Crossrail is a major infrastructure project building a new railway line across London. GIS plays a key role in managing the large amount of spatial data and sharing information across the many stakeholders. The GIS system uses a federated database architecture to integrate data from various systems. Crossrail shares information publicly and internally which provides benefits like reduced costs and improved collaboration. Lessons from Crossrail can help future large infrastructure projects.

1. Big Maps for a Big Project: A Crossrail Story
How Crossrail uses and shares geographic information on an infrastructure project
Dan Irwin
GIS Manager

2. • Overview
– What is Crossrail?
– Challenges
– Where does GIS fit in?
Agenda
• Information Management
– Architecture
– Master Data Models
– Data Federation
• Sharing
– Rationale
– Benefits
– Lessons Learned

3. OVERVIEW
Section 1:

4. 4
120yrs
Operational Lifetime
24Trains per hour in
Central Section
200mlong trains
200mn
Passenger Journeys /
annum
£15bnbudget
12Tb
Total Capacity
50M
GIS Features
500K
Assets
3M
Documents
2M
Drawings / Models
Overview: What is Crossrail?

5. Overview: Challenges - Engineering

6. 6
Overview: Challenges - Accuracy
British National Grid - not accurate enough
London Survey Grid50cm

7. Overview: Challenges - Contractual

8. Overview: How does GIS fit in?
CDE
Instrumentation
& Monitoring
System
Enterprise
Content
Management
System
Access
Management
System
Asset
Management
System
Business
Reporting &
Dash-boarding
CAD
Management
System
Business
Analytics
Geographic
Information
System
GIS
Instrumentation
& Monitoring
System
Enterprise
Content
Management
System
Access
Management
System
Asset
Management
System
Business
Reporting &
Dashboarding
CAD
Management
System
Business
Analytics
GIS
Instrumentation
& Monitoring
System
Enterprise
Content
Management
System
Access
Management
System
Asset
Management
System
Business
Reporting &
Dash-boarding
CAD
Management
System
Business
Analytics
Master Data
Management
Federated
Database
Architecture

9. INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
Section 2:

10. Information Management: Architecture
Spatial Database
•Oracle Enterprise RDBMS + Spatial
•SDE
Extract-Transform-Load Tools
•FME + Geo-Processing
•Files, Databases, Web Services, APIs
Web Applications
•Portal for ArcGIS
•Web App Builder (Dev Edition)
Information Systems
•CAD / BIM (Projectwise)
•Documentation (Enterprise Bridge)
Public Facing Content
•ArcGIS Online
•Open Data Portal / Living Atlas

11. Information Management: Master Data Model

12. Information Management: Master Data Model
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13. Information Management: Data Federation

14. Unit
Prop
EMS_BEFORE_INSERT_UPDATE EMS_AFTER_INSERT_UPDATE
UTL_MAIL
Information Management: Data Federation

15. Information Management: What about BIM?
Documentation workflows:
• NEC3Contract Management (£8.3bn)
• Asset Breakdown Structure (ABS)
• Crossrail Management System (CMS)
• Document Management System
• Assurance reporting
• Materials compliance system
• Project Technical Requests
• Observation reporting
• Snagging
• Automatic pdf drawings from
ProjectWise
• Observation reporting
• Contract deliverables
• 90% of data in 3 linked databases
CAD workflows:
• CAD user tools
• CAD QC/QA
• User Management Tools
• Customised BS1192 Workflow
GIS workflows:
• Land Management
• Asset Information Models
• Asset Protection Engineering
• Integration with CAD
GIS
Mapping
(Spatial) (Relational)
Data &
Documents
3D – 5D
Models
(Object-
orientated)

16. Information Management: What about BIM?
Docs
Models
GIS

17. SHARING
Section 3:

18. Sharing: Rationale
• Accessibility
• Collaboration
• Integrated Delivery
• Better Decision Making
Data,Information,Knowledge
Traditional
Process
Lifecycle Information Management

19. Sharing: Stakeholders
Public Access (~250k)
Third Parties
(~5,000)
Internal Staff (~500)
GI Power Users
(~10)
GIS Team (4)

20. Sharing: Near You
Sharing: Open Data Portal

21. Sharing: Benefits
General Benefits
Simplicity
Interoperability
Accessibility
ROI
Tunnel Boring
Land & Property
Claim Reports
75% time saving: £90k / annum
80% time saving: £120k
5,000 hours / annum20% time saving

22. Sharing: Lessons Learned
• Location Matters
– Continual Evolution
– Integration
– Masters of Where
• IT / IM Strategies
– Infrastructure
– Cloud Evolution
– Security
• Data
– Interoperability
– 3D
– Handover

23. Sharing: Learning Legacy
• 12 Themes and Topic Areas
– Project and Programme Management
– Procurement
– Authorisations and Consents
– Land and Property
– Health and Safety
– Environment
– Engineering
– Operations
– Talent and Resources
– External Affairs
– Innovation
– Information Management and Technology
http://learninglegacy.crossrail.co.uk/

24. Sharing: Geocentric Railway
• Focus
– Why location matters
– Actualised benefits realisation
– Case Studies
• Participants
– Client (TfL, Crossrail 2, Network Rail, HS2)
– Contractor (Skanska, Mott Macdonald)
– GIS Practitioners
• Available Now!
– https://resource.esriuk.com/the-geo-centric-
railway/

25. Thank You for your time!
Questions?