The National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) Framework is a collaborative initiative to develop a set of geographic datasets that are compatible based upon spatial location and content. The Framework approach allows data collected for variety of

1
Framework Data Content Transportation Rail
Related Topics
NSDI Training Tracks An initiative to define
areas, topics, and materials for
training within the NSDI. ISO 19100 Series
Suite of standards developed for geographic
data and datasets. The most notable is ISO
19135 which pertains to metadata. ANSI
Standards Similar work to ISO, but
standards directly apply to data created
within the United States.
Course Information
The National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI)
Framework is a collaborative initiative to
develop a set of geographic datasets that are
compatible based upon spatial location and
content. The Framework approach allows data
collected for variety of reasons and agencies to
work together seamlessly which can ultimately
reduce project costs and increase interagency
cooperation. The Framework Data Content Base
Standards Suite dictates the requirements for
Framework data. This course covers the
fundamentals of the Framework Data Theme
Transportation as developed by the Framework Data
Content Standard. It is designed for users who
are both interested in an overview of the
Framework Data Content Standard Transportation
Rail theme as well as designers and developers
implementing Framework data, and associated tools
specific to Transportation Railroad data.
Prerequisites

• General Understanding of GIS, Geospatial Data
  and Metadata
• Familiarity with the Federal Geographic Data
  Committee (FGDC)
• Familiarity with the National Spatial Data
  Infrastructure (NSDI)
• Basic knowledge of Geographic Data Standards
  (specifically ISO 19100 series)
• Completion of Framework Data Content Base
  Standard Course
• Completion of Framework Data Content
  Transportation Railroads Course

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Navigating Through the Course
Explanation of Navigation Buttons
3
Learning Objectives
Understand Transportation Data Comprehend basics
of transportation framework standard Understand
how to implement the standard
Course modules

• Understanding Transportation
• Transportation Railroads (Part 7c) of the
  Framework Data Content Standard
• Implementing the Transportation Railroad
  Standard
• Course Review

Estimated Time
Estimated time for the entire course is 100
minutes.
4
Module 1 Understanding Transportation
Time Requirement
Topics

• What is Transportation Data review
• Types of Transportation Data review
• Transportation Railroad Data
• Transportation in Action
• Module Exercise and Summary

Estimated time for this module is 30 minutes
Key Terms
Transportation Framework NSDI/FGDC
First Topic
What is Transportation Data
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What is Transportation Data
Related scientific field
Network Analysis A transport network, or
transportation network in American English, is
typically a network of railroads, streets, pipes,
aqueducts, power lines, or nearly any structure
which permits either vehicular movement or flow
of some commodity. A transport network is used
for transport network analysis to determine the
flow of vehicles (or people) through it within
the field of transport engineering, typically
using graph theory. It may combine different
modes of transport, for example, walking and car
to model multi-modal journeys.
Transportation can be defined as the movement of
people and goods from one place to another. Thus
Transportation data, and geospatial
transportation data are representations of the
means in which transportation can occur. For
example a state highway map, railroad timetable,
and airline routes are all examples of
transportation data.
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Types of Transportation Data
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Types of Transportation Data

• There are hundreds of different types and ways to
  represent Transportation Data. However for the
  purposes of Framework Data and the Framework Data
  Content Standard there are five thematic
  categories of transportation data.
• Part 7, Transportation
• Part 7a, Air
• Part 7b, Rail
• Part 7c, Railroad
• Part 7d, Transit
• Part 7e, Inland Waterways

