Building a Modular Interface Between a GM and three (3) Engineering Analysis Packages

Printer Friendly Format

Page 1 of 3
| Next |

Building a Modular Interface Between a GM and three (3) Engineering Analysis Packages

Bruce R. MacAlister
Principal Consultant + President, MacA1ister & MacAlister, Ltd.,1805 Grove Avenue Richmond, VA 23220-4505

Abstract
This paper describes a rare opportunity to design an intetiace between a single AM/FM/GIS software package and three different external engineering analysis packages. These were for potable and waste water, natural gas, and electricity. The paper describes what was in common and what was not among these packages. It describes the modularity of the design in order to share the common elements.

Learning Objectives

Separate common versus unique requirements of the target analysis systems.
Select source AM/FM system functions
Verify user selection through traces

Requirements
To meet the tasks, the design and the program “code” must meet these requirements:

Produce a valid network; there should be no requirement for human intervention to make sure that each facility is validly connected. Export directly from the AM/FM/GIS; intermediate software is undesirable owing to the additional interfaces and program maintenance.
Export to more than one external system; over time, many utilities will have more than one analysis package they wish to export to. KYPIPE 2, for example, models both potable water and sewer, so it is a good base for a combined utility.
Packages like EPANet add water quality, but they are designed only for potable water.
Produce a format acceptable to each analysis system; the assumption is that the AM/FM/GIS must conform to the input requirements of each analysis package.

User Interface
The standard functions of the AMiFM/GIS are used for the process of selection. We are using Laser-Scan¹ Gothic + Williams Associates² Utility Libraries. Standard systems fimctions are:

¹Laser-Scan, Ltd.,in the U.S., Willow Pond Plaza Sterling, VA 20164.
²WilliamsAssociates, 93HiddenHollowLane,Millwood, NY10546.

Query by location, class, attributes or a mixture of these.
Stored query by class and attribute; the current stored query does not support stored location, e.g., spatial.
Trace, to include all of the supported traces, not just the traditional trace-to-source. This is especially important for piped systems where trace to tanks, pumps and regulators is the best way to pick a sub-network.
Mouse selection, obvious perhaps, but the most useful in selecting a very small sub-network.

Functions were added specifically to support selection and export. They are:

Integrity trace; to state the issue bluntly, there are too many examples where the AM/FM/GIS produces a network that is “almost correct”. The work required to fix the network seems to this author more work than that required to build it by reading the paper map and typing the table. The integrity trace is designed to produce a topologically correct network if the AM/FMIGIS has connection integrity within it.
Export; this is the process of modi~ing the list of facilities produced by the export process into the format and field contents required by each package.

Typical user process
Mouse in hand, the user sits before the map display to select the facilities to be exported as a network. Clearly the user has to be an engineer or technician who knows how the analytic package works and is clear on the issue she or he is trying to resolve. Put your imagination in gear; here are some examples.

Add sewage collection for a new development

Pan and zoom, use a query, pick from the key-map or use the gazetteer to get to the area on the map where the new subdivision is to be built.
With the mouse, select the nearest node to that location.
Do a trace from that point. A trace-to-lift-pump will get a network that can show the effect of the new load on the nearest lift pump. A trace-to-plant will provide the effect on the both the pump and the treatment plant. Unless the treatment plant has only marginal capacity, including it only complicates the study.
Examine the network highlighted by the trace to be certain that you have the network path you want. Most likely you want to see all of the load on the pump, not just the new load represented by the trace. The simple way to do that is to select a node on another path near the pump. When you get to the KYPIPE 2 editor, you will add the estimated load of the new development to the first node selected and the current load to the second path you selected. You can “deselect” facilities with the mouse or select additions.
Select the export icon. This runs the integrity trace and highlights all of the facilities to be exported. Surprise! The trace included some facilities you did not select. The purpose of the integrity trace is to be certain that the network you export has topological integrity based on the facility connection validation within the AM/FM/GIS. You can use the mouse to select and “deselect”, but you will not get a file exported until the integrity trace specs are met.
You take the file – via a sneaker-net diskette or a shared network file – to the analysis computer and start up KYPIPE 2. You enter loads, capacities, flow rates and the “what if’ scenarios using the KYPIPE 2 editor. At this point, the AM7FIWGIS is no longer referenced. This is now a classic hydraulic modeling task.

Determining the capacity of a gas pips loop

By query, pan and zoom, from the key-map or the gazetteer center the pipe loop on the map display.
With the mouse, pick a node – a meter, a junction – at an end point of the inner-most loop of interest.
Pick the trace icon for trace-to-regulator-station.
Examine the network highlighted by the trace to be certain that you have the network path you want You will see all of the paths that feed that end point node. You will see the extent of loop nesting. You may see other unexpected paths for the gas that your eyes never saw looking at paper maps.
Select the export icon. R runs the integrity trace which uses identical methods to the to the trace-to-regulator-station, so there should be no surprises. Go to the GASWorkS computer, import the file and use its editor to add load to the end point node(s) until you see major pressure drops. You can then look at the intermediate nodes to see what is constraining capacity.