Livin in an alignment Sheet-Less World
Ron Brush President New Century Software, Inc. 2627 Redwing Road, Suite 100 Fort Collins, CO 80526 970-267-2000 Website: www.newcenturysoftware.com Emailto: ronb@newcenturysoftware.com Abstract Alignment sheets have been a way of life for pipeline operators for many years. Drafted on paper for decades, then drafted in CAD, now some are generated automatically – they have been a burdensome necessity for most. This presentation will focus on the question, “Can we live without alignment sheets?” What does the future hold? There are two schools of thought on this subject: No way – alignment sheets are too valuable and will not go away in our lifetimes; and Definitely – why do we need them anymore with emerging mobile technologies. First, why are alignment sheets valuable and why are they viewed by some as indispensable? Some people are more comfortable with using paper than using a computer for good reasons. Important information is readily accessible and a paper map does not need to be booted up. The first part of this session will discuss these and other user requirements. Well, if not alignment sheets, then what? Mobile hardware technologies are constantly improving and ‘wireless data access’ and ‘Remoting’ are buzzwords that are hard to ignore. The second part and the focus of this session will be to present alternatives to paper alignment sheets such as field web access, disconnected clients, GPS integration for field data collection, and integration with enterprise databases. Importantly, several workflow schemes will be discussed that may help enable an alignment sheet-less world someday. Two view points Ask any pipeliner about whether or not alignment sheets are necessary and you’re almost certain to get one of two responses. Many will say that alignment sheets are not going away – that they have been part of pipeline operations since the beginning and are critically valuable. Others will say that alignment sheets will soon be replaced by new mapping and PC technologies – that alignment sheets are really just data and maps that can be viewed from a GIS. Try a little experiment by taking a contrary view of an alignment sheet proponent and you will find that these opinions are deeply seated. Try telling a crew of field technicians in a district office that you are going to do away with their paper alignment sheets and replace them with a GIS on a Pocket PC or a laptop. You will see first hand the polarity of opinions. Some will embrace the idea and many will reject it outright. The question is, can we live without alignment sheets? Can we live in an alignment sheetless world? The value of alignment sheet One fact that is hard to deny is that people love paper. How often do you find yourself printing e-mails, PDF files, database reports, Word documents and spreadsheets? Often it seems that the computer is a convenient way of formatting information so that it can be printed nicely. Alignment sheets are the same way. Part of the value of alignment sheets is that they are paper. They don’t need to be booted up and don’t need batteries. They are wireless, portable and contain quite a lot of useful information. They are easy to read in sunlight and can be updated simply with a black pen. They can be dropped, rolled, folded and will even pass through airport security without being booted up. Alignment sheets are more than a map, because they not only show the physical location of a facility; in bands above and below they show additional data that would not normally be on a GIS map. They are a map and a report in one. They are a way of integrating many different types of data in a convenient and usable form. The bottom line is that alignment sheets are popular because they work for the people who use them. The Problem with Alignment Sheets Now there are a few downsides to alignment sheets, of which we are all aware. Probably the biggest challenge is keeping them up-to-date in the hands of the people that use them. In the past twenty years, CAD has replaced manual drafting and now some companies are storing this information in a database and generating alignment sheets automatically. Updating, printing and distributing alignment sheets can be expensive. And while automatic alignment sheet generation is appealing, it is expensive to get the data into a database that is suitable for automation. Another problem with paper alignment sheets is that they are a map-report and not a database. Paper cannot be queried or searched. If sheets are edited, those changes may not be sent back to a master database or shared with other users; if they are it may take too long. All too often alignment sheets become notepads for important information that is lost when the sheet is replaced. In addition, adding new information bands or reformatting manual or CAD alignment sheets can be prohibitively labor intensive and expensive. Importantly, if the underlying data is not in a database, the alignment sheets themselves are the database—a paper or CAD database. But data on an alignment sheet database cannot be queried, analyzed or integrated with other databases. Rules cannot be established or data selfvalidated. The data itself is segmented and not centralized and is not really very usable – unless all you need is the paper. Terminology Now is a good time to define a few terms. Paper alignment sheets are usually thought of as being only on paper or mylar and are updated with pen and eraser. CAD alignment sheets are produced by using a CAD package such as AutoCAD or MicroStation. They are updated by the user of the CAD software and are