CHAPTER Three

Networks and Network Modelling and analysis

 What is network?
• A network is a system of interconnected elements, such as edges
(lines) and connecting junctions (points), that represent possible
routes from one location to another.
• People, resources, and goods tend to travel along networks: cars
and trucks travel on roads, airliners fly on predetermined flight
paths, oil flows in pipelines. By modeling potential travel paths
with a network, it is possible to perform analyses related to the
movement of the oil, trucks, or other agents on the network.
• The most common network analysis is finding the shortest path
between two points.
• ArcGIS groups networks into two categories:
– geometric networks, and
– network datasets.
 Geometric networks

• River networks and utility networks—like

electrical, gas, sewer, and water lines—allow
travel on edges in only one direction at a time.
– The agent in the network—for instance, the oil flowing
in a pipeline—can't choose which direction to travel;
rather, the path it takes is determined by external
forces: gravity, electromagnetism, water pressure, and
so on. An engineer can control the flow of the agent by
controlling how external forces act on the agent.
• In ArcGIS, utility and river networks are best
modeled by geometric networks.
• Geodatabase feature classes (or feature dataset) are
used as data sources to define the geometric network
- two types of features: edges and junctions
– A geometric network can be built in the Catalog tree
• Import data into new or existing feature classes.
• Build a geometric network from the feature classes.
• Establish connectivity rules for the geometric
network.
 Network datasets
• Transportation networks—like street, pedestrian, and railroad
networks—can allow travel on edges in both directions.
– The agent on the network—for instance, a truck driver
traveling on roads—is generally free to decide the direction
of traversal as well as the destination.
• In ArcGIS, transportation networks are best modeled by network
datasets. (require the Network Analyst extension)
– A single mode of transportation, roads or railroads,
– A multimodal of transportations: roads, railroads, waterways,
etc.
– 3D network datasets, enable model the interior pathways of
buildings, mines, caves, etc.
 Network Analyst
• Network analysis is a set of analysis techniques used with
networks
• Network Analyst is the ESRI extension
That performs network analysis in ArcMap
• Network Analyst uses network datasets
• Types of analysis:
-Route
-Service areas
-closest facility
-Origin-destination cost matrix
 .....cont
Route:
-Can be simple –finding driving directions between two points
-More complex –best route between 10 different stops

•“Best” can mean different things:

-Shortest distance
-Quickest
-Most scenic
-No highways
 …..cont
Closest facility:
• Calculate the nearest X number of facilities to an incident or point
of interest
• Closest can be based on network distance or time
• Set up a cutoff
-Find all the hospitals within 5 minutes of an accident
-Find all the clinics within 2 miles of a home address
 …..cont
Service areas:
• Calculate an area based on time or distance from an input
• Good for estimating populations
• Different than a simple buffer
 …..cont
Origin-destination cost matrix:
• Creates a cost matrix from multiple origins to multiple destinations
• Good for calculating distance or time between multiple start and end
points
 Types of network analysis layers
• ArcGIS Network Analyst allows you to solve common network
problems, such as finding the best route across a city, finding the
closest emergency vehicle or facility, identifying a service area
around a location, servicing a set of orders with a fleet of
vehicles, or choosing the best facilities to open or close. 6 types
or solvers:
– Route
– Closest facility
– Service areas
– OD cost matrix (an origin-destination (OD) cost matrix from multiple
origins to multiple destinations)
– Vehicle routing problem
– Location-allocation
 An example of Road network

• The rate of flow is controlled by several factors.

.The type of street,
.Speed limit,
.Congestion,
.Presence of traffic control devices. Etc.
• All of these factors can be added to realistic model
movement through the network.
NETWORK MODELS
 Elements in a Network
• LINKS : Links are the conduits for movement, such as streets, streams, or pipes.
• BARRIERS: Barriers prevent movement between links.
• TURNS: A turn represents a transition from network link to network link at a node.
Turns occur at every node.
• CENTERS: Centers are locations which receive or distribute resources. E.g.
Schools, fire stations, and reservoirs etc.
• STOPS: Stops are locations on a route to pick up or drop resources.
 Attributes Associated with Network Elements

• LINKS: Two way impedance, such as time or rate of flow.