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Transportation Railroad Data
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Transportation Railroad Data
Spatial data is a visual representation of a real
world feature, for these materials the real world
features being represented are Railroads. At a
high level, the rail system described in this
part of the Framework Data Content Standard is
made up of rail features, which can have
geographic locations and characteristics. These
rail features can be interconnected in various
ways to represent rail networks for routing
applications. While the Transportation Rail
Standard Committee initially considered defining
the content for detailed, engineering level
datasets, this part of the standard focuses on a
generalized view of the rail network that enables
the broadest variety of operational uses. It is
anticipated that the current version of the part
will be suitable for some engineering
applications. However, the development team
recognizes that all engineering needs will not be
satisfied by this part of the standard. It is
anticipated that future versions of the Rail part
will better define the content for rail
engineering datasets in order to satisfy the data
sharing needs of the entire rail community.
Railroad representation
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Transportation Railroad in action
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Transportation Railroads in action
Example
In General terms the diagram to the left
represents one way we can represent real
transportation (Railroad) features and use them
for analysis in GIS and other tools. The purpose
of this Transportation Framework Standard is to
provide a process by which data is standardized
and categorized to ensure a level of consistency
and interoperability.
Diagram showing UP Steam Train IMS
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Transportation Exercise
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Transportation Railroads Module 1 exercise
Wyoming Railroad Conditions map
The Wyoming Railroad Conditions website allows a
user to locate, and access weather information
about a given Railroad or set of Railroads.
http//www.dot.state.wy.us/wydot/engineering_tec
hnical_programs/railroads/rr_related_links
Transportation Data in action
Transportation data is being applied and used in
real world projects by many different agencies.
These agencies use transportation data for a
variety of reasons. Now that you have some basic
transportation knowledge lets see some a
transportation data set in action. Step 1)
Open an Internet Browser and proceed to
http//www.vhbgis.com/pw-csx.html Step 2) Read
the article about how GIS is helping CSX with
networking Step 3) Close all Internet windows and
proceed with the course
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Module Summary
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Module Summary
Understanding Transportation

• Transportation data describes how people and
  goods move across a landscape
• Five categories of transportation data makeup
  the transportation framework
• Many different transportation features can be
  collected, mapped, and utilized for a variety of
  reasons

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Module 2 Transportation Railroads (Part 7c) of
the Framework Data Content Standard
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Module 2 Transportation Railroads (Part 7c) of
the Framework Data Content Standard
Time Requirement
Topics
Estimated time for this module is 30 minutes

• What is the Transportation Railroad Standard
• Purpose for Standard
• Goals of the Standard
• Capacities of the Standard
• Standard Related Contact Information
• Module Exercise and Summary

Key Terms
Transportation Framework Standard Framework
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What is the Transportation Railroads standard
Quick Facts
Each transportation standard part was developed
and edited by thematic experts

• The Transportation Railroads Framework Data
  Content Standard
• One of the five themes defined as Framework
  Transportation data
• All the elements that apply to Transportation
  Framework Base Standard apply to the Railroads
  theme
• Establishes a baseline for Transportation
  Railroad data collection and distribution
• Builds on the Framework Data Content Base
  Standard and Framework Transportation
  Railroads Standard.
• Only when a dataset meets the requirements set
  forth in its thematic standard part and the
  Framework Base Standard can it be considered
  Framework data.

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Purpose for the Standard
The primary purpose of the Geographic Information
Framework Data Content Standard, Part 7c
Railroads is to support the exchange of
transportation data related to railroad networks.
This part of the standard also seeks to establish
a common baseline for the content of Railroad
transportation databases for public agencies and
private enterprises. It seeks to decrease the
costs of acquiring and exchanging railroad
transportation data for Federal, State, Tribal,
local, and other governmental agency users and
creators of Railroad transportation data.
Benefits of adopting the part also include the
long-term improvement of the geospatial
transportation railroads data, improved
integration of safety and enforcement data, and
streamlined maintenance procedures.
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Goals for the Transportation Railroads Standard

• The goal of the transportation Railroad part of
  the Framework Data Content Standard is to
  provide common definitions and syntax to enable
  collaborative development, use, and exchange of
  data specific to railroad transportation data
• The audience of this part of the standard
  includes Transportation data users, maintainers,
  and distributors. Specific guidance on the
  implementation of the Railroad data that meets
  framework specifications is outlined

