Project
Overview
| What
Is TNET? | Why TNET? | History | Benefits | Components | Database
Design |
Multimedia TNET
Project Presentation
(description and viewing
options)
What
Is TNET?
Sponsored
by King County Department
of Transportation and
in partnership with
the county’s
Department of Natural
Resources GIS Center,
Metro Transit and Road
Services Divisions
are undertaking
a major data development
effort and integrated
maintenance program
to produce a comprehensive,
optimally accurate
and current geodatabase
comprising all transportation-related
spatial and attribute
datasets for the
King
County region. This
will enable King County
Metro Transit, Road
Services, other county
agencies such as E-911,
as well as Sound Transit
Rail, Washington State
Ferries and the transportation
planning departments
of all participating
cities within Metro
Transit's service area
to seamlessly interact
with each other in
geographical data terms
as the region's transportation
needs and issues evolve
towards ever deepening
complexities and interdependence.
Cutting-edge technological
solutions are being
tested that will enable
countywide multiple
data maintainers to
keep the centrally
stored geodatabase
at optimal currency.
Why TNET?
The
sharing of transportation-related
geographical data has
been common practice
for years, but only
recently has the technological
infrastructure advanced
to the level that allows
the introduction of
sharing data maintenance
of a centrally stored
geodatabase by widely
dispersed multiple
users. Until now the
cross-boundary data
acquired on data CDs
quarterly, semiannually
or even annually could
be out of currency
even before distribution.
Spatial variances,
street naming convention
variances, and address
range issues are some
other problems experienced
with this approach.
Resolving such issues
as well as taking full
advantage of technological
advances naturally
led to the TNET Transportation
Network Consortium.
History
During past
years there have been several
attempts within the Puget Sound
region to produce a transportation
network that is integrated
and works for all agencies.
These have generally been less
successful because, although
being initially integrated,
the network diverges as each
agency attempts to maintain
its copy. These copies were
generated for a variety of
reasons, including the need
for data control and the ability
to attach related datasets
and maintain them efficiently,
and for different functions,
such as planning versus operations.
Most importantly, copies were
made because there was no easy
way to maintain the entire
network at one location and
give everyone control or allow
participants to update their
local copies. The TNET program
will eliminate the need to
redundantly maintain
local copies of the transportation
network dataset.
Benefits
Participants
in the TNET Consortium will
realize the following benefits:
- Reduced
data costs
- Improved
data quality
- Minimized
data conflicts
- Improved
participant operations
- Leveraged
technology investments
- Reduced
project costs through collective
bidding
- Strengthened
rationale for commitment
to standards
- Improved
support for cross-jurisdictional
decision making
- Strengthened
working
relationships fostering
broader cooperation
Components
The primary
components of the TNET project
are:
-
A high-accuracy
data
development effort.
-
An application
development effort
that will provide a TNET
Editor (for attribute data)
enabling data maintainers
throughout the region to
maintain a single integrated
database of transportation
features.
-
A consortium of data
owners at local cities,
county departments,
and other agencies
that are responsible
for ongoing maintenance.
Database
Design
The
database design
follows the ESRI
UNETRANS (Unified
NEtwork and TRANSportation)
model,
introducing new elements
required for
TNET Consortium
Agencies’ business
needs, such as
transportation
mode, turn restrictions,
traffic flow
directionality,
speed limits,
weight and height
restrictions.
The design is
complete after
a lengthy iterative
process. The
history component
is still being
developed.
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