Technical Sessions
The 2009 FME International User Conference offers over 20 technical sessions to help you accelerate your FME skills development. Taught by Safe partners and customers, these interactive sessions will give you new insights and best practices for using FME to solve your spatial data challenges, supported by the presenters' own real-life examples.
**Videos of the technical sessions are available in the 2009 Archive.
| Presenter & Company | Presentation Title | Presentation Abstract |
|---|---|---|
| Tim Albert, Manager, GIS Services, Focus Corporation |
Defining Logical Service Catchment Areas with FME | The National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC) operates 118 Friendship Centres across Canada, all designed to provide service delivery to the urban Aboriginal population. Information they receive from Statistics Canada is limited to pre-defined geographic areas that are often unreasonably sized and suppress Aboriginal needs. This presentation will demonstrate how FME was used to define new catchment areas by calculating potential service areas, distances and statistics using Census geography data. This information was then delivered to Statistics Canada in various formats to help the NAFC retrieve Aboriginal statistics for the new catchment areas. The FME processes used and the project results will also be presented. |
| Matthew Austin, Physical Scientist, NOAA |
Improving Hydrographic Data Management & Distribution Using FME | The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Bathymetric Warehouse Project aims to create a NOAA bathymetry system capable of streamlining hydrographic survey data management, improving navigational products and making their data accessible to internal and external customers. This session will demonstrate how FME is being used as a core technology to load and validate disparate data sources – which were originally archived in a variety of formats – into a single data warehouse for NOAA’s new system. Attendees will also learn how the system will use FME Server’s data download service to make its modern and historic hydrographic data readily available to users and data management systems for critical business processes in the format of their choice. |
Dmitri Bagh, Scenario Creation and Testing Analyst, Safe Software |
Rasterizing and Tiling High Volumes of Data for Web Mapping Platforms
|
How do you rasterize and tile colossal volumes of data? This presentation addresses a customer-driven scenario where a huge amount of vector data had to be rasterized and turned into Microsoft Virtual Earth tiles. Demonstrations will illustrate methods for overcoming challenges such as massive file producing with solutions including smart data selection, using spatially enabled databases, multiple workspaces and FME Server. Attendees will walk away with a greater understanding of how to prepare vector data for tiling, which includes clipping, coloring and splitting work into portions for faster processing. While the scenario uses Virtual Earth and Google Maps as the end goals, this presentation will be universally valuable for users working with colossal data volumes. |
| Jason Birch, Sr. Application Analyst, and Tim Taylor, GIS Technologist, City of Nanaimo |
Bridging the Enterprise with FME Server | The City of Nanaimo has been using FME to federate geodata management for more than six years. As FME’s popularity grew within the city over these years, larger numbers of scheduled translations continued to be performed on individual user machines within the Engineering department as well as on a central, IT-managed server. Over time, this increased demand began to create challenges for server maintenance scheduling, reliability of desktop-based transfers, and made it difficult to retain an overall picture of how the scheduled translations interacted. This presentation will detail how the City of Nanaimo was able to overcome these challenges while retaining its existing de-centralized translation management by implementing FME Server. |
| Erik Jan Bodewitz, Senior Software Engineer, Vicrea |
Best Practices for Integrating FME and Oracle Spatial | FME and Oracle Spatial can be a very powerful integrated solution. In this presentation, Vicrea will share insights gained from their years of experience in integrating FME with Oracle Spatial for loading and converting spatial data. Potential pitfalls (and how they can be avoided) and key considerations for a successful implementation will be covered including database normalisation, mapping data to the database schema and spatial indexes. Best practices for optimizing the full potential of this integrated solution will also be discussed. |
| Ryan Boyce, Information Management Specialist, Burns & McDonnell |
Animating Extensive and Dynamic Data in KML and Google Earth | South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) is charged with managing and protecting the water resources in a 16-county region that stretches from Orlando to the Florida Keys. The District needed a way to get faster, more accurate rainfall estimates for any point in the district but they had three key challenges to overcome: potentially large datasets (30 frames of animation each with 33,733 features), high frequency updates (every 5-15 minutes), and the data had to be viewable in Google Earth in near real-time. This session will take a close look at how a solution using FME Desktop, FME Server and .NET to process Oracle data and NOAA imagery into KMLs linked to a Google Earth Enterprise system helped SFWMD to address these challenges. Tips and tricks for KML design and animating dynamic data in Google Earth, as well as future plans to leverage this solution to view real-time extreme weather conditions in Google Earth will also be discussed. |