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Capacities for the Transportation Standard
More Information
The FGDC is the responsible organization for
coordinating work on all parts of the Geographic
Information Framework Data Content Standard. The
United States Department of Transportation
(USDOT), working with the FGDC, is the
responsible organization for coordinating work on
the Geographic Information Framework Data Content
Standard, Part 7 Transportation Railroads and
subparts (Parts 7a, 7b, 7c, and 7d, excluding 7e)
and is directly responsible for development and
maintenance of the transportation parts
(excluding 7e) of the Framework Data Content
Standard.

• The development of this part of the Framework
  Data Content Standard will greatly assist in
  mitigating the following issues
• Duplication of data and application development
• Complications exchanging transportation data and
  information
• Difficulties integrating data
• Poor framework/support for analytic activities
• Difficulties managing multiple representations
  of features

next Topic
Contact Info
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Who to Contact for Questions about the
Transportation Railroads Standard Part
Standard Coordination
The FGDC is the responsible organization for
coordinating work on all parts of the Geographic
Information Framework Data Content Standard. The
development and maintenance authority for Part 6
Transportation is held jointly by the U.S.
Geological Survey and U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency. The FGDC shall be the sole
organization responsible for direct coordination
with the InterNational Committee for Information
Technology Standards (INCITS) concerning any
maintenance or any other requirements mandated by
INCITS or ANSI.
Federal Geographic Data Committee Secretariat c/o
U.S. Geological Survey 590 National
Center Reston, Virginia 20192 USA Telephone
[phone] Facsimile [phone] Internet
(electronic mail) fgdc_at_fgdc.gov WWW Home Page
http//www.fgdc.gov
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Module 2 Exercise
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Transportation Module exercise

• Open the Amtrack Route Atlashttp//www.amtrak.c
  om/servlet/ContentServer?pagenameAmtrak/Page/Rout
  es_Index_PagecPagecid1080072922209ssid4
• Take a few moments to review the different routes
  and explore the different features of the atlas.
  
• Use the custom route application to build a route
  between two stations of your choice
• Notice how the spatial data is key to building
  custom applications, and user interfaces to allow
  people to utilize railroad transportation
• Close the atlas and continue on with to the next
  module.

next Topic
Module Summary
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Module summary

• The goal of the Transportation Railroads part
  of the Framework Data Content Standard is to
  provide common definitions and model to enable
  collaborative development, use, and exchange of
  Transportation Railroad data.
• Establish the content requirements for the
  collection and interchange of Transportation
  Railroads features
• The Transportation Railroads part is one of
  the five modes of transportation systems air,
  rail, railroad, transit, and water, defined as
  pertinent for Framework data

next Topic
Module 3 Transportation Railroads Requirements
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Module 3 Transportation Railroad Requirements
Time Requirement
Topics
Estimated time for this module is 60 minutes

• Framework Data Content Transportation Railroads
  Standard Requirements
• Encoding and Implementing the Standard
• Module Summary

Key Terms
UML Coding Elements Feature Relationships
First Topic
Transportation Standard Requirements
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Framework Data Standard Transportation Railroad
Requirements
In this module you will learn about the four
different requirements for Framework
Transportation Railroad data, as specified in the
standard. Each requirement is addressed as a
separate topic, however more attention may be
given to certain requirements as they are the
most crucial requirements for creating Framework
quality Transportation Railroad data. Many of
the requirements are specific UML features. For
these requirements a brief description of the
component will be included. Please see the UML
chart and associated tables, included as an
appendix in the standard for more specifics.
next Topic
Transportation Railroad Requirements Continued
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Framework Data Standard Transportation
Requirements
The diagram to the right is the UML flow chart
for the Framework Transportation Standard. This
diagram shows the components and relationships
that comprise the Framework Transportation
Standard. UML is designed to show these
relationships in a generic manner without
specifying a coding language or specific software
needed to complete the task. For more
information about UML visit http//www.uml.org
next Topic
Transportation Railroad Requirements Continued
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Framework Data Standard Transportation Railroad
Requirements

