Mapping ParkPlus Zones with FME

The ParkPlus system was introduced to Calgary in 2007, after the City’s geodatabase for managing traffic signs was designed and implemented. As a result, the ParkPlus zone numbers and sign blade descriptions had to be stored in a free-text field, input by various users with no standardization, which now makes it almost impossible to search and display ParkPlus zones on a map. With the help of FME, every single ParkPlus zone number was successfully isolated and extracted from the free-text field in the geodatabase and mapped accurately as a standalone GIS layer. By plugging in a spreadsheet created by the Calgary Parking Authority designating the zone number range for each block, errors such as typos and zone misplacement in the geodatabase were easily identified and corrected efficiently. Better yet, because FME is able to connect directly to the ArcSDE server to read data, the FME workspace can be run on a regular basis to keep the ParkPlus zone layer up to date.