Realign routes

Available with Location Referencing license.

During the lifespan of a pipeline, route geometry and length can change. Route sections are updated while others are added. Major changes, such as environmental concerns, building a new pumping station, or repair work, can require a change in the shape of the route's geometry and length. ArcGIS Pipeline Referencing uses centerlines to make realignments. The Realign tool can be used to realign a single route or to realign several adjoining routes that are part of the same line.

Centerline features used to realign routes can be existing features in the centerline feature class, be digitized into the centerline feature class (using aerial photography or other basemaps for guidance), be copied and pasted from other feature classes, or be imported from CAD files or other ArcGIS-supported data sources.

The following tables list parameters used in the Realign tool.

Parameters used for Engineering Stationing networks

Parameter	Description
Network	The network in which the routes that support a line network exist.
Effective Date	The date when the realignment has taken place on the ground.
Source Route: From Route Name	The route where the realignment starts.
Source Route: From Measure	The measure on the source route where the realignment starts; shown by a green point.
Source Route: To Route Name	The route where the realignment ends. In the case where the realignment takes place on a single route, the source route and target route are the same.
Source Route: To Measure	The measure on the target route where the realignment ends; shown by a red point.
Realigned Route: From Measure	The starting measure on the realigned portion.
Realigned Route: To Measure	The ending measure on the realigned portion.
Realigned Route: Abandon the route(s)	Choose whether to abandon the source routes or to retire them.
Realigned Route: Recalibrate route downstream	Choose whether the tool recalibrates the route downstream of the realignment measures.

Parameters used for Continuous Measure networks

Parameter	Description
Network	The network in which the continuous routes exist.
Effective Date	The date when the realignment has taken place on the ground.
Source Route: Route Name	The route where the realignment takes place.
Source Route: From Measure	The measure on the source route where the realignment starts; shown by a green point.
Source Route: To Measure	The measure on the source route where the realignment ends; shown by a red point.
Realigned Route: From Measure	The starting measure on the realigned portion.
Realigned Route: To Measure	The ending measure on the realigned portion.

Route realignment scenarios

In the following examples, RouteX has a start measure of 0 and an end measure of 10 before realignment. The line order is 100.

In this example, the start and end measures of the realigned portion of the route are suggested by Pipeline Referencing.

Before realignment, the RouteX edit region has a start measure of 2 and an end measure of 6.

Example 1: Source
From Route	RouteX
From Measure	2
To Route	RouteX
To Measure	6
Recalibrate	Yes

After realignment, RouteX is realigned with updated downstream measures due to recalibration. The line order remains 100.

Example 1: Realigned
From Measure	2
To Measure	10
Recalibrate	Yes

In the second example, there is no downstream recalibration after the realigned portion of the route. This results in an equation at the To Measure of the realigned route.

Example 2: Source
From Route	RouteX
From Measure	2
To Route	RouteX
To Measure	6
Recalibrate	No

After realignment, a new route (RouteA) is created from the beginning of the source route to the end of the realigned section, which is the end measure location of the realigned route. RouteA gets the line order of 100 and RouteX’s line order changes to 200.

Example 2: Realigned
From Measure	2
To Measure	10
New Route	RouteA
Recalibrate	No

Alternatively, if the To Measure of the realigned route is changed before the tool is run, an equation occurs at the From Measure and To Measure locations, and two routes are created.

Note:

An equation can occur if you don't use Pipeline Referencing suggested measures.

Example 3: Source
From Route	RouteX
From Measure	2
To Route	RouteX
To Measure	6
Recalibrate	Yes

After realignment, the first new route (RouteA) starts and ends at the to and from of the realign portion. The second new route (RouteB) starts from the end of the realign portion and goes until the end of the original route. RouteX’s line order remains 100, RouteA gets a line order of 200, and RouteB gets a line order of 300.

Similarly, if the start measure and end measure of the realigned route are changed so that it results in an equation at the start measure and end measure locations, and recalibrating downstream is chosen, then two routes are created. The first new route (RouteA) starts and ends at the start and end of the realign portion. The second new route (RouteB) starts from the end of the realign portion and goes until the end of the original route.

Example 3: Realigned
From Measure	3
To Measure	10
New Route	RouteA
New Route	RouteB
Recalibrate	No

In the fourth case, if the start measure of the realigned route is changed in such a way that it results in an equation, which can happen when Pipeline Referencing suggested measures are not used, and recalibrating downstream is chosen, then a new route is created.

Example 4: Source
From Route	RouteX
From Measure	2
To Route	RouteX
To Measure	6

The new route (RouteA) starts at the start of the realign portion and goes until the end of the original route. RouteX’s line order remains 100 and RouteA gets a line order of 200.

