axmann supports the ÖBB infrastructure with an FME solution that automatically processes open data from the graph integration platform for the company GIS.

Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) employees access centralised data via a shared, group-wide GIS and use this support to complete their daily tasks. The data from the graph integration platform (GIP for short) is also integrated into this company-internal GIS. 

What is GIP?

The GIP data, which is freely available in Austria, forms the basis for the provision of high-quality traffic data and its exchange between different organisations. It is a prerequisite for the nationwide provision of high-quality transport services and information in a standardised form and provides authorities and public administration with an overview of the transport infrastructure based on a common data standard. The data covers all modes of transport: public transport, cycling, walking and car traffic.

Use of GIP at Austrian Federal Railways

For the solution of routing and supply issues, the provision of GIP data in the GIS was to provide optimum support. New transformation models were created by axmann geoinformation in order to extract from the extensive GIP data sets those that are passable for motor vehicles. These traffic graphs were to be integrated into an ESRI Network Dataset together with the turning rules. The process starts automatically as soon as the authority makes a new version of the GIP available online.

Automation steps

ÖBB's goal was to obtain a self-service tool to create routable, ESRI-compliant network datasets based on GIP data with a single click. axmann geoinformation supported the company with FME consulting and the creation of the transformation models using the FME platform.

The following steps ensure automatic creation of the network datasets:

• Implement automatic monitoring of the Austrian open data platform, which informs ÖBB users by email when an update to GIP data is available.
• At the same time, the updated dataset is automatically downloaded and transferred to a folder on the ÖBB network.
• The e-mail that ÖBB users receive contains a link that leads to an FME Flow app where they can start the conversion with one click.
• The click triggers a comprehensive FME workspace that creates the routable network dataset and writes it directly to an ESRI Enterprise SDE database so that all web maps and web apps based on it are updated.

axmann uses the network geoprocessing tools from ESRI. At the same time, all ÖBB-specific rules and guidelines for routing are implemented in the same workspace.

Advantages and benefits

With the support of axmann's experts, the sometimes very complex process could be converted to an automated procedure within a very short time. Preparing the data for the ÖBB GIS takes just a few simple steps. The automation of data preparation frees up resources that can be used for other important issues within the company. Michael Ebner from ÖBB is also convinced of this:

‘Open data, such as the DKM or the road network from the GIP, are an important basis for various projects in our GIS. By automating data preparation with FME, we have been able to significantly reduce the manual activities that were previously necessary. We can make this data available to our colleagues via the internal infra:gis as soon as it is published.’

Would you like to automate your processes in general, but prefer to rely on the experts at axmann? We will be happy to advise you on FME-supported solutions.