Resource Demand, such as students, customers, or water
• BARRIERS: No associated attribute

• TURNS : Impedance such as turning time, Restrictions, such as

no left turn.

• CENTERS: Resource capacity, such as student enrollment,

water volume

• STOPS: Resource Demand, such as students, customers, or

water
 Applications of Network Analysis
 Shortest path analysis
 finds the path with the minimum cumulative
impendence between nodes on a network.
e.g find the shortest path b/n two point or city
Shortest path analysis can help:
 a traveler plan a trip
 To set up a schedule for dozens of deliveries, or
 An emergency service to connect a dispatch station,
accident location and hospital
 Closest facility
 is a network analysis to find closet facility such as a
hospital, fire station, or super market, to any location on
a network.

 the closet facility algorithm first computes the shortest

paths from the select location to all candidate facilities
and then finds the closest facility among the candidates.
 Location- Allocation
 Allocation is the study of the spatial distribution of resource
through a network
 Resource refer to public facilities such as fire stations or
schools, whereas
 Distribution of resources defines service zones distribution
 The main objective of spatial allocation analysis is to
measure the efficiency of public facilities
 A common measure of efficiency in the case of emergency
services:
 Is the response time the time it takes for a fire truck or a
ambulance to reach an incident.
 solves problems of matching the supply and demand by using sets of
objectives and constraints. E.g.
 Suppose a company operates soft drink distribution facilities to
solve supermarkets
The objective is to minimize the total distance travel, and
The constraint a two hour drive distance
 A location-allocation analysis is to match the distribution facilities
and the supermarkets while meeting both the objective and
constraint
 Location- allocation is also important in the public sector. E.g.
 A local school broad may decide that (1) all school-age children
should be within 1 km of their schools and (2) the total distance
traveled by all children should be minimized
  In this case, school represent the supply, and
School age children represent the demand
 The objective of this location-allocation analysis is to provide
service to a population, while maximizing efficiency in the total
distance traveled
 The set up of a location- allocation problem requires inputs in
supply, demand, and distance measures
 The supply consists of facilities or centers at point locations
 Demand may consist of point, line and polygons, depending on
the on the data source.
 Distance measures between the supply and demand are often
presented in a distance matrix or a distance list.
  Distances may be measured along the shortest path between
two points on a road network or
 A long the straight line connecting two points
 In location- allocation analysis shortest path distances are
likely to yield more accurate results than straight- line
distances.
 Urban Transport planning model
 Un urban transportation planning model typically uses the four
step process:
 Trip generation
 Trip distribution
 Modal choice, and
 Trip assignment
 Trip generation:
 Estimate the number of trips to and from each traffic analysis
zone( TAZ) in the model
 Trip distribution:
 uses the number of trips generated in each TAZ and the distance or
travel time between TAZ to produce a trip inter change matrix.
 Model choice splits trips by travel mode
 Trip assignment:
 loads estimated traffic volumes from the model on network
To generate shortest and Optimal route for travel.(PATH)
Most efficient path to a series of locations. (TOUR)
Assign a portion of network to a location. (ALLOCATION)
Whether the location is connected to the other. (TRACING)
Model the accessibility of location and interaction between
location based on cost of travel and communication. (SPATIAL
INTERACTION)
To evaluate the optimal location for the service center.
To propose additional service centers at optimal travel, time
and distance.
To minimize/ reduce the travel trips
 Getting Started with NA

•Network locations
•Network Analyst workflow
•Useful analyses
-Routes
-Service areas
-Closest facility
-Origin destination cost matrices
 Review and New Terms

•A network is made up of edges and nodes

-Edges are the “lines” of the network
-Nodes are physical locations
•Edges for all cases discussed in this module
will be roads
•Types of locations (nodes)
-Stops
-Barriers
-Facilities
-Incidents
-Origins
-Destinations
 Network locations
Adding your own network locations to a network Create Network
• Location tool
• Load Locations tool
• Find tool
 …..cont
Finding network locations
• Search tolerance
• Snapping environment
 Network Analyst workflow
1. Create network analysis layer
2. Add network locations
3. Set analysis properties
4. Perform analysis and display results