisting of a collection
of X,Y cordinates (with attributes)

4. What GIS Software do we have
• ESRI - ArcGIS
o ArcSDE
 Database application which manages geospatial data
inside of Oracle
o ArcCatalog
 Explorer for Geospatial data
o ArcMap
 Data Editing
 Data Visualization
 Data Analysis
 Reporting
 Map Generation
o ArcFM Viewer
 Data Viewing

5. What is this Geodatabase you speak of?
• The Geodatabase -
o A geo-spatially enabled database.
o Database stores tables in columns and rows of attributes
o Geodatabase adds the ability to store spatial locations
along with the other attributes in the tables.
• Geodatabase "Flavors"
o Enterprise - Multi User, Versioned, Stored in Oracle
o Personal - Single user, non-Versioned, Stored in .MDB
o File - Multi-User w/ limitations, Stored in folder of files.

6. What's in the Geodatabase?
• The Geodatabase contains
o Object Classes - Tables with attribute fields and rows
o Feature Classes - Tables which also store Geometry
o Relationship Classes - relate Objects & Features
• Inside the Geodatabase, Feature Datasets contain related
FeatureClasses in the same coordinate system.
 APDM < --- Geodatabase
 Site < --- Object Class
 Transmission < --- Feature Dataset (like a folder)
 ControlPoints < --- Feature Class
 StationSeries < --- Feature Class
 StationSeriesControlPoints < -- Relationship Class

7. So the data can be one of these types?
• Pipeline Data Examples
o Tables
 Site
 StructureOrIDSite
 AllLeakInfo
o Points
 Valves - "Online" - "on the pipeline centerline"
 CP Test Station - "Offline" - not on the centerline
o Lines
 Pipe Segments - "Online" - "on the centerline"
 Casing - "Online" - "on the centerline"
 Access Roads - "Offline" - not on the centerline
o Polygons
 Identified Sites - "Offline"
 Storage Field Pool and Buffer - "Offline"

8. Attribute Fields?
• What Kinds of attributes
o Date - "10/12/11"
o Text - "CW1234"
o Integer - "4"
o Double - "12.75"
o GUID - "{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}"
 More about GUIDs later....
• Defaults - value inserted when a feature or object is created.
• Allow Null - Y/N
• Domains
o Coded Domains - AKA: Pick Lists or Valid Value Lists
 Valve Class,
 Structure Type,
o Ranges - "Minimum and Maximum"
 0-360 - degrees of rotation

9. APDM
Attribute
Fields
Examples

10. Joins
GIS - Geographic Information System
• Records in one Object Class or Feature Class can be
connected to records in another Object Class or Feature
Class.
o Joins
 Appending the fields of one table to those of another
through an attribute or field common to both tables. A
join is usually used to attach more attributes to the
attribute table of a geographic layer.
o Primary Key - the unique identifier of a row or feature.
o Foreign Key - the unique identifier of another row or
feature which can be joined to the first row or feature.

11. Joins : an example
GIS - Geographic Information System

12. Relationship Classes
Permanent Relates, stored inside the Geodatabase.
• StructureOrIdentifiedSite
o IdentifiedSite
o StructureOutline
o NearestPointToLine
• InLine Inspection runs
o Metal Loss Anomaly
• Identified Site
o HCA Segment
• Assessment Project
o Assessment Region
 Assessment Region Range

13. GUIDS
Globally Unique IDentifier -
• Represented as a 32-character hexadecimal string, such as
{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}
• Applied to all records and features in the APDM as the
Primary Key field: "EventID"
• Used as the Keys and Foreign Keys for Relationship
Classes
• How to identify a foreign key?
o It talks funny?
• No, actually it ends in "EventID" and begins (usually) with
the name of another Feature / Object Class.
o e.g.: StructureOrIDSiteEventID
o e.g.: NearestPointToLineEventID
• It holds the EventID of a feature in that other class....

14. MetaData
• Often described as:
o "Data about Data"
• But it is more completely described as:
o Information that describes the content, quality, condition,
origin, and other characteristics of data or other pieces of
information.
o Data to document and describe its subject matter; how,
when, where, and by whom the data was collected;
availability and distribution information; its projection,
scale, resolution, and accuracy; and its reliability with
regard to some standard.

