Design Environment

The Designer 8.0.2.1 is a new design environment for workflow management, cost estimating, construction design, and facilities management. It is a member of a full suite of AM/FM applications built on the object-oriented ArcInfo 8 platform. The environment incorporates the ArcFM 8 functionality to extend the ArcInfo 8 and provide an integrated set of design tools for utilities. ArcFM 8 provides a complete, out-of-the-box solution, designed to increase the productivity of utility end-users. Designer incorporates these tools and enhances their ability to easily sketch construction work designs and report job cost estimates. As an extension of ArcFM, it provides an intuitive graphical user interface and an open, fully scalable environment for utilities of any size. With this environment, the utility user can perform efficient facility editing, facility design, work sketch preparation, and work management system (WMS) integration using XML. It also provides an automated means to update the baseline corporate GIS database as electrical, gas, and water distribution facility features are updated in the work sketch.

Compatible Units (CUs) are the central element of the system and define standard units of construction that the user can add to the designated design with drag-and-drop ease. CUs are linked to Work Locations that can be added and numbered automatically to track inventory, cost estimates, and other WMS-based information. With Designer, users can perform the following:

•Create a work sketch based on existing and proposed land base and facilities (plant-in-service) data
•Manage and track customizable information about facility features through the stages of design, construction, and as-built reconciliation
•Link CUs to Work Function and Workflow identifiers for easy management and retrieval
•Use XML technology to create a common exchange format for integrating existing WMS information with updated information about facility features
•Enable automatic Work Location placement through Auto Update Objects
•Create reports detailing Work Request transition, scheduling, and material costing
•Produce standard work sketch plots with minimal user interaction, as well as customized sketches with multiple map elements

Miner & Miner, Consulting Engineers, 4701 Royal Vista Circle, Fort Collins, CO 80528. Tel: 970-223-1888; Fax: 970-223-5577.