Communications Utility Network Foundation Workflows

With the release of ArcGIS Utility Network Management, Esri has re-engineered the underlying network modeling framework which supports telecom network management solutions, giving ArcGIS users and Business Partners enhanced network management capabilities. This framework allows for advanced network modeling, enhanced visualization and analytics, and easier network access across the organization. The Communications Utility Network Foundation solution is built on the ArcGIS Utility Network Management framework and enables network management workflows for planning, constructing, and managing all types of telecom networks.

In this story map, we’ll walk through some of the common network management workflows and how to get started with the Communications Utility Network Foundation solution.

Some preparation needs to be completed prior to designing, editing and managing a network with Communications Utility Network Foundation. These steps are the foundation for insuring a smooth editing process down the road. Let's get started by constructing a  utility network  environment.

Communications Utility Network Foundation comes as a completely downloadable template. And users can now access it directly from the ArcGIS Solutions deployment site via this  link . Simply click on "Get Now" to deploy the package to your ArcGIS Enterprise portal.

To start, download, unzip and place the solution folder locally on your machine. Users will find six major components within this solution package:

• The communications data model for the assets and other classes required to operate the network
• Data Management tasks that help you manage the network assets
• Tasks on how to trace and analyze a Communications utility network
• Configuration task to help you deploy to your environment
• Tools to calculate resolution and tolerances if using a Linear Referencing System (LRS)
• Attribute Rules that streamline data management workflows and ensure the integrity of the assets
• Preconfigured network diagram templates for cable/stick diagram, structure diagram, splice diagram, and duct diagram
• Maps configured for editing and auditing the state of the data
• Maps designed for publishing map services and feature services
• Style files to aid in the generation of your own maps

Step 1: Find and open the ArcGIS Project File, double-click to open the "CommunicationsDataManagement" Project.

Step 2: In the Catalog pane, make sure to browse through all the components that are included in this project package. Follow the Tasks, which were put together to help you through the entire workflow.

1. Explore the Data Management Solution
2. Editing Workflows
3. Explore Diagram
4. Tracing and Analysis
5. Installing Implementation Prerequisites
6. Configure Data Model for Implementation
7. Prototype in a Single User Environment
8. Deploy Solution to an Enterprise Environment

Specifically, the Communications Network Editor map is pre-configured for designing and editing a telecom network. For different network architectures, engineers can modify the maps and equipment to better follow specific engineering guidelines and to satisfy engineering needs.

Using the Communications Network Editor map as a basis for deploying a desktop GIS editing environment helps network engineers and project planners increase productivity and decrease editing errors. The Communications Network Editor map sets up  ArcGIS Pro  as a desktop data editing app for use with the Communications Information Model.

Currently, the Communications Information Model resides in an asset package and contains some sample data. From a Regional Network to the Drop Network, this fiber network design sample showcases various types of point of presence (POPs) and customer premises, such as single-family homes (1 Drop Fiber), small business (8 Drop Fiber), and medium to larger size institutes (12 - 24 Drop Fiber).

Also in the sample data, we have blended in a coax network example and a pair of connected wireless microwave towers. Users can easily browse through the bookmarks and explore the different scenarios we have built in the sample asset package.

In the first release of the v1 solution, our Communications Data Model has fully incorporated the non-spatial objects from ArcGIS Utility Network Management. And in this update with the v1.1 data model, we have taken the non-spatial features to the next level, with a new group of container features named - Chassis.

Chassis will enable users to take all the internal components (non-spatial features), such as ports, splice points, strand bundles, and so on, and put them in a hierarchical format. This setup will not only creates the actual modeling of the device and its interior but also regulate and improve design efficiency since you can identify which exact component you are working on.

Users and Esri partners can build and customize all kinds of equipment configurations based on the selection of manufacturers or different device specifications. In our model, we provide patch panel, splitter, amplifier, splice, multiplexer, and demultiplexer as sample configurations. If you want to check out more on the data dictionary and sample charts, check out the  Data Dictionary  and the  Model Explorer .

With reserved ports on a patch panel at a Regional Fiber HUT location and also the Distribution Hub, this step-by-step guide is going to review the recommended design workflow that helps engineers to build a downstream fiber network towards the targeted service area shown below.

