A New Generation GIS at NaTran

While the existing GIS setup had long served its purpose, NaTran recognised emerging challenges that would impact its future operations. The system's limitations were becoming a barrier to agility and innovation, creating several critical pressure points:

• Fragmented Business Logic: Business rules were only enforced within the custom ArcMap add-ins. This created a significant risk, as using other applications like FME for mass data uploads, or even editing data in ArcMap without the add-ins, could damage network connectivity and corrupt data integrity.
• Evolving Functional Requirements: The focus was shifting beyond basic asset management. NaTran needed to meet stricter regulatory demands for pipeline location accuracy, model its network in 3D, and provide reliable, up-to-the-minute data for sophisticated risk assessment studies and integrity management systems—capabilities the legacy system was not designed to support.
• Complex Data Management: Pipeline geometry and attributes were stored in small, granular sections. These were then combined into larger "aggregate objects" through a mix of manual and automated processes. This meant that any change to pipeline geometry required a cascade of complex, time-consuming updates to related objects and aggregated features.
• Information Latency: Crucially, changes made to the network dataset were only visible to the wider organisation after a lengthy and cumbersome data publication process. This delay hindered access to critical information for operational planning and strategic decision-making. The impending obsolescence of ArcMap also meant a migration to ArcGIS Pro had to be planned.

To navigate these challenges, NaTran assembled a team of industry experts from Avineon Tensing and Esri to conduct a comprehensive Proof of Concept (PoC). The project's mission was to design, build, and validate a next-generation GIS architecture that could meet all current and future needs. Using a representative dataset from two service regions in northern France, the team designed a solution based on Esri’s latest platform advancements.

The core of this new architecture was the powerful combination of the ArcGIS Utility Network (UN) and ArcGIS Pipeline Referencing (APR), integrated within a single, coherent setup. This approach was supported by the introduction of ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Portal, and the web-based Event Editor. For the data model, the team selected the latest edition of the Utility and Pipeline Data Model (UPDM) as a robust starting point, which was then adapted to support NaTran’s specific data and operational workflows.

Working through a series of iterations, the team focused on implementing business rules directly within the geodatabase configuration. A primary goal was to systematically replace the legacy custom code with standard, out-of-the-box configuration options available in the UN, APR, or the geodatabase itself. This process also allowed for the introduction of new, powerful functionalities, such as linked geographic and schematic views, which provide users with a far richer and more intuitive experience.

The Proof of Concept was a definitive success, demonstrating that the new-generation GIS architecture was viable. The implemented solution successfully addressed all the initial challenges and met the use-case requirements using standard platform configurations, proving that a future without complex, custom code was possible.

A pivotal achievement was the implementation of business rules at the database level. This ensures that every edit—regardless of the client application used—is validated against the same central logic. This fundamentally solves the data integrity risk and guarantees that network data remains consistent and reliable. Furthermore, the new application eliminates the need for a separate, time-consuming publication process. Network changes are now immediately available to users across the organisation, empowering them with real-time data for critical operations and future planning.

The PoC delivered NaTran a clear, validated blueprint for a full-scale migration. It provides a robust and scalable foundation to support future initiatives, including 3D network modelling, dynamic segmentation, and advanced network analytics. The project has equipped NaTran with the insight and confidence to build an agile, intelligent, and future-proof geospatial platform.

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