15. Linear Referencing
• Stationing is the standard way pipeline operators have
historically stored pipeline records.
• Stationing provides the mechanism to support sophisticated
analysis of online features, also known as "events".
• GIS Implementation of Engineering Stationing
o Locates online points and lines along a Route
o Locates by Route Name and Station Value
o Or a Begin Station and End Station for lines.
• The APDM Route is called "StationSeries"
• The APDM Station attribute is:
o for Points: "Station"
o for Lines: "BeginStation" / "EndStation"

16. Linear Referencing
• Highway Mile Post Example:
• You're driving your car along I-90. You can locate your car
with a GPS or Linear referencing. What units are used?
o GPS: Degrees of Latitude and Longitude
- or -
o Stationing: I-90 & Mile Post 12.5
• Both Descriptions are valid, the stationing description may
be easier to generate and search by.

17. Data Modeling and the Schema
• Data Model:
o A set of database design specifications for items in a GIS
application. A data model describes the layers used in the
application (for example, Valves, Pipes, and Identified Sites);
their geometry type (point, line, or polygon); their attributes; and
their data validation rules.
• Schema:
o The structure or design of a database or item in a database,
such as a object class, feature class or relationship class. I
o The schema defines the classes, the fields in each class, the
relationships between fields and classes, and the grouping of
items within the database.

18. The APDM - A history
• Now in Version 5.0 - We're using an enhancement of Ver. 4
• In existence since 2002 (Inherits from previous models.)
• Based on Stationed Pipeline Data, Implemented with ESRI's
measures and linear referencing
• Intended as starting point for operator implementations
• Intended to permit common industry wide tools
• Designed to use ESRI Geodatabase technology
• Intended to be 80% common with all pipeline operators
• Expandable through use of Abstract Classes
• Developed by operator and vendor representatives.
• The APDM model and supporting documentation is freely
available and accessible to everyone

19. UML - Unified Modeling Language
"Secret Language which is used by International super models
to talk to other equally super models."
• Unfortunately, while this is false, UML is somewhat of a
secret language and does take some patience to read and
understand.
• The APDM is distributed by the APDM committes in UML
created in Visio. The UML enables the systematic creation,
documentation and update of the APDM schema.
• ESRI tools permit the creation of the APDM schema in a
Geodatabase.
• Reading the UML gives us an understanding of how our
objects and features are constructed and related.

20. UML Concepts
• Abstract Classes
o a specification for subclasses that is often shown on
object model diagrams to help give structure to the
diagram. An abstract class is not defined in a type library
and cannot be instantiated.
• Inheritance
o the acquisition of methods and properties by child classes
or interfaces from their previously existing parent classes
or interfaces. Inheritance is one of the defining
characteristics of an object-oriented system.

21. UML Concepts
Importance?
Allow us to create database schema with logical,
consistent features with appropriate attributes. And
to update and apply them without re-doing everything
time after time.
Example:
Elbow and Tee are "Concrete" Classes
and Inherit from the Abstract Class "Fitting"

22. APDM
Abstract
Classes
and
symbols

23. Core Classes
"When it absolutely, positively has to be
there" in your APDM Model.......
Essentially the bare minimum to make the model work.
The most common classes and attributes which make the
APDM work.

24. APDM is a Data model Template
• Implement the Core Classes
• Add attributes to the core Classes if you want to or not.
• Implement the Optional Classes if you want to or not.
• Add attributes to the Optional Classes if you want to or not.
• Add more classes, based on the Abstract Classes, if you
want to or not.
• Do all of these and make the model fit your business!

25. How did the data get into the APDM?
• Data from the Legacy Systems, was loaded into the Schema
using custom tools.
• Some Legacy data was "massaged" before it could be
loaded.
• Some Legacy data had to be cleaned before it was loaded.
• Some data had to be created from scratch in order to be
loaded.
• StationSeries were created from Control Points created from
previous Routes used by the integrity group.
• RAM was the primary legacy data set used to create data
for the APDM.
• Features were loaded along the StationSeries based upon
their Route Identifier ("Location") and their Station Value(s).

26. Whats next?
• Data Maintenance
• Inspection Data Loading
o Data Calibrator
• Data Analysis
o HCA / Class Location Calculator
o Risk Calculator
• Data Reporting
o Alignment Sheet Generator
o DOT Report Generator

27. Need more Information?
• www.FisherAssoc.com
o DNichter@FisherAssoc.com
• www.ESRI.com/industries/pipeline
• www.APDM.net