plotted. Scanned alignment sheets are pictures of sheets that are usually not very suitable for editing. An electronic paper alignment sheet would include formats such as Adobe PDF that are also not usually suitable for editing. An electronic or digital alignment sheet would include everything except paper. An automatic sheet generator will normally produce CAD or electronic paper output. Data in a GIS is either vector or raster. Vector data includes points, lines, polygons and text graphics. Raster data includes photography and other scanned imagery. GIS data is always in its (approximately) correct geographic location in real world coordinates. CAD sheets may or may not be georeferenced. Automating Alignment Sheet Users of alignment sheet generation software know that automatically generated sheets do not have the same appearance or detail that CAD or manually drawn sheets have. Automated sheets usually have predefined bands to better accommodate white space management and improve appearance. They look more uniform and less cluttered than most drafted CAD sheets. Since they are a report out of the database, they tend to look more report-like. Because of this they often lack the level of detail that can be drawn by a human. A key point that is often overlooked is that the big advantage of automating alignment sheets is really not in automating alignment sheets itself. It is the process of collecting the underlying data, organizing and inputting it into the database or GIS that is important. Once the data is in a database structure that can be readily accessed, many reports (and paper) can be produced – including alignment sheets. The four key ingredients for successful sheet generation are first, good quality data, second, good basemap data, third, good centerline location, and fourth, a good data structure for storing and retrieving that information. These ingredients provide a foundation for potentially evolving into a new generation of GIS and technological toys that may eventually obviate the need for alignment sheets. And just as users adapt to format changes between manually drawn alignment sheets and automatically generated sheets, users will adapt to changes in presentation of alignment sheets as we move forward. It would appear that we are on an evolutionary path from manual to CAD alignment sheets, and then on to automated alignment sheets. Over time the data is becoming more centralized better structured and more integrated. In a few years it will be clear what the next step is, or will it? Alterntives At Microsoft’s sixth annual CEO Summit last May, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates outlined some of the key technology trends that will drive what he calls the "Digital Decade." Addressing an audience of more than 100 CEOs representing virtually all major industries, Gates explained how versatile, powerful computing devices, ubiquitous networking and software innovations will converge to revolutionize individual productivity and streamline business processes. New devices such as the Tablet PC1 will allow workers to communicate and access the information they need wherever they are, through more natural interfaces such as handwriting and speech. "In a few years, these devices will be something we all practically take for granted," Gates said. New display and interface technologies will transform the PC experience. An alignment sheet displayed on a Tablet PC is a compelling idea but has the same screen real estate limitation as a PC screen. It is usually necessary to repeatedly zoom in and out and pan across the screen when viewing the sheet.2 An exciting technology from Xybernaut uses the concept of wearable computing. These wearable devices remind us of Star Trek Borg technology – the eye piece mounted on the forehead and a keyboard strapped to your forearm provide wireless internet surfing. With one gigabyte capacity data storage, quite a lot of data can be stored. The problem with this is that only one person can view the screen at a time and it’s not really suitable for general use. Besides, a farmer is likely to pull out his shotgun when he sees a Borg drone walking down the street. Someday we will see computers strapped to our belts and sewn into our clothing—surely we can wait. 3 What about a mobile phone PDA with built-in GPS? The phone gives the user wireless access to an intranet; the built-in GPS can tell you where you are, and the PDA can show a map of where you are. Not exactly a replacement for alignment sheets, but there may be some innovative field applications waiting. In May, Trimble introduced GeoExplorer® CE. The GeoExplorer® CE series, combines submeter GPS and the Windows CE operating system into one rugged unit. It has a solid feel and is likely the first CE/GPS unit that is truly suitable for field use. Consider the idea of downloading a subset of the corporate GIS, including vector base map data, aerial imagery, and pipeline attribute information. Then edit data out in the field, take GPS shots and post the changes back to the main database.4 Now, instead of distributing hardcopy alignment sheets, what if everyone is given access to alignment sheets as, for instance, PDF files through an internal company web site and that these alignment sheets are always kept up to date? Suppose they could be printed or plotted on demand as needed. Consider a hybrid approach—where automated alignment sheet technology is married with mobile computing. It may be possible to get the benefits of each without the limitations that an all-or-nothing solution gives. Maybe a solution using a device such as a Tablet