• The following slides include a brief description
  of the four main components to the Railroad
  Transportation Standard
• Railroad system
• The Railroad system model describes the
  geographic locations, interconnectedness, and
  characteristics of the railroads in the larger
  transportation system. The transportation system
  includes physical and non-physical components
  representing all modes of travel that allow the
  movement of goods, services, and people between
  locations. The Railroad infrastructure is a
  physical component of the entire transportation
  system.
• This part of the standard defines a way to encode
  segments, their start and end points, and their
  attributes, which may have different values
  associated with different parts of a segment. The
  model has three main components
• A Railroad segmentation model, which defines
  the representation of the physical segments of
  the Railroad network (Railroad segments), their
  connectivity (Railroad points), and their usage
  (Railroad paths)
• An event model, which defines a method to model
  attributes that may have values that change from
  one part of a segment to another and to linearly
  locate features along Railroad segments or paths
• A linear reference model, which defines how
  locations are specified along linear features.
  Strictly speaking, the linear reference model is
  not a part of this model, but is referenced
  because of the part it plays in handling the
  attribution for Railroad features. The linear
  reference model is described further Annex B of
  the Transportation Base Standard

next Topic
Transportation Railroad Requirements Continued
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Framework Data Standard Transportation Railroad
Requirements

• 2. Railroad segmentation model
• A Railroad feature is any type of transportation
  feature that is part of the Railroad system. It
  is a type of transportation feature. To ensure
  maximum utility in a variety of contexts, this
  Railroad model does not prescribe any specific
  business rules for the segmentation of the
  Railroad system. The Railroad network is the set
  of Railroad features and their topological
  relationships which together define all possible
  movements through the Railroad system. The
  Railroad network can be broken up into segments
  called RailroadSegs. RailroadSegs represent
  individual pieces of the physical Railroad
  network, such as that part of Main Street which
  exists between First Avenue and Second Avenue.
  RailroadSegs are topologically connected by
  RailroadPoints. RailroadPoints serve to connect
  two RailroadSegs. RailroadPaths prescribe a usage
  of part of the Railroad network. They represent a
  path through a set of whole or partial
  RailroadSegs, such as Route 66 or Washington
  Avenue. RailroadSeg, RailroadPoint, and
  RailroadPath are specializations of the
  transportation feature classes TranSeg,
  TranPoint, and TranPath, respectively All other
  real world entities comprising the Railroad
  system are represented as Railroad features.
• Additional components of the Railroad
  segmentation model
• RailroadPoint - RailroadPoint is the specified
  location of an endpoint of a RailroadSeg.
• Anchor Point - An anchor point is a link between
  the computer representation of the Railroad
  system and the real world.
• RailroadSeg - RailroadSeg is a specified
  directed path between two RailroadPoints along a
  physical Railroad that identifies a unique
  segment of that system. Each segment has an
  identifier, with points used to start and end
  segments.
• Railroad Segement equivalence - Different
  transportation agencies may define their segments
  differently. See Annex A in Transportation Base
  for further information
• Anchor Section - An anchor section represents a
  section of Railroad between two known and
  recoverable locations, that is to say, anchor
  points.
• Railroad Path - RailroadPath may be an ordered
  list of whole or partial RailroadSegs it uses,
  which may or may not be contiguous.

next Topic
Transportation Requirements Continued
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Framework Data Standard Transportation Railroad
Requirements