Example 4: Realigned
From Measure	3
To Measure	12
New Route	RouteA
Recalibrate	Yes

Abandoned route reassignment

The default option in Pipeline Referencing is to reassign any realigned routes to abandoned routes (new routes in the network), rather than retire them. The workflow described previously is still applicable to the realignment. Instead of retiring the existing routes as of the effective date of the edit, abandoned routes are created to represent assets that are still present, but not in use.

Leave the Reassign to abandoned route(s) check box checked to show the names of any abandoned routes that are created, as well as the line to which they belong.

You can also provide any required attributes for the abandoned route or routes at this time, or check the Apply values to all routes check box to provide the same values for all abandoned routes.

The following diagrams show before and after reassignment to abandoned routes that have the _ab suffix:

Note:

If a message regarding acquiring locks or reconciling appears, conflict prevention is enabled.

After a route is selected, the tool will attempt to release the route lock if the route lock is acquired by the active user in a different version and its releasable status value is Yes.

Complex route realignment scenarios

Complex route realignment scenarios, including loop, lollipop, gapped, branch, and infinity routes are described below.

Realignment on a loop route

The route is realigned from measure 0 to measure 4, which is from the beginning to the middle of the route. In the following example, RouteX has a start measure of 0 and an end measure of 12 before realignment:

Without downstream recalibration, an equation point is created at measure 4 of RouteX. This results in the creation of a new route (RouteA) from measure 0 to measure 9.5.

RouteA is assigned line order 100, and the RouteX line order changes to 200.

Realignment on a lollipop route

RouteX is realigned from measure 8 to measure 15. In the following example, RouteX has a start measure of 0 and an end measure of 15 before realignment:

As realignment is from the middle to the end, downstream recalibration does not apply. RouteX is realigned with a start measure of 0 and an end measure of 17. The realigned section is assigned measures 8 to 17.

The line order remains unchanged.

Realignment on a gapped route

RouteX is realigned from measure 1 to measure 3. In the following example, a gapped route has a start measure of 0 and an end measure of 4 before realignment:

Without downstream recalibration, an equation point is created at measure 3 on RouteX. This results in the creation of a new route (RouteA) from measure 0 to measure 11.

As a result, RouteA is assigned line order 100 and the RouteX line order changes to 200.

Realignment on an infinity route

RouteX is realigned from measure 7 to measure 11. In this realignment, the suggested starting measure value is not used. The starting measure value of 10 for the realignment section is the input value and the ending measure value of 16 is calculated using the geometrical length of the centerline. In the following example, RouteX has a start measure of 0 and an end measure of 24 before realignment:

As the suggested measure is not used, an equation point is created at measure 7 of RouteX resulting in a new route (RouteA). Without downstream recalibration, another equation point is created at measure 16 of RouteA. This results in the creation of another new route (RouteB) from measure 11 to measure 24.

The RouteX line order remains 100, and RouteA and RouteB are assigned a line order of 200 and 300, respectively.

Route realignment workflow

In the following example, there are three routes across a line. A route realignment is scheduled to take place between RouteX and a RouteZ.

The following diagram shows the routes before the realignment:

The following table provides details about the routes before the realignment:

Route Name	From Measure	To Measure	Line Order
RouteX	0	7	100
RouteY	10	24	200
RouteZ	28	35	300

To realign a route, complete the following steps:

Note:

Gap calibration rules are followed when editing routes.

1. Add the centerline and network feature class to a map.

   Alternatively, open a map in which the centerline and network feature class are present.

   Note:

   • In the data model, only one centerline is expected at any given location. Ensure that the centerlines used for your edit do not overlap other centerlines in the LRS.
   • Branch versioned networks, including any network configured with a user-generated route ID, must be edited through a feature service.
2. Zoom in to the location where you want to realign the route.

   Note:

   The centerline feature for realigning the route must exist in the centerline feature class before realigning the route.

3. On the Location Referencing tab, in the Routes group, click Realign .

   

   The Realign Route pane appears with the Select By Rectangle option active by the default.

4. Select one or more centerlines by rectangle at the location of the new route.

   You can also click the Select one or more centerlines drop-down arrow and choose one of the other selection tools: Select By Polygon , Select By Lasso , Select By Circle , Select By Line , or Select By Trace .

   The selected centerlines are highlighted on the map, and the Allow choosing of one or more centerlines button appears in the Realign Route pane. The selected centerlines count is shown above the table.