PC, laptop or a GeoExplorer combined with on-demand alignment sheets might solve most of the problems that we have been discussing. If the updating and distribution problems are solved through on-demand electronic sheet distribution and database updating is handled with the help of mobile devices, we may have a workable solution for the near term. Issues to Consider When moving to an automated world, whether it is alignment sheet-less or automated alignment sheets, there are a few important considerations. One issue relates to sheet versions. In the past, alignment sheets were usually reviewed, signed and dated before being distributed. This ensured that there was someone responsible for ensuring accuracy and quality. When alignment sheets are automatically produced, is it necessary to sign-off before distribution? Similarly should someone sign-off on the data before it is downloaded to a PDA or accessed via the web? Clearly the old workflows will not work in the new environment. Appropriate sign-off steps must still be used; now they are done at an earlier point in the process. Wireless is a huge buzzword today (just as it was in the early days of radio). While we are making progress, in the US it not yet practical for most remote rural users to have true wireless web access at the level of accessibility, reliability and cost that is required. Instead of being wireless, for now the use of a disconnected client, similar to an e-mail client, may be preferable. This is sometimes called Remoting. When the user does have network access, data is synchronized – new data is downloaded from the master GIS and edit changes are posted back up. When the user is away from the office, data is still fully accessible and can be edited. With a portable printer maps and alignment sheets can even be printed outside of the office with the disconnected data. One advantage of a remote client is that the remote program itself can also be updated during the synchronize step. This means that when the user is connected to a network, during the synchronize process any new version of the program will be automatically downloaded and later installed when the user reboots. Some companies also use SMS to push program updates to remote users. Workflows If a sheet-less world is the direction that we are all going, then new workflows, processes, and software must be developed. Some of the foundational software for this is already or nearly in place—such as .NET and Java. So far in the discussion, a new sheet-less workflow has already been broached. The scenario is this: there is a master database, a GIS system with enterprise access for those on the network. Network users can browse data and maps through client-server applications or web browsers. Non-networked users will have periodic access to high-speed lines. While they are connected, they can download a dataset for their area of interest and upload any changes they have made to the existing dataset. Between the times that they are on the network, they will have full read access to all of their data and update access for permitted layers of data. When the remote user updates the data it can either be placed in a staging or “versioned” part of the database for later review, approval and posting by someone in the main office. Or the uploaded data could be directly integrated into the original dataset without review or approval. Clearly a variation would be to put the entire responsibility of the data in the remote users hands, eliminating a centralized verification and posting step. The above workflow might work equally well for contract or one-time users of the data, such as engineering firms. Consider that an engineering firm might be viewed as a remote client of the data with read/update permissions to certain layers and elements. Another workflow might include distributed replicated databases to division or remote locations—say in distant countries. Users access their local databases without concern for data in the master database. Disconnected or remote users would access the replicated data. It is the responsibility of the DBMS to transmit changes to the master database. Conclusion Out on the distant horizon virtual reality 3-d pipeline GIS may actually be useful. Perhaps large rollable panel displays will be available. Imagine a 22” x 34” LCD display that you unroll on the hood of a truck. Maybe the inside of the truck windshield itself may be the display panel. Or maybe they will figure out a way to put a set of alignment sheets inside a digital wristwatch. Until then, it seems that the debate about whether or not an alignment sheet-less world is possible will just go on. Who knows, in the new “digital decade” we may witness things even more amazing that that. So has the question been answered? Can we live in an alignment sheet-less world? There is clearly a benefit to using alignment sheets, especially for field users. There is also clearly a problem with keeping them updated. New technologies on the horizon are expected to change the whole PC experience. One clear conclusion is that pipeline and location data is a database or GIS is better than data on paper on only in CAD. Once the data is input into the database there at least exists the potential for going sheet-less. It will take time and the right solution may be just out of reach, but yes, it is possible to live in an alignment sheet-less world. But don’t throw the alignment sheets away just yet. References In preparation of this paper the author accessed information contained in the following publications: | ||
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