Production Line Tool Set 3.1 Now Available

The Attribution Center, with built-in validation and topological relationship checks, only allows for valid features to be added to the database.

Esri's Production Line Tool Set (PLTS) is a collection of software applications built on top of ArcGIS for high-volume, database-oriented cartographic production, maintenance, quality control (QC), and product generation.

PLTS has been developed to produce map products for topographic and national mapping, nautical charting, forestry, natural resources, and property management organization among others. PLTS has been effectively employed in high-volume production environments in many national, state, and local mapping agencies and commercial mapping companies around the world.

PLTS supports each phase in a mapping agency's production work flow using procedures that guide users through an easy, step-by-step process for generating digital databases and hard-copy cartographic products. PLTS extends ArcGIS for mapping organizations by providing them tools to turn their standard, static products into a single enterprisewide database, giving them flexibility to serve any number of digital and hard-copy cartographic products.

PLTS streamlines ArcGIS database development with single-click editing tools and extensions of geodatabase domains. Highly accurate geospatial data is created and maintained using menu-driven attribution tools. These attribution tools employ user-defined integrity rules and behaviors, on-the-fly attribute validation, and in-process database QC.

Data produced can be used for high-quality cartographic output through the use of the Map Production System (MPS). MPS is a customizable, database-driven cartographic production environment within PLTS. A single production database can be used for multiple cartographic products by employing different symbology schemas. Symbology is driven by attribute tables and map series definitions. This database-centric approach simplifies and facilitates product generation and maintenance, ensures data consistency, and enables map series production.

PLTS functionality enables

• Feature-driven validation and symbolization
• Single-click editing
• Monoscopic image extraction
• Stereo image extraction
• Data collection from digital sources and hard-copy maps
• Batch and visual quality assurance (QA)/QC
• Customizable cartographic/map series generation

Esri offers PLTS in a number of solutions for users in different industries. These solutions enable organizations to efficiently produce geospatial data while adhering to industry-specific production requirements. Each solution includes GIS Data ReViewer and Map Production System, which are quality control and cartographic product generation components. The GIS Data ReViewer enables users to maintain data quality throughout a project, while MPS facilitates the production of cartographic products. These components are also available as separate products.

GIS Data ReViewer

MPS is used to create map layouts, generate surround elements, and access map sheet information

GIS Data ReViewer is a data quality control management application that simplifies many aspects of automated and visual spatial data quality control tasks, resulting in a more efficient and consistent review process. Composed of a series of commands, tools, and context menus, GIS Data ReViewer is used to identify where geometric corrections, missing features, extraneous features, and feature attribution must be made to the spatial data and its attributes.

GIS Data ReViewer is customizable and supports visual review and batch validation of data. It eliminates the paper trail associated with traditional error tracking through the centralization of the error detection, correction, and verification cycle, thus improving and organizing the data review effort. For more information about GIS Data ReViewer, please visit www.esri.com/reviewer.

Map Production System

The Map Production System is designed to facilitate cartographic production of topographic, nautical, and aeronautical mapping and charting products. MPS is used to create map layouts, generate surround elements, and access map sheet information as well as make cartographic enhancements to the data. MPS has been used to create the map series specifications, surround elements, and symbology for the TLM50, TLM100, JOG-A, and United States Geological Survey (USGS) topographic maps as well as other map series. Layouts use custom placement rules to automatically update the placement of surround elements as the maps change size and extent. The MPS surround element library includes scale bars, north arrows, adjoining sheet references, boundary guides, elevation guides, and conversion graphs that meet NIMA specifications. MPS is expected to be available in the third quarter of 2003.

PLTS Solutions

PLTS Defense Solution and PLTS Mapping Agency Solution are now available, and PLTS Nautical Charting Solution/PLTS Aeronautical Charting Solution are planned for later this year.

PLTS Defense Solution—PLTS Defense Solution includes data loading, editing, and quality control production tools as well as product-specific geodatabase models. The included products can be used for creating National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) Vector Map Level 1 (VMap 1) and 1:250,000-scale Joint Operations Graphic-Air (JOG-A) cartographic products and Vector Map Level 2 (VMap 2) data and 1:50,000-scale Topographic Line Map (TLM) cartographic products. In addition, the Foundation Feature Data (FFD) coverage model is included and is used to produce NIMA-standard FFD databases in Vector Product Format (VPF) from features extracted primarily from stereo imagery.

PLTS Mapping Agency Solution—PLTS Mapping Agency Solution is designed to produce topographic basemap products. Geodatabase models and map series definitions are included for 1:24,000- to 1:100,000-scale topographic map products. Also provided are the 1:250,000- and 1:1,000,000-scale geodatabases utilized in the Global Mapping/Global Spatial Data Infrastructure (GSDI) grant program.

PLTS Nautical Charting Solution—PLTS Nautical Charting Solution is used to produce a seamless nautical database from existing hard-copy sources and perform maintenance on existing data sets. The tool set enables high-volume production and maintenance of Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs) according to the S-57 standard and the Digital Nautical Chart (DNC) libraries including Notice to Mariners Updates and Entity Replacement Updates. PLTS Nautical Charting Solution has the following two geodatabase models:

• The ENC model includes logical feature class groupings, which contain subtypes for each ENC object.
• The DNC model has a geodatabase feature class for every feature class that exists in the DNC VPF specification and expresses subtyping.

PLTS Aeronautical Charting Solution—PLTS Aeronautical Charting Solution is designed to enable the production and customization of aeronautical charts from a central database. This central database approach facilitates high-volume chart production and continuous chart maintenance while meeting complex cartographic output requirements.

PLTS Foundation

In addition to industry-tailored solutions, Esri offers PLTS Foundation for organizations that want to customize ArcGIS functions in PLTS. In addition to GIS Data ReViewer and Map Production System, PLTS Foundation includes tools for editing, converting, attributing, and validating.

PLTS Foundation provides the basic PLTS software for clients who require the PLTS production, QA, and cartographic tools but need to implement their own business rules in the data modeling, attribution, validation, and output. PLTS Foundation provides the PLTS tools universally required while allowing users to define their own geodatabase model, map series, and symbology definitions. Business rules are implemented in Valid Value Tables and Condition Tables that provide rule-based attribute capture and validation, QA, and map symbology. PLTS Foundation is expected to be available in the third quarter of 2003.

PLTS 3.1 operates on Windows NT, Windows 2000, and Windows XP and requires ArcEditor or ArcInfo. For more information, visit www.esri.com/plts, call Esri at 1-800-447-9778, or call your Esri regional office. Outside the United States, please contact your local Esri distributor.