What's new in ESRI Aeronautical Solution

With the 10 release, the PLTS for ArcGIS—Aeronautical Solution was renamed ESRI Aeronautical Solution. There are also several new applications as well as enhancements to functionality that was previously available.

New at 10.0 SP3

Service pack 3 includes new or changed functionality in the following areas:

• Route Processing
• Additional configuration settings for the Minimum Safe Altitude (MSA) element
• FAA FAR 77 geoprocessing tool
• Import AIXM to AIS Update

Route processing simplifies and improves a product's cartographic appearance by reducing the number of visible routes.

The MSA element now allows you to specify more settings that control its appearance. These include Show Altitude Units, Show Center Symbol, Bearing Arrow Symbol, and several more.

The FAA FAR 77 geoprocessing tool has new runway types and additional parameters to help you model and control the creation of obstacle surfaces.

The Import AIXM to AIS tool has been enhanced with functionality to accommodate AIXM 4.5 Update messages. This allows the tool to compare the added, updated, or deleted features in the message to the existing AIXM 4.5 features in the database. Only the changed or deleted features are processed and the rest of the production data is left unaltered by the Import AIXM to AIS tool. After an update message is imported, the data can be exported using the Export AIS to AIXM tool and the data, including the changes, will be exported as a valid AIXM 4.5 message.

New at 10.0 SP2

Derived Geometry is a new geoprocessing tool that updates the AIXM null geometry with a polygon derived from other airspace features.

Model changes

There have been significant changes to the AIS data model to add further compatibility with the Aeronautical Information Exchange Model (AIXM) 4.5 data standard. A variety of changes have also been directed at adding AIXM 5.1 compatibility. The data model now includes the following new feature classes:

• AirspaceArea—Represents Airspace features with identical horizontal but different vertical extents.
• AirspaceArea_C—Cartographic features for AirspaceArea.

Importing and exporting Aeronautical Information Exchange Model (AIXM) 4.5 data

You can now import and export AIXM 4.5 data through workbenches used with the Feature Manipulation Engine tool from Safe Software.

• AIXM 4.5 Import Workbench has been significantly enhanced to handle an AIXM 4.5 message that conforms to the rules and relationships specified in the AICM/AIXM 4.5 description. There have been improvements to all portions, but especially in airspace, runways, navaids, and service.
• AIXM 4.5 Export Workbench is used to export aeronautical data to AIXM 4.5. The workbench will read an AIS SDE geodatabase and convert it to an AIXM 4.5 XML message. The workbench is designed to be run on a geodatabase that conforms to the rules and relationships specified by the AICM/AIXM 4.5 description.

New geoprocessing tools

• AOI Masking allows you to generate a new masking feature that can be used to hide features that fall outside specified polygon feature(s).
• Dynamic XY Coordinate Update is available as a geoprocessing tool and a toolbar command. It provides you with the ability to synchronize coordinate geometry and attribute edits made on point features within existing data editing or creation workflows.
• ICAO Annex 14 creates obstacle identification surfaces based on the specifications outlined in ICAO Annex 14.
• ICAO Annex 15 creates obstacle identification surfaces based on the specifications outlined in ICAO Annex 15.
• FAA FAR 77 creates obstacle identification surfaces based on the specifications outlined in IFAA FAR 77.

Instrument approach chart profile view elements

The enhanced editing environment allows you to further customize the profile view using tools available on the Drawing toolbar. It now supports manual edits to a profile in addition to automated edits. There are also new tools on the Aeronautical Profile Edit toolbar:

• Add Stipple adds a stipple element to the profile view that is connected from the 16° angle to the nearest top point of the runway element.
• Angled Holding Pattern allows you to add a descending leg coming from the horizontal holding pattern to the vertical navaid line.
• Curved Holding Pattern allows you to convert the default line representing a holding pattern into a teardrop turn that looks like an arc.
• Straight Holding Pattern allows you to convert the representation of a holding pattern back to the default horizontal line.
• Draw Tray to Scale allows you to change the tray value depiction of an existing profile view that shows distance values to a scale bar style.

Renamed tools for profile view elements include

• Solid cone No Column is now Solid Cone with Outline.
• Cone No Outline is now Solid Cone.

Other enhancements to profile view elements include

• Tray value settings have been added to the Profile Properties dialog box to edit the standard distance values tray value depiction (default) and the scale bar tray value depiction.

Other new tools

• Toggle Automatic Update XY allows you to enable or disable the dynamic updates of x- and y-coordinates or geometry.
• Masking Rule Manager allows you to create and manage rules that can then be used with the Batch Masking Tool to create masks based on the information in those rules.
• Airspace Areas converts Airspace features that have identical horizontal but different vertical extents into new Airspace Area features. The Airspace Areas features store the vertical information from input Airspace features. This allows you to symbolize and label three-dimensional information from the vertical extents in a two-dimensional chart.
• Airspace Lines creates lines from coincident edges of airspaces. The new line features have attributes from their source features. Applying symbology and labels to these features can help you visualize types of airspace line features to create.

Enhancements to existing tools

• Holding Pattern Entry Diagram properties can be set on the Element Settings pane of the Production Properties dialog box.
• MSA properties can be set on the Element Settings pane of the Production Properties dialog box.

Integration of product library tree view

The Instances to Process pane has been added to the following tools to improve usability:

• Carto Commander
• Update Anno
• Create Feature-Linked Annotation
• Create Non-Feature-Linked Annotation
• Batch Masking Tool
• Chart Lead

Other changes

• A results window now appears after each tool is finished processing.
• Toolbars and geoprocessing tools were reorganized in a central location to improve consistency and usability.

Deprecated tools

The following functionality has been deprecated:

• All tools used for the DoD and Eurocontrol models
• Rendered Polygons—Functionality to symbolize restricted airspace still available
• Effective Cruising Levels
• Chart Indicator