The design needs to meet certain criteria within each architecture pillar. Some of the recommended practices associated with each pillar are outlined below, but they do not represent a complete set of architectural considerations. Refer to the data editing and management system pattern’s considerations for more information.
In terms of performance and scalability, this architecture aims to optimize the overall experience users have with the system, while responding to evolving workload demands. A network information management system should deliver editing experiences with consistent performance metrics, to create a positive end-user experience that increases end-user efficiency. In addition to the performance improvement practices outlined below, relational database performance management is also a major factor in the overall performance of your network information management system.
Workload separation is a design approach focused on optimal distribution of compute resources. For example, some editing requests in a network information management system may take longer to process than standard map requests, so editing workloads may benefit from separate, dedicated compute resources (such as an ArcGIS GIS Server site). This approach of workload separation helps separate long-running requests from shorter requests so that editors have dedicated resources and viewers are not impacted by long transactions. If this separation is implemented, the system performance for both groups is likely to improve as resource contention is reduced and the system is more easily scaled - resources can be added to either server site to scale horizontally or vertically. Workload separation can take several forms:
By component Separating components onto different virtual machines or compute infrastructure ensures that individual components are not contending for system resources. While ArcGIS Enterprise supports installing and configuring multiple components on a single system, this is generally not recommended in well-architected production systems.
By service type Another workload separation approach is applied to this architecture within the ArcGIS Server components – workload separation by service type. Separate GIS Server sites support Utility Network workloads and hosted service or mapping workloads.
Co-location is a design approach where system components are deployed to the same data center, in the same sub-network, which helps reduce network latency by reducing the communication distance across the network. In general, network latency is more impactful to end-user experience than network bandwidth for common GIS operations. Another consideration in this area is the location of user and client machines – if a user has a high latency connection, the co-location of system components is likely to improve their experience of working with the system. In some cases, use of thin clients or remote access may be preferable to physical hardware that connects over a slow or overloaded network.
Reliability ensures your system provides the level of service required by the business, as well as your customers and stakeholders. As a business or mission-critical enterprise system, a network information management system always requires backups of the data, and often require backups of system components. They may also require a high availability configuration to achieve higher levels of uptime.
For enterprise systems with availability expectations, requirements, or commitments, a clearly defined, actionable, and well-tested backup approach is critical. With network information management systems, data-level backups of the ArcGIS Utility Network are essential (at a minimum). Depending on an organization’s requirements, backups of other system components may also be needed. Refer to backups and disaster recovery for more information on backup strategies and methods.
High availability is a design approach that aims to build the system to meet a prearranged level of operational performance over a specific period. A highly available system needs redundancy, system monitoring, and automation commensurate with the target service level agreement (SLA). Redundancy might include disparate components such as network connectivity, power reliability, data center cooling, and access to staff with the skills to maintain the system. Automation might be designed to take action based on monitoring to avoid outages. For more information, see configuring highly available ArcGIS Enterprise components.
Keep in mind that high availability configurations significantly increase infrastructure and operational costs of the system, and requires specialized skills to ensure its success. High availability designs require an operational commitment across people, process, technology, and governance.
Observability provides visibility into the system, enabling operations staff and other technical roles to keep the system running in a healthy, steady state. Monitoring of system availability, performance, and usage is critical to a Network Information Management System. In addition to monitoring the ArcGIS Enterprise software, it is important to monitor all supporting components and infrastructure, such as the Windows or Linux operating system, databases and other data stores, compute, network, security perimeter and any other relevant components.
Any organization must have an enterprise IT monitoring and response framework in order to successfully build and operate enterprise systems. Proactive monitoring of systems is as important as reactive problem-solving, and effective capture of telemetry provides awareness of the system at any given time and identifies trending system behaviors.
ArcGIS Enterprise on Windows/Linux can be observed in a variety of ways including server logs and server statistics. In addition to monitoring the ArcGIS Enterprise software, it is important to monitor all supporting components and infrastructure such as the Windows or Linux operating system, databases and other data stores, as well as compute, network, security, and other infrastructure.
A key aspect of observability is the use of telemetry - data or information that represent real user activity on a system. Capturing telemetry across all components of the design, including desktop client machines, is critical to understand the performance and utilization of the system, with the overall intent of identifying bottlenecks and opportunities for optimizing the system.
In the reference architecture, the telemetry capture mechanism is represented by ArcGIS Monitor. Some important system characteristics captured in this way include:
It’s important to note that telemetry outputs do not necessarily capture the full user experience. Consider engaging with end-users of applications (such as those using desktop, web, or mobile apps) to observe their experience performing their workflows in addition to telemetry capture.
Security protects your systems and information. Security design considerations for a Network Information Management System are closely aligned to the system pattern security requirements, including important considerations for user authentication, system authorization, data and access control, and auditing of user activity and system configuration changes.
Integration connects this system with other systems for delivering enterprise services and amplifying organizational productivity. A network information management system typically needs to accommodate data exchange and alignment with other systems like Enterprise Asset Management (EAM), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and Advanced Distribution Management (ADMS) systems. Integration requirements for a network information management system are closely aligned to the data editing and management system pattern.