   Note:

   • The direction of digitization of the centerline, depicted by the direction of the arrowhead on the selected centerline, also determines the direction of increasing measure calibration. You can reverse direction for the chosen centerlines using the Flip the direction of the centerlines button . This leads to an in-memory flip of the centerline's direction and the change in direction is not permanent.
   • You can keep the centerlines chosen after realigning the route. This option is particularly useful if you are realigning a route in the Engineering Stationing network and want to realign another route for the Continuous network using the same centerlines, or vice versa.
   • If the centerline was created as a curve, Pipeline Referencing will convert the curve into a densified polyline feature.
5. Click the Allow choosing of one or more centerlines button .

   A table appears in the Realign Route pane with each selected centerline in a numbered row that corresponds to the selection order. The selected centerlines are numbered on the map and highlighted. The count is shown above the table.

   

6. Optionally, choose one or more rows from the Order column, and use the buttons below the table to change the centerline selection order. You can also drag rows to change the order.

   Changes in the table selection order are also shown on the map.

   Tools available in the centerlines table

   Tool	Tool name	Tool description
   	Allow choosing of one or more centerlines	Allows you to choose the centerlines on the map and displays them in a table by order of selection. Use the move buttons below the table or drag rows to reorder the chosen centerlines.
   	Clear the currently chosen centerlines	Clears the chosen centerlines and keeps the selected centerlines. You can reselect after clicking this button or click the Allow choosing one or more centerlines button a second time.
   	Move chosen centerlines up	Moves one or more selected centerlines up a row in the table order.
   	Move chosen centerlines to the top	Moves one or more centerlines to the top of the table order.
   	Move chosen centerlines down	Moves one or more centerlines down a row in the table order.
   	Move chosen centerlines to the bottom	Moves one or more centerlines to the bottom of the table order.
   	Flip the direction of the centerlines	Reverses the direction of the chosen centerlines. This leads to an in-memory flip of the centerlines' direction and the change in direction is not permanent.
   	Remove the chosen centerlines	Removes the chosen centerline from the table order but leaves it selected.

   Tip:

   To change the display field in the centerlines table, right-click the centerline feature class in the Contents pane, and choose Properties from the context menu. On the Layer Properties dialog box, click the Display tab, and click the Display field drop-down arrow to change its value. In the previous image, the display field is OBJECTID.

7. In the Realign Route pane, choose the network in which you want to realign a route.

   Note:

   To edit using feature services, the LRS Network must be published with the Linear Referencing and Version Management capabilities.

8. Specify an effective date for the realignment by doing one of the following:
   • Provide a date in the Effective Date text box.
   • Click Calendar and choose a date.
   • Double-click the empty Effective Date text box to populate today's date.
9. Optionally, if the centerline doesn't touch the route, use the pickers to populate the From Route Name, To Route Name, From Measure, and To Measure parameters.

   If the centerline touches the routes, the From Route Name, From Measure, To Route Name, and To Measure parameters in the Source Route section are automatically populated.

   Note:

   After clicking the Choose route from map button or the Choose measure from map button , you can hover over the routes to see the route and measure at the location of the pointer.

   If only one applicable route exists at the edit location, click to select it. If multiple routes are applicable, click to select one of the applicable routes using the Select Route dialog box.

   Note:

   In this example, the Reassign to abandoned route(s) option is checked. Routes that represent assets that are present but not in use will be created.

   Learn more about reassigning to an abandoned route

   Note:

   For a line network, the measures can be entered as station values in 00+00.00 or 00+00.000 format.

10. Optionally, provide a start measure value.

    The From Measure value in the Realigned Route section is automatically populated if the centerline touches the route.

    Note:

    • Z-values are considered when calculating the geometric length of the centerlines.
    • Learn how centerlines and routes support z-values
11. Optionally, provide an end measure value of your choice.

    The To Measure value in the Realigned Route section is automatically populated if the centerline touches the route.

    Note:

    In this example, the Recalibrate route downstream option is not checked. A new route will be created in the realigned portion.

12. Click Run.

    The Realign Route pane transitions to the next page, in which the routes to be abandoned due to the realignment are listed.

13. Click Next.
14. Provide a name for the new route that will be created in the realigned portion.

    Note:

    To copy attributes from an existing route, click Copy attribute values by choosing route from map and choose an existing route.

15. Click Next.
16. Provide a name for each abandoned route.

    You can also provide any required attributes for the abandoned route or routes at this time, or check the Apply values to all routes check box to provide the same values for all abandoned routes.

17. Click Run.

    Route realignment is complete.

    Note:

    • If the route edit will result in the introduction of one or more physical gaps on the route, a prompt appears to alert you before the tool is run. If you don't plan to create a gapped route, click No.
    • If the route being edited already had one or more physical gaps, and no more physical gaps were introduced by the edit, no prompt appears.
    • You can disable this warning by unchecking the Warn before allowing route edits that can create physical gaps option in the Location Referencing options.

