Get tips on improving data quality and standards compliance via success stories on data validation, including guest presenters from Colonial Pipeline and Global Information Systems. Sign up for this webinar and you'll receive the A's to your Q's on data QA (quality assurance).

1. F M E
& D a t a
Validatio
With Mark Stoakes, George Crowe, and David Ellerbeck

2. Made here
S A F E S O F T W A R E

3. Colonial Pipeline Company

4. Colonial Pipeline Company –
Business Overview & Safety Share
• Interstate common carrier of refined
petroleum products
• Over 5,500 miles of pipeline stretching
from Houston to New York
• Headquartered in Alpharetta, GA
• Transports approximately
100 million gallons per day:
– Gasoline
– Home heating oil
– Diesel fuel
– Commercial jet fuel
– Military fuels

5. Staffing Constraints…
Over 5,500 Miles
of Linear Assets
~ 215 Facilities
Supported by over 20 Engineering &
Design Contracting Firms
Infrastructure Managed with
~75 Engineers & Project Mgrs.
Asset Data Managed Utilizing
6 CAD/GIS SME’s
(1 Mgr., 3 GIS, 2 CAD)

6. CAD/GIS Team Project Manager Contractor
Color Legend:
Standards Validation w/i the AutoCAD®
Environment
CAD/GIS Team audits
the drawing files using
AutoCAD.
Contractor self-audits the
As-Built drawings and
submits them to a
secured server.
Beginning of
Process
CAD/GIS Team compiles
an audit report.PM approves As-Built
Data to be submitted to
the CAD/GIS Team

7. Standards Validation w/i the AutoCAD®
Environment

8. Standards Validation w/i the AutoCAD®
Environment
CAD Team audits the
drawing files using
AutoCAD.
Contractor self-audits the
As-Built drawings and
submits them to a
secured server.
Beginning of
Process
CAD Team compiles an
audit report and takes
appropriate action.
PM approves As-Built
Data to be submitted to
the CAD Team

9. Standards Validation w/i the FME
Environment
FUTURE DEPLOYMENT
FME Validator auto-runs and
generates an audit report which
is delivered to the Contractor
and Corporate personnel
PM approves
As-Built Data to be
submitted to the
CAD Team
Contractor uploads
the As-Built drawings
to a secured server.
CAD Team executes
the validation tool on
the drawing files.
CAD Team reviews
the audit report and
takes appropriate
action.
Contractor uploads
the As-Built drawings
to a secured server.
If audit results are
acceptable the CAD
Team takes custody
of the drawings.
If audit results are not
acceptable the
Contractor corrects
and resubmits the
drawings.

10. Standards Validation outside of the
AutoCAD® Environment
• Automation
– External of AutoCAD
• Scalability
– PC based and/or
Server based
• Cost
– Time Reduction
• Customization
– Pertinent to Industry or
Corporate specific standards
– Evolve with business processes
– Error logging, correction, and
notification… Our solution? …
FME

11. Reading CAD (DWG) Files
Robust DWG reading capabilities
• Obvious: geometry (2D and 3D), layers, line types,
etc…
• Blocks
• Block Attributes
• Text
• Extended entity data
• Paper and model space
• Insertions
Extract

12. Manipulation of CAD
Objects and Entities
• Works just like other data types
– Spatial Data
• Manipulation
• Comparison
• Replacement
– Tabular Data
• Logical Tests
• Data Integration
• Queries, aggregation, formulas
• Aggregation and reporting
Transform

13. Write to almost any
supported data type
• Back to CAD
• To Database
• To GIS
• To …
Load

14. Our Approach
Standards
Based
Well Documented
CAD Standard
Repeatability
Same results
every time
Emphasis on
Automation
Minimize human
intervention
Reporting
Orientation
Identify and report

15. What Does it Mean in FME?
Out of the box transformers
Replicated logical tests
“Custom” transformers
(sub-routines)
Standardized reporting
approaches
Let’s look at

16. Known Limitations of FME for CAD
Data Validation…
• Writing to multiple Layouts
within a single CAD file
• Plot Parameters are not
supported
– FME is not intended to be
used for hardcopy output
Your Imagination!

17. Thank You!
Full Presentation
David Ellerbeck,
david.ellerbeck@globali
nformationsystems.com
George Crowe,
gcrowe@colpipe.com

18. Questions?

19. Compliance Validation QA/QC
- Trust & Verify -

20. The spectrum of compliance
• Schema / Data Model
• Attributes
• CAD / GIS 2D Geometry
• 3D Geometry
• Topology
• Networks
• …
Single Item Validation
GeometryValidator
Comparative Validation
SpatialRelator

21. Improving Data Compliancy Using
FME
• City of Kitchener, near Toronto.
• Centralized GIS in ESRI SDE
environment.
• Maintain ~400 GIS layers
• User of FME for last ~8 years.
David van Riel
- GIS Technologist -
Full Presentation

24. CAD Standards Checker
Key transformer:
• FeatureMerger
CAD Standard

25. CAD Standards Checker
Key transformer:
• StatisticsCalculator
Error Reports

26. Attribute Checker

27. Attribute Checker
Key transformer:
• Joiner

28. Attribute Checker

29. Topology Checker
12 rules:
• node edge snap
• node end snap
• floating node
• duplicate node
• line end snap
• line edge snap
• crossed line
• line end node
• duplicate line
• floating service
• one line two nodes
• both line ends snap

30. Topology Checker
Key transformers:
• Joiner
• NeighbourFinder

34. Validation processes
• At CCMEO, FME is used for :
– Feature translation
– Feature creation
– Feature validation
Catalog

36. Catalog based validations
• Spatial relations validation
• Domain attribute validation
• Proximity validation
• Minimal dimension validation
• Segmentation validation
• Data clipping validation

37. Catalog Based Validations
- Example -
Spatial relations validation
– Based on Egenhofer-Clementini DE-9IM
masks

38. Catalog based validations
- Examples -
• Spatial relations
• Attribute value

41. Catalog validation within FME
• Real program example:

42. Automation

44. Useful links & resources
• Safe blog
The Ultimate Geospatial Data
Validation Checklist
• More great customer
stories at
safe.com/events
– FME User Conference
– FME World Tours

45. Questions?

46. Join us for our next webinar
February 25 | safe.com/webinars