Historical Document Restoration Prior to GIS Development
The Village of Tuxedo Park selected Weston & Sampson to develop the GIS of the Village’s utility infrastructure systems.
The primary objective for this project was to provide GIS services for the implementation of the water, sanitary sewer and stormwater systems GIS program for the Village and digital conversion of the existing mapping.
Weston & Sampson developed a database for the water, sanitary sewer and stormwater systems, with information from record plans and drawings through digitizing and data input, and link scanned plans. The scanned images were all linked to the GIS and a routine was developed to call up the scanned drawings. ArcGIS 9.2 by ESRI, was used to develop the GIS. Considerations for this project included ease of use for Village employees, maximum accuracy of the data, and helping the Village make a smooth transition of using GIS as a planning and development tool. Weston & Sampson is also providing assistance to the Village with the use of the new GIS data layers.
Phase I of the project required historical existing documents to be scanned and indexed to CDDVD for archiving. The almost 100 year old rolled historical plans (up to 42 inches by 27 feet) were carefully placed between clear sheets of plastic to protect them from damage during the scanning process. The scanned images were then geo-referenced to the NAD83 State Plane Coordinate System, tiled, and re-printed into a more manageable a 42 inch by 36 inch map book.
With this information, an ESRI personal geodatabase was developed using a modified version ESRI’s Water/Sewer/Stormwater Data Model to suit the Village’s needs. Topology rules were created to ensure that proper connectivity was achieved and maintained. The database design was specific and scalable as the Village’s needs change over the years and included the ability to be integrated with future systems like hydraulic models, work order management and capital program management.
Phase II of the project was field data collection which consisted of locating manholes, catch basins, water valves, and fire hydrants. Approximately 1,700 structures were located through Global Positioning System (GPS) survey. The GPS data collection of all utilities was performed simultaneously to realize cost savings with the survey tasks. Structures were captured by GPS with units capable of sub-meter accuracy.
Phase III commenced upon completion of data collection. With the data collected, a map of the Village’s infrastructure system was created. Manholes and lines were given direct connectivity. Scanned plans and lateral sketches were hot-linked to the relevant geographic area. The GIS files for the utility systems, will include within its database all the pertinent attributes, such as pipe size, pipe material, installation date (if known), structure type and size, and flow direction.
Weston & Sampson delivered to the Village infrastructure data in ESRI geodatabase format, scanned historical drawings/plans, and a final map set of the completed utility GIS system on 24 x 36 sheets. Weston & Sampson provides periodic updates to the GIS mapping as work is conducted and projects completed.