| Brendan Cunningham, GIS Project Leader, Kilkenny County Council | Using FME to Drive a Location-Based Email / Cell Phone Notification Service | Kilkenny County Council has created an online system that can electronically send location-based reports and notifications to citizens via email or cell phone regarding local service disruptions. These notifications, which are based on the citizen’s location, can pertain to council-managed areas such as the environment, census and electoral information, and local services such as water. Citizens can also use the Google Maps interface, which has been integrated into the FME-driven system, to request that specific GIS information be sent to their cell phones or email addresses. This presentation will reveal how Kilkenny County Council has designed their FME-based notification system and describe how the system could be replicated for other purposes, such as a tsunami warning system which could send instant messages to citizens to supplement evacuation notification efforts. Attendees will gain a greater understanding of how FME can be integrated with other systems such as Google Maps, and will gather insights into how FME can be used to provide data to end users in innovative ways. |
| Christian Dahmen, Consultant, con terra GmbH |
FME and CityGML – Generating 3D City Models in a Variety of Applications | With the release of FME 2009, Safe Software extended its support to include reading and writing for the OGC’s new 3D standard, CityGML. The standard is an open data model and XML-based format for the representation and exchange of virtual 3D city models. Based on the Geography Markup Language version 3.1.1 (GML3), CityGML holds information regarding objects’ shape, semantics, and representation of thematic properties, taxonomies and aggregations. The specification was developed by the Special Interest Group 3D (SIG 3D) for the Spatial Data Infrastructure Initiative in North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany. As a member of this SIG, con terra has been involved in the standardization process of CityGML from the beginning. This session will examine how FME users can generate, validate and set up data from different sources for the construction of CityGML models, focusing on the use of custom transformers to simplify modeling appropriate feature structures. Attendees will also gain insights into CityGML properties like multiple-geometries representation and level of details [LoD], feature’s semantic and topological relationship. The “noise emission simulation” project in North Rhine-Westphalia will be presented as an already-implemented application example. |
| Ine De Cubber, Researcher, Kaho Sint-Lieven |
Implementing the Cable and Pipeline Information Standard in Flanders | Kaho Sint-Lieven is a University with over 5,000 students located in Flanders, Belgium. The University’s Surveying Department recently participated in the creation of Information and Presentation Models for the exchange of Cable and Pipeline data in Flanders (IMKL - PMKL). This required information from the existing data structures of cable and pipeline administrators to be converted into a GML standard developed based on a new information model. As some data was stored in databases and some as Shape files or CAD files (i.e. DGN, DWG) combined with information tables and Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, FME was used to transform the data into the defined data model. This session will demonstrate the FME workspaces and processes used to integrate the disparate cable and pipeline data into a unified view so this information could be easily shared. |
| Mark Döring, Consultant & Project Manager, con terra GmbH | The INSPIRE Fusion Center: A Spatial ETL-Based Solution for Sharing Spatial Data in SDIs | Interoperable and harmonized geospatial information is one of the core pillars of the European INSPIRE directive. With the goal to provide an effective way for users to access and use geospatial information from European member states, the INSPIRE directive does not require that new data is captured, but rather aims to make existing data available by providing standards for data specifications and network services so that data can be shared in an interoperable way. The challenge that data and service providers are now facing is common for spatial data infrastructure (SDI) initiatives: management of the existing source datasets has already been established, usually with a substantial investment to set up applications and information systems. How can existing data be provided in a compliant way while keeping the current infrastructure in place? This presentation will provide a practical overview on how FME technology can solve these data interoperability challenges, using the INSPIRE Fusion Center pilot as an example. Attendees will gain insights into how FME Desktop and FME Server can be used to transform existing data into an SDI’s specified model and fulfill the requirements of SDI-compliant services, based on con terra’s experience with the INSPIRE directive. |
Frédéric Eichelbrenner, |
Transforming, Reprojecting and Resampling Raster Data for Vector Overlays |
