Austrian Post uses FME for the deployment of GIP data
The Group Geo and Address Services division of Austrian Post was created as a result of the automation of letter delivery planning. Its core tasks today include the provision and maintenance of geographic master data, geo services and consulting, and geodata analytics.
© Photo Christian Stemper/Austrian Post AG
Postal delivery in rural and urban areas is based on sophisticated routing functions, which in turn are based on accurate data from the GIP or PostGIP. © Photo Christian Stemper/Öst. Post AG
Differences between the representation in PostGIP and the requirement in ArcGIS: While PostGIP shows prohibitions and its own geometry between the edges (left), ArcGIS uses the exact geometry of the turning prohibitions (right). Graphic: J. Stehno/Öst. Post AG
In just one year, the Geo and Address Services team achieved a great deal through the use of FME: an API connection, additional routing services, analyses, and
in-house developments.
Graphic: J. Stehno/Öst. Post AG
FME Form is an integration tool used by Austrian Post to automatically create an ArcGIS-compatible dataset from the data in the graph integration platform.
As a nationwide logistics service provider, Austrian Post AG faced the challenge of automatically preparing geodata from the graph integration platform (GIP) for internal analysis. In particular, data silos needed to be broken down and routing applications based on postal-specific graphs provided in order to optimize delivery planning.
The starting point
The GIP serves as the central basis for routing applications at Austrian Post. In the existing system landscape, it was only editable and had limited external usability. The aim of the project was to make both the Austrian Post GIP and the OGD GIP (Open Government Data) available in ArcGIS for network analyses. FME was used as the integration and automation tool for this purpose.
GIP2GIS: Automation with FME Form
The Group Geo and Address Services team, led by Simone Seemann-Ortner, chose FME as its central integration and automation tool. With the help of FME Form, the GIP2GIS workflow was developed, which enables geodata from the Graph Integration Platform (GIP) to be efficiently transformed and made usable for Swiss Post's routing services. The automation of recurring processes with FME reduced the workload on the specialist departments, simplified the integration of new employees, and ensured that data processes ran transparently, maintainably, and securely.
The goal of the project was to achieve maximum flexibility and independence in handling GIP data. “We no longer wanted to have to involve the provider for every step and retrieve the GIP data from the black box in order to make it available for other applications,” explains Johannes Stehno, a member of the Geo team.
Austrian Post AG enlisted the support of experts at axmann geoinformation for this project, who defined a workflow based on FME Form.
The GIP2GIS workflow in detail
Conversion of GIP edges with the aim of modeling vehicle-specific driving permissions and turning restrictions per edge
- Implementation of speed values
- Transformation of GIP turning permissions into ArcGIS-compatible turning restrictions so that routing services correctly take geometric turning restrictions into account
- Downstream quality check and feedback to the GIP
- Implementation of the project within one year, supported by expert knowledge (e.g., Armin Pflegpeter from axmann)
By combining FME and ArcGIS, the data could be automatically extracted, transformed, and loaded. The integration made it possible to graphically model complex ETL (extract, transform, load) processes and provide them as reusable workflows that can be triggered both manually and automatically.
Optimal project support from axmann
Simone Seemann-Ortner and Johannes Stehno agree that the Group Geo and Address Services department is extremely satisfied with the project support it receives:
“Proactive support like that provided by axmann is not something to be taken for granted. The colleagues at axmann think outside the box and come up with good ideas on their own initiative for how to further improve a process. We are very satisfied with this support!” And geoinformatics specialist Stehno adds: “The process worked flawlessly from start to finish and has now become an indispensable part of our daily work.”
The result
Post GIP and OGD-GIP are now available in ArcGIS and form the basis for all routing services. The processes are transparent and automated, maintainability has been increased, response times shortened, and synergies optimally exploited. Updates and queries can now be carried out without the time-consuming involvement of third-party providers.
Based on the GIP data, so-called “simulation games” can be carried out. These can be simulations of how a route behaves when an e-bike is used for delivery instead of a car. Other applications include location analyses based on time and distance matrices or the planning of truck or parcel delivery routes.
Even more automation with FME Flow
In the future, FME Flow will also be used to ensure even more intensive automation of processes at Austrian Post. With this product, several processes run sequentially or simultaneously. “With further development, this would enable us to create the GIP updates ourselves in the future,” Seemann-Ortner is convinced, adding: “This gives us even more independence and flexibility!”
Is FME also interesting for your data and geo processes?
Would you also like to make your geodata processes more efficient and take routing services to a new level? Discover how you can optimize your data integration and automation with FME.
Contact us for individual advice or test FME in your system environment.
About the Graph Integration Platform (GIP)
The Graph Integration Platform (GIP) is a joint project developed by the Austrian federal states, ASFINAG, ÖBB Infrastruktur, BMVIT, and partner ITS Vienna Region. It is the digital, multimodal public transport graph for the whole of Austria. The GIP contains information on all modes of transport (public transport, cycling, walking, car traffic) and is a detailed, up-to-date traffic model for Austria. GIP is freely available as Open Government Data (OGD).