Network information management system specific integration considerations include:
| Integration type | Notes |
|---|---|
| Data | Target system needs network data to be available locally in its own format/system. |
| Service | Target system can integrate with the network information management system through RESTful API calls. |
| Application | Target system requires application-level functionality of source system, such as a custom widget built with the ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript. |
Automation aims to reduce effort spent on manual deployment and operational tasks, leading to increased operational efficiency as well as reduction in human-introduced system anomalies. Automation requirements for a network information management system are closely aligned to the data editing and management system pattern, and include practices like:
The considerations for physical design here are primarily focused on logical architecture design, which must eventually be transformed into a physical architecture design. Esri offers system architecture design services should you need help determining all of the different factors relating to your organization’s physical design, such as networking, storage, system environments, and sizing.
Additional resources related to physical design include:
Graphic work design (GWD) tools are essential in utility network engineering, offering specialized capabilities for creating engineering designs, generating construction blueprints, and performing construction cost estimates with unit libraries. These tools combine CAD’s design tools with GIS’s spatial analysis, helping to develop and integrate designs into network information management systems.
Integration methods depend on your chosen GWD tools and network information management system implementation option, each with specific design and capacity considerations.
When planning for a GWD integration, it is crucial to consider factors such as system compatibility, integration capability, and scalability for future enhancements. Organizations should evaluate the ease of integration with existing workflows and the ability to support data updates throughout the project lifecycle. These considerations ensure that the design process remains flexible and responsive to evolving operational needs.
ArcGIS integration options are available in each of the three phases of the GWD design process:
The table below compares these different methods of integration and their corresponding actions, outlining the potential impact on the system for each network information management system implementation option. This information is intended to help organizations evaluate the most suitable approach based on project requirements and operational goals.
The three ArcGIS integration methods are:
Export subnetwork - A process that allows for the extraction of information from a portion of a utility network into a JSON file for sharing of network data. This will typically result in higher up-front compute costs; however, minimal use of ArcGIS services thereafter. As once the data is extracted, users work against local data until posting it back.
Feature service sync - A process in which design tools work with ArcGIS Server feature services with the sync capability enabled. This will typically result in higher up-front compute costs; however, minimal use of the feature services thereafter. This capability enables clients to request a replica, work with the data offline, and synchronize their changes back to the source feature classes in an enterprise geodatabase.
Live connection - A pattern where the client works directly with editable feature services. This integration method requires constant connectivity to the feature service endpoints.
The export subnetwork capability presumes that the subnetwork reimport process is conducted using the GWD tool. Although this integration relies on features unique to the GWD tool, the solution is not elaborated upon or referenced in detail within this context.
To determine which integration best suits your organization’s workflows and needs, one must:
| Design phase | Integration method | Action | System impact | Option 1 | Option 2 | Option 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initiation | Export subnetwork | GWD tool sends a request to export subnetwork(s). | Requests to export subnetwork can be compute intensive. Multiple concurrent requests can require increased capacity to support. Additional ArcGIS Server sites could be used for workload separation of this task. | |||
| Initiation | Feature service sync | GWD tool provides a replica definition to UN, which then uses the ‘createReplica’ operation to extract the data necessary for the feature service. | Initial sync request will call an export subnetwork process. Multiple concurrent requests can require increased capacity to support. | |||
| Initiation | Live connection | Uses live connection to UN feature services to perform edits in GIS directly in a version. | Every interaction with the data will create requests to the ArcGIS components. This could require additional capacity to support. | |||
| Engineering | Export subnetwork | GWD tool sends requests to ArcGIS services only for basemap or reference datasets. | Minimal use of the ArcGIS services in this GWD phase. | |||
| Engineering | Feature service sync | Design tool sends requests to ArcGIS services only for basemap or reference datasets. | Minimal use of ArcGIS services in this GWD design phase. | |||
| Engineering | Live connection | Uses live connection to UN feature services to perform edits in GIS directly in a version. | Every interaction with the data will create requests to the ArcGIS components. This could require additional capacity to support. | |||
| Closeout | Export subnetwork | GWD tool sends a full set of assets to the GIS system at the end of the workflow. | Heavy use of edit operations during the push of data back into the system. It has the potential to consume substantial resources. Additional ArcGIS Server sites could be used for workload separation of this task. | |||
| Closeout | Feature service sync | Mass sync of designed assets from disconnected ArcGIS replica geodatabase to the main enterprise database through a feature service. | Depending on the number of features, synchronization can be time consuming and resource intensive. Additional ArcGIS Server sites could be used for workload separation of this task. | |||
| Closeout | Live connection | All edits are performed in GIS and require only reconcile and post operations to be performed to push edits back to the enterprise geodatabase. | All edits were performed in GIS and would only require reconcile and post to be performed. |
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In summary, employing the export subnetwork method will necessitate capacity during both the initiation and closeout phases. The feature sync method requires capacity for each synchronization event across all three project phases, while the live connection method demands increased capacity throughout all operations in every phase. It is important to evaluate the integration of GWD tools into your network information management system to adequately plan for these additional capacity requirements and ensure your chosen implementation option will support the GWD integration method.