Step 1: Place civil structures based on secondary data or  field data collection . Connect the point structures (pole, handhole, manhole, vault/knockout, etc.) with segmented path structures (aerial span, trench, bore, conduit, duct/duct bank, etc.). These are the supportive structures for standing up our network elements in the later steps.

Step 2: Let's place some network features along the route. This time we will be placing an Access Hub Terminator in the handhole near the target service area to serve the downstream network. With attribute rules and non-spatial features, we can start constructing the device internals with the template.

Select the Access Hub Terminator, Right-click on "Contains" and select "Add New To Container". Pick a device chassis from the preset template for a 24-port slot patch panel.

Now you are all set with the Access Terminal.

Step 3: Add a 24-count Access Fiber Cable from the Distribution Hub Terminator to the Access Hub Terminator location. Make sure you add vertices on top of each Structure Junctions (handholes and poles) to trigger attachment association.

Step 4: Continue to add three 8-count Drop Fiber Cables from the Access Hub Terminator location to three Network Interface Units.

Step 5: Let's select the features we just placed on the route, investigate the association between the civil structural network and the communication network. All of the automation behind the scenes is leveraging ArcGIS's powerful Attribute Rules. These database rules will tremendously increase design efficiency and eliminate unnecessary human errors.

Step 6: With the non-spatial model, users will need to take additional steps to build connectivity associations between the front ports and back ports within the equipment.

Zoom into the Access Hub, let's build some interconnection between the two Fiber Connector Groups and the 24-Port Patch Panel, which channels the  connectivity  between Access and Drop Network. In the Utility Network Ribbon, use the "Modify" tool within the Association tab, create the association between the pairs of ports with the equipment.

Users need to identify the right connectors or ports from the proper chassis and load them as an active item to start the connection process. Then users need to identify the follow-up connectors or ports and load them as the "to-be-connected" junction. Once both sides are ready within the Modify Associations tool, click on apply to establish the Junction-To-Junction connectivity (shown in the diagram attached).

This is a space where we are reserving for users and Esri partners to create customized tools and UIs to assist with this workflow.

Step 7: The current data model supports cell site configurations with different wireless equipment representations including Baseband Unit, Radio Unit, Antenna Unit, Microwave Unit, and Wireless Linkage.

To start, users have to place a Wireless Site before connecting the site to the core network, which is a Combine Wireless Tower in this case. Then, we will add the Wireless Component Chassis directly into the Wireless Site (using the non-spatial templates). The internal modeling of a wireless tower is shown on the attached diagram.

This is also a space where we are reserving for users and Esri partners to create customized tools and UIs to assist with this workflow.

Step 8: The current communications data model includes components for our users to construct a Coax or Copper network as well.

The medium types are now controlled at the connector level, where a Fiber-to-Coax conversion example is contained within this Access Hub Terminator. Since these objects are non-spatial, users need to manually configure the connectivity as it is shown in the visualization as well.

In utility network, GIS Administrators and Engineers can setup network rules to regulate network topology to ensure data integrity and help engineers to design more efficiently.

Users can check for topology errors by clicking on the "Validate" icon in the Utility Network Ribbon to ensure design data integrity. For more detail, please check:  Validating Network Topology .

Once topology of the network has been validated, performing a network trace will ensure connectivity of the strand network either upstream or downstream from Regional Fiber HUT all the way to the customer premise.

The section will help users to understand how to create a traceable network between a Regional Fiber HUT and any Customer Location.

Step 1: Create a  Subnetwork  and a  Subnetwork Controller . This is an overview of the workflow associated with creating a subnetwork.

•  Set a subnetwork controller  by specifying a terminal as a subnetwork controller. This step writes a new row into the Subnetworks table and the 'Is Dirty' attribute is marked as 'true'.
•  Validate the network topology  to make it aware of the new subnetwork controller.
•  Update the subnetwork  to refresh subnetwork information and generate any corresponding subnetwork system diagrams.
• This step updates the 'Is Dirty' attribute to 'false' for the row in the Subnetworks table, and creates a feature in the SubnetLine class. If a diagram template was specified when  setting the subnetwork definition , a new subnetwork system diagram is generated.

A subnetwork is now created.