Infoterra France recently completed a project which integrates disparate raster data and overlays it with vector data. Their source datasets were comprised of multi-layer packages featuring orthographic images, digital terrain models, land use (clutter) data, and vector data representing roads, railways and other infrastructure. The disparate data was also stored at various resolutions and in multiple raster interpretation types, including several palette types like RGB and strings. To successfully bring this data together, Infoterra implemented cascading workspace calls and used various transformers to clip, modify palettes, transform vector attributes, resample raster data, transform coordinate systems, reformat data and apply a vector-on-raster overlay. The integrated dataset can now be written out to various formats including the common GeoTiff and ESRI HDR, as well as business oriented formats such as Planet and Aircom Enterprise. This presentation examines the workspaces that were used to bring this data together and provides attendees with a technical understanding of how FME can be used to transform, reproject, resample and integrate disparate raster data and combine it with vector data overlays. |
| Michel Gilbert, Project Developer, Centre for Topographic Information |
Designing Single Workflow Workspaces: The Why and How |
At the Centre for Topographic Information (CTI-S), FME Workbench is widely used to validate and transform geospatial data before it is loaded into centralized databases. Over time, it was realized that more than six hundred workspaces were being used on over 20 machines running FME Desktop. The notion of a generic workspace became an interesting avenue to examine for reducing duplication, improving workspace maintainability and promoting reusability. This presentation will discuss the concept of single workflow workspaces and provide insights into the approach CTI-S has taken to implement them. Attendees will learn about key concepts behind single workflow workspaces, including design patterns and custom transformers, and see some practical, real-world examples of workspaces that the FME users at CTI-S have designed and implemented. This session will demonstrate some basic principles that can be applied to many validation and transformation concepts. |
| Heinz Grottenegg, Sales Manager, axmann geoinformation |
What About Metadata? An FME Server Based Approach |
axmann geoinformation has developed a prototype for an FME Server-driven system that integrates vector and raster data along with its metadata into a centralized database. The project focused on quality assurance and metadata storage, defining a metadata catalogue for the existing vector and raster archives, and then identifying an Oracle Spatial database model for storage. The new system can auto-detect newly archived geodata and its corresponding metadata, and gather geodata from various formats. In addition to gathering the data, the system validates data quality, converts coordinate systems and performs schema mapping on the spatial data. Once the data is gathered, the system adds the corresponding metadata. This presentation will describe the approach axmann has taken for involving metadata in the spatial ETL process as well as some new possibilities available for addressing quality assurance. Attendees will gain insights into how FME Server can support quality assured imports within a spatial data infrastructure (SDI) initiative to create standardized geodata-products out of an inhomogeneous archive. |
| Wes Hardin, Program Manager and James Katz, Information Management Specialist, Burns & McDonnell Engineering | Powering a Spatial Project Dashboard in Google Earth Enterprise with FME | Using FME Workbench and FME Server as the backbone, Burns & McDonnell has created a Google Earth based tool that enables project managers, field inspectors, construction superintendents and public relations contacts to tap real-time data anytime, anywhere - enabling better decisions and virtually eliminating errors on the job site. This tool, OneTouchPM™, employs FME Server to manage translations and serve up real-time ad-hoc reports to clients. The Google Earth Enterprise platform allows for custom worlds to be built for individual clients. Attendees will learn tips and tricks on formatting KML files in FME Translations, setting up view-based real-time reports using FME Server, and placing Collada models with an FME Translation. Examples of how FME can be used to serve up data in billion dollar construction projects and details on the real benefits achieved will also be presented. |
| Chris Jones, Senior Consultant and Khalid Siddiqi, Senior Consultant, Ricondo & Associates | Preparing Data for Analyses with FME |
In the state of California, a recent Supreme Court decision requires that Airport Land Use Compatibility Plans (ALUCPs) be reviewed for environmental impacts under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). To identify potential environmental impacts arising from ALUCPs prepared for airports in San Diego County, Ricondo & Associates performed development displacement analyses, reviewing zoning land use options for undeveloped parcels of land surrounding the airports and assessing each use for compatibility with safety zone and noise compatibility criteria identified in the ALUCPs. This exercise required drawing together elements from a variety of data sources including zoning ordinances, parcel data and various GIS overlays. This session will describe how FME was used to greatly reduce the number of steps required at various points of the process including combining data, reducing the study database, identifying the origin of various file attributes, filtering data such as parcels that did not meet specified criteria and consolidating output into a single file. |
| Raymond Kinser, President, California CAD Solutions, Inc. | Electronic Field Edits from Paper for Crisis Situations | This session will take a look at the challenges faced by a large telecommunications organization in their disaster preparedness directives. In an effort to mitigate the problems with data connectivity issues during catastrophic events, paper copies of all maps were mandated to ensure access to current information by remote field offices. How do you create a viable hardcopy repository of your entire nationwide infrastructure by performing a reasonable amount of work, while still being current enough to be viable and reliable? This session will detail how this challenge was accomplished and highlight how field personnel can return electronic copies of their paper edits to a master data repository for rapid dissemination to the disaster response center using any of several industry-standard, FME-supported data formats. |