• 3. The event model
• Transportation events are the mechanism by which
  attributes or entities can be linearly located
  along either a TranSeg or a TranPath linear
  feature. Refer to the transportation event model
  in the Transportation Base for a more detailed
  overview of the transportation event model.
  Transportation events can be either attribute
  events or feature events. Within the Railroads
  part, events specific to the Railroad system are
  supported as specializations of transportation
  attribute and feature events.
• Additional components of the event model
• RailroadAttributeEvent - If an attribute value
  of a linear feature has a single, constant value
  along the entire length of the feature
• RailroadLinearAttributeEvent -
  RailroadLinearAttributeEvents provide the means
  of specifying the value and location of a
  single segment or path attribute that may apply
  only to part of the segment or path. The value of
  the segment or path attribute is specified as
  the attributeValue, inherited from
  RailroadAttributeEvent.
• RailroadPointAttributeEvent - RailroadPointAttrib
  uteEvent provides the means of specifying the
  value and location of a single segment or path
  attribute that has a particular value only at a
  single point along the segment or path.
• RailroadFeatureEvent - Features can have
  attributes, each with a single, constant value.
• RailroadLinearFeatureEvent - A
  RailroadLinearFeatureEvent provides the means of
  specifying a linear location for a feature as a
  length along a segment or path.
• RailroadPointFeatureEvent - A RailroadPointFeatur
  eEvent provides the means of specifying a linear
  location for a feature as a single point
  location along a segment or path.

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Transportation Requirements Continued
25
Framework Data Standard Transportation Railroad
Requirements
4. Code Lists Code lists for attributes have been
included in the standard. Code-lists are a list
of possible choices for a given feature or
attribute. These code-lists are not exhaustive,
but provide additional context and assistance for
the creation of Railroad data. An example of the
partial code list for RailroadLinearEventType is
provided below.
Railroad features events UML
next Topic
Encoding and Implementation
RailroadLinearEventType Code List
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Encoding and implementation
The Bigger Picture
The Framework Standards do not have a specific
application schema that can be implemented.
Implementation of the Framework Standards in
relation to data and tool creation occurs at the
thematic level. Each thematic part complies with
the Framework Base Standard. As such a Railroad
layer (for example) created in accordance with
the Framework Transportation Railroads part meets
all Framework requirements.

• The process of encoding is simply formatting or
  structuring data in a regulated manner. The
  Framework standards are encoded by applying the
  application schemas through the use of several
  different modeling and markup languages
• Unified Modeling Language (UML)
• Extensible Markup Language (XML)
• Geographic Markup Language (GML)
• Specific knowledge of each language is important
  for data and tool designers for more information
  see the Framework Base Standard Training
  Materials.

next Topic
Module Review
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Module 3 Transportation Requirements Summary

• Four different requirements, with multiple
  subparts are specified by the Framework
  Transportation Railroads Standard
• This module covers the specifications for
  Transportation Railroad framework data
  implementation
• Provides rigid requirements to ensure proper
  structure and documentation for Transportation
  Railroad data
• UML diagrams and data dictionaries provide
  specifics for programmers and data creators to
  develop Transportation data that meets Framework
  specifications

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Module 4 Standard Implementation
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Module 4 Examples, Exercise, and Certificate
Topics

• Implementation Example
• Review Exercise
• Certificate of Completion

next Topic
Review Exercise
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Implementation Example
example
The three Railroad examples to the left have all
been created using different portions of the
Railroads framework standard. More examples and
explanations can be found in the standard annexes
provided as a PDF at the end of this course.
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Exercise
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Transportation Exercise

1. Click on the following hyperlink
   http//geoleaders.com/NSDIFrameworkServices_Usabil
   ity.pdf
2. Review the .pdf to learn more about how NSDI
   Framework data services are being implemented
   through OpenGIS techniques
3. Pay specific attention to the Railroads section
   to see how the Framework data is utilized in
   these services

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Course completion
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Course Certificate
Congratulations, you have successfully completed
the Framework Transportation Railroads Standard
Training! In order to print the certificate
below you will need a copy of Adobe Acrobat
Reader, http//www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/read
step2.html. After you open the certificate file,
type your name and todays date on the name/date
line and print.
Click here to receive course certificate