    Note:

    In a combined Utility Network and Pipeline Referencing deployment, if the centerline is split because of this edit activity, the RouteID, From Measure, and To Measure fields are updated for the split centerlines.

    The following diagram shows the routes after the realignment:

    

    The following table provides details about the routes after the realignment:

    Route Name	From Measure	To Measure	Line Order
    RouteX	0	5	100
    RouteA	0	29.5	200
    RouteZ	29	35	300

    In this example, the following occurs after you click Run:

    • RouteX is retired with its end date populated with the effective date.
    • Since a portion of RouteX is involved in the realignment, a new time slice of RouteX is created. Its start date is populated with the effective date, and the end date is populated with a null value. The start measure is 0 and the end measure is 5—these measures are unaffected by the realignment.
    • RouteY is retired with its end date populated with the effective date.
    • RouteZ is retired with its end date populated with the effective date.
    • Since a portion of RouteZ is involved in the realignment, a new time slice of RouteZ is created. Its start date is populated with the effective date, and the end date is populated with a null value. The start measure is 29 and the end measure is 35—these measures are unaffected by the realignment.
    • A new route, RouteA, is created in the realigned portion.

Route realignment when the direction of the centerline is against the direction of the route

Scenarios in which the direction of the centerline is against the direction of the routes in a line network are described below.

• Although a new route is created using the centerline, downstream calibration is not supported.

  

  

• No new route is created and the upstream of RouteZ is assimilated with the centerline.

  

  

Route realignment in a utility network dataset

After configuring a utility network with Pipeline Referencing using the Configure Utility Network Feature Class tool, you can realign routes in your dataset's pipeline line layer using the previous steps.

The centerlines used to realign a route can have start measure and end measure values populated. The coincident points of the centerline features must have the same measures. At the point where the selected centerline intersects the route, the interpolated measure value or calibration point is compared against the start measure or end measure stored on the centerline to determine whether an equation point exists. If an equation point exists, a new route is created.

Note:

If the measures are not provided using the centerline feature class, the LRS route editing tools provide From and To Measures on the route.

In the following examples, a route (RouteX) composed of three centerlines (CL1, CL2, CL3) is realigned using three new centerlines (CL4, CL5, CL6).

Example 1

In example 1, RouteX is realigned using a start measure value of 5 and an end measure value of 8 without creating any new routes.

Notice that the start measure of CL4 has a measure (5) that matches the calibration point value (5) on RouteX.

The end measure of CL4 matches the start measure of CL5 (6), and the end measure of CL5 (7) matches the start measure of CL6 (7).

Finally, the end measure of CL6 matches the calibration value (8) on RouteX, so an equation point is not created.

Example 2

In example 2, RouteX cannot be realigned using the start measure value of 5 and end measure value of 9 because the end measure of CL4 (6) does not match the start measure value of CL5 (7).

RouteX is not realigned and has the same measures after realignment fails.

Example 3

In example 3, RouteX is realigned using the start measure value of 5 and end measure value of 9, which results in the creation of a new route (RouteY) with a start measure value of 6 and an end measure value of 10 based on the start measure of CL4 (6) and the previously existing end measure value of 10.

Notice that the start measure of CL4 (6) does not match the calibration point value (5) on RouteX, which results in an equation point. The end measure of CL4 matches the start measure of CL5 (7), and the end measure of CL5 matches the start measure of CL6 (8).

Finally, the end measure of CL6 matches the calibration value (9) on RouteX, so an equation point is not created.

The result is a realigned RouteX with a start measure value of 0 and an end measure value of 5 and a new RouteY with a start measure value of 6 and an end measure value of 10.

Example 4

In example 4, RouteX is realigned using the start measure values of 5 to 10, which results in two new routes.

Notice that CL4 has a start measure (6) that does not match the calibration point value (5) on RouteX and results in an equation point. The CL4 end measure matches the start measure of CL5 (7), and the end measure of CL5 matches the start measure of CL6 (8).

Finally, the end measure of CL6 (9) does not match the calibration value (10) on RouteX, so an equation point is created that results in a new route being created.

The result is a shortened RouteX with a start measure value of 0 and an end measure value of 5, and a new route (RouteY) with a start measure value of 6 and an end measure value of 9, and a third route (RouteZ) with a start measure value of 10 and an end measure value of 12.

Note:

In a combined Utility Network and Pipeline Referencing deployment, if the centerline is split because of this edit activity, the RouteID, From Measure, and To Measure fields are updated for the split centerlines.