Peter Laulund, Geografisk Infrastruktur, |
From Mapping Files to Applications | Kort & Matrikelstyrelsen has been using FME on the desktop for more than ten years, but with SpatialDirect, FME Server and batch-based systems where translation is no longer done by a specialist, the organization needed some extra functionality in their mapping files. Presented by Peter Lauland, an expert FME user, this session will discuss some issues that are relevant in the context of these enhanced mapping files. Topics will cover the possibilities available with dynamic mapping files, splitting projects into sub modules using a master/slave design, error handling, logging to databases, post processing of data (zipping, mail, clean up, etc.) and more. Attendees will walk away with ideas and a greater understanding of FME’s possibilities and architecture. |
| Michael Leierer, Assistant Project Manager & Technical Lead, Washington State Department of Transportation |
Centralizing Disparate Data and Sharing it Out with FME Server: A WashDOT Success Story | Creating a state-wide transportation framework requires obtaining the best transportation data from the best sources available. An effective transportation framework needs to have seamless, connected, consistent and continuous data between jurisdictions, boundaries and other framework layers. To enable data providers and data users to maintain their different data and GIS schemas, three critical measures must be in place: getting data into a centralized database, managing the data to create an integrated statewide transportation network, and serving this transportation data to users in their required formats and schemas. This presentation will describe how the Washington State Department of Transportation has achieved these GIS data processes, using FME Desktop and FME Server as central data gathering and data delivering solutions. Attendees will gain a greater understanding of how FME can play a central, enabling role in spatial data infrastructure (SDI) initiatives, from start to finish. |
| Ulf Månsson, Project Manager SWECO |
A Structured Approach to Processing Large Volumes of 3D Data with FME | There is now great interest in using 3D data and finding effective methods for gathering high resolution data. This has made large volumes of "raw" data available but many still struggle with the task of transforming the data into a usable format quickly and easily. With several input sources and lengthy running processes, it is crucial to have a structured approach. This session will demonstrate how FME can be used to structure and process large volumes of 3D data. Examples and a case study will be used to also illustrate how large volumes of laser-scanned data can be converted to Vertical Mapper for cross-section and terrain analysis. |
| Steve Milroy, Solution Architect, OnTerra Systems LLC |
Using FME with Microsoft Virtual Earth and SQL Server Spatial | Microsoft offers a number of geospatial technologies including Virtual Earth and SQL Server Spatial. This session will review Microsoft geospatial technologies and focus on how FME can be used to integrate spatial data to create web-based mapping applications. Key FME Desktop and FME Server capabilities such as support for spatial databases, KML, raster tiling and other relevant FME data connectors and transformers will also be discussed. |
| Ted Norcott, GIS Specialist, Terasen Gas and Tom Welsh, UBISENSE |
Using FME Server to Distribute Spatial Data: A Case Study from Terasen Gas | With over 930,000 customers in 125 communities, Terasen Gas provides service to over 95 per cent of British Columbia’s natural gas customers and operates the largest territory of any North American gas utility. In this case study presentation, attendees will learn how Terasen Gas uses FME Server to automate GIS data extracts providing stakeholders with self-service access to this information over the web. Demonstrations and sample workspaces will be shown to illustrate how Terasen Gas has integrated FME Server’s data download capabilities into their Smallworld environment. The project’s results, benefits and future plans will also be discussed. |
| Daniel Pilon, NRCAN |
Generalizing a 1:250 000 National Topographic Map at National Resources Canada |
Topographical data at the scale of 1:250 000 are widely used for projects needing a reconnaissance scale and for work in the Canadian North where large-scale data are difficult to handle, given the extent of the land. However, National Resources Canada’s (NRCan) topographical data of Canada at the scale of 1:250 000 has become outdated and inconsistent with CanVec, Canada’s new national product at the scale of 1:50 000. Consequently, the creation of a new product digitally derived from the CanVec 1:50 000 scale will enable NRCan to integrate geometrically, spatially and semantically its 1:50 000 and 1:250 000 products. This session examines how NRCan used FME to integrate this geographic and cartographic data and generalize it to meet their needs. Attendees will gain insights into how this generalization was achieved based on constraints, measurements and operators and get a sneak peek at some FME transformers scheduled for release in FME 2010 that were used in this project. |
| Gabriel Reid, Senior Software Engineer, Tele Atlas |
