Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/59336
"The project was carried out with a high level of pro- fessionalism," says Rob Gerry, Geographic Information Office for Manitoba Hydro. "Having subject-matter experts that have a thorough knowledge of parcel map- ping and a passion for their work contributed to the success of the project." Data Modeling: Reviewing the Puzzle Pieces As a first step, the project team of MNC Ltd. and Esri Canada performed a GAP analysis to provide Manitoba Hydro with sufficient information to confirm the project requirements and direction. The objective of the GAP analysis was to identify where the 850-plus source datasets from the city of Winnipeg, the province of Manitoba, Natural Resources of Canada (aboriginal and park lands) and Manitoba Hydro's internal archives could and couldn't provide the required framework to support an Integrated Cadastral Fabric data model. The GAP-analysis phase identified various data issues: gaps in the spatial extent, limited original survey distances and bearings (COGO attributes), lack of true circular arcs, inadequate aggregate representations (plan boundaries), poor topology and a gamut of attribute inconsistencies. Solutions were derived to address each condition with the primary objective in mind: "Build the fabric with the best available data, without re-drafting existing plans of survey." The GAP analysis established a clear understand- ing of the data limitations, while reconfirming that the Integrated Cadastral Fabric model would be supported by the source datasets. Tool Development: Building the Puzzle Repetitively Manitoba Hydro's Geospatial Data Services team selected Safe Software's Feature Manipulation Engine (FME) as the software solution to provide a repeatable process for integrating datasets from source providers into the Cadastral Fabric. FME has the capability to transform multiple data sources and formats in vari- ous ways. A suite of FME workspaces was developed to process source data: • Into a consistent structure • With standardized attributes • Converting line strings to true circular arcs where applicable • Inversing and populating coordinate geometry attributes • Spatially improving source data to edge-match with adjacent datasets lFigure 1. A completed property parcel puzzle supports internal GIS applications within Manitoba Hydro. MARCH 2O12 / WWW . GEOPLA CE . C O M 23 • Topologically testing to ensure the Cadastral Fabric topology constraints were achieved "The FME tool set provides us with an effective means to continually update the parcel fabric with a consistent and streamlined process," notes Gerry. Each of the 850-plus puzzle pieces were transformed from their source state into an individual, consistently formatted staging file geodatabase. Utilization of the staging file geodatabase provides an interim means of quality checking data prior to loading into the Cadastral Fabric and also allows for flexible workflows, reprocessing single- or multiple-source datasets or performing a complete provincial refresh. Twenty unique workspaces were developed to manipulate the 850-plus different datasets in a modu- lar style. The processing of each unique dataset is controlled by database tables and invoked with the use of an overarching python control script. The control script populates "in/out" feature counts, a status flag and a last-run time stamp into a database table, which provides a means of confirming at a glance that the workspaces were completed successfully. After the staging-file geodatabases are prepared, loading to the Cadastral Fabric can be done using "out- of-the-box" ArcCatalog functionality; but, to enhance the load process with quality control and automation,