Step 2:  Testing the Network Connectivity (Tracing) 

Proper network management involves tracing your network to optimize paths for resources to travel or to face any maintenance situation. The utility network's tracing function provides a framework that can be used to help qualify customer services, track the health of a network, and identify deteriorating areas.

A trace begins at one or more starting points, or at the subnetwork controller for the specified subnetwork, and traces upstream or downstream in a radial fashion. It travels through the network along paths of connected features until it reaches a specified end location. The end location can be a barrier or the end of a path.

Upon completion, the results of a trace are returned in the form of a selection set. The selection set returned after a tracing event can be used for a variety of downstream workflows. For example, a resulting selection set could be used as input to a report or visualized on a map or diagram.

Here, we will showcase three type of tracing for your review:

There are 3 Network Tiers within our v1.1 Model, they are

• Cable Tier - Hub Terminator as sub-network controller
• Switch Tier - Switch Equipment (non-spatial feature) as sub-network controller
• Communications Circuit Tier - Fiber/Coax/Copper Strand Connector (non-spatial feature) as sub-network controller

We will continue to add preconfigured tracing capabilities in future releases of the Communications Utility Network Foundation, but additional network traces can be configured manually today within ArcGIS Pro.

Network diagrams and schematics are critical components during a network planning and design process. It shares a simplified but detailed views of network and structure elements from your design.

The diagrams will help engineers and construction managers to understand the network hierarchy and port-to-port connectivity throughout the network.

In this section, we are going to use the result and selection from one of the upstream traces initiated by the local residents.

From the current selection result, simply click on the "New" icon from the Diagram Section, pick one of the preset template or users could create your own template based on requirements. In our case, let use "Basic" view as the starting layout.

After applying new symbology and labels, users could also pick one of the Diagram Layouts. Esri has provided 14 pre-configured layouts to help users to set up organized views for the diagram. Please experiment with each of them and find your favorite layout.

The keyword here for the network diagram is "customization". Users can modify and create unique diagram templates and layouts to be implemented in different projects. And our v1.1 model contains 4 pre-configured diagram templates:

This is a cable/stick diagram template built for a downstream cable trace from the Regional Hub Terminator. Simply select the Regional Hub and pick "Cable Diagram" from the diagram templates.

This is a structure diagram template built for a downstream cable trace from the Regional Hub Terminator with a focus on structural elements. Simply select the Regional Hub and pick "Structure Diagram" from the diagram templates.

This is a splice/schematic diagram template built for an internal scan from a device or complete circuit trace. Simply select a device or run through a directional trace on the strand level, and then pick "Splice Diagram" from the diagram templates.

This is a duct diagram template built for an internal scan from a duct bank. Simply select two sides of the knockouts from a duct bank and run the shortest path trace on the ducts, and then pick "Duct Diagram" from the diagram templates.

We are providing these sample network diagram templates for telecom professionals to explore the functionalities of  diagrams  within Utility Network Management. Users and Esri partners can configure and continue to develop more tailored diagrams for different use cases in the telecom world.

The first video below showcases a few network management workflows in ArcGIS Enterprise and highlights the main features and capabilities of the Communications Utility Network Foundation solution.

And since the updated Communications Utility Network Foundation v1.1 solution is built on top of the v1 Release, we highlighted those changes in a separate video featured within our  Telecom GIS in Five Minutes Series .

You can access the solution highlights for v1.1 Update by clicking  Here 

To learn more about Communications Utility Network Foundation, be sure to check out this  Story Map , or if you are ready to get started, deploy the solution today!

And for organizations that want to start with simple infrastructure mapping and implement high-level design capabilities, the  Communications Data Management  solution provides a lightweight offering for network management.

For more information on this solution and others, please visit  Esri.com/telecom  and  ArcGIS Solutions .

Esri, the global market leader in geographic information systems (GIS), offers the most powerful mapping and spatial analytics technology available. Since 1969, Esri has helped telecommunications customers unlock the full potential of data to improve operational and business results. Today, Esri software is deployed in more than 350,000 organizations including the world’s largest cities, most national governments, 75% of the Fortune 500, and more than 7,000 colleges and universities. Esri engineers the most advanced solutions for digital transformation, IoT, and location analytics to create the maps that run the world.