Extending FME Programmatically with Python, TCL and FME Objects | When you require functionality that is not present in FME, you have several options available. These include embedding code within a workspace (via a PythonCaller, PythonCreator, TCLCaller, startup and shutdown scripts), accessing FME functionality externally via the FME Objects API and implementing new FME plugins in Java and C++. This session will examine best practices surrounding each of these options and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each approach, stressing the use of the simplest method that will provide the desired functionality. Examples will demonstrate both very simple functionality and move into more complex real-world functionality. Attendees will gain insights to the best approaches for programmatically extending FME, including reasons why this might be necessary, the best approaches to take in doing this, and see first-hand what pitfalls may be encountered (and avoided). The intended audience for this presentation has at least a passive knowledge of software development, preferably some exposure to Python and/or Java, and a general experience with FME. Code examples that don’t contain proprietary information can be released to attendees after the presentation. |
| Jerod Sperry and Carrie Muenks, GIS Specialists, Michael Baker Jr., Inc. |
Managing the National Flood Hazard Layer with FME | Michael Baker Jr., Inc. previously held the role of the National Service Provider for FEMA's Map Modernization Program, an initiative aimed at meeting requirements specified by the National Flood Insurance Program and Federal, State and local Program stakeholders. One major goal of this program was to create a contiguous layer of FEMA flood data now known as the National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL). But with multiple releases of ArcSDE with varying schemas between databases this was proving to be quite a daunting challenge. This session will demonstrate how FME was used to replicate data from an ArcSDE 8.3 geodatabase to an ArcSDE 9.3 geodatabase by converting the data schema on-the-fly. Examples of how this FME implementation is being used to generate statistics reports, validate data quality and deliver data to the public will also be shared. |
Mark Stoakes, Manager of Professional Services, Safe Software |
Is Your Data Usable? Validating Data with FME | The value of data is critically tied to its quality. Did you know that you can perform data validation and quality assurance using FME? This case study style presentation examines several real-life projects which illustrate techniques that you can apply to your own data validation and quality assurance projects. FME is always evolving, so we’ll introduce you to common FME transformers you can use to ensure that quality of your spatial dataset, as well as some of the newer ones. You will walk away with a greater understanding of how you can integrate FME as a valuable tool in your data validation and quality assurance projects. |
| Francois Valois, Product Line Manager, Bentley Systems |
Moving Toward a 3D City GIS with Bentley Map and FME | Infrastructure assets provide interfaces between people and the world around them. Given that worldwide urbanization is accelerating, the battleground for sustaining infrastructure is increasingly located at the local government and city level. The benefits of 3D city GIS for infrastructure is becoming more mainstream. CityGML is an Open Geospatial Consortium ®(OGC) standard aimed at exchanging 3D city models. An integrated Bentley Map and FME solution allows users to take full advantage of CityGML by combining the strengths of both technologies. This presentation will demonstrate how Bentley is leveraging FME technology and the benefits of this integration for delivering greater interoperability for 3D data exchange. |
| Hans van der Maarel, Owner, Red Geographics |
Cross-border Processing with FME | The Rijn-Schelde Delta (RSD) organisation coordinates cooperation between various port authorities and local governments in the Rhine-Scheldt delta area, straddling the Dutch-Belgian border. In an effort to attract foreign companies to the area, RSD developed a website with an interactive map designed to highlight the industrial land parcels available based on specified criteria. This session will demonstrate how FME was instrumental in pre-processing the geospatial data (topographic base data, as well as industrial areas) to develop this map. Effective strategies for addressing key challenges of this project - such as dealing with multiple data providers, formats, data models and projections - will also be discussed. |
| Clayton Wise, Senior Programmer Analyst, Hampton Roads Sanitation District |
Data Validation and Loading with FME Server | The Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD), which serves 17 localities in southeastern Virginia and a population of 1.7 million, has embarked on a Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ) driven effort to upgrade its utility management systems in support of a regional hydraulic wastewater model. The hydraulic model must include the entire interceptor infrastructure as well as input from the 14 separate models of the participating localities that feed into the collection system. With data inputs coming from so many different sources, each with their own data schemas, a solution needed to be developed to manage the continuous transfer of data from the localities to the regional hydraulic model, as well as from HRSD back to the localities. Topics covered in this presentation will include how FME Server was customized and implemented to streamline the input and validation of the various data sources, how the solution provided tremendous time saving and data quality insurance, and how FME Server helped resolve complex data sharing challenges. |
