Understanding Work Location Properties
In Bentley OpenUtilities Designer a work location is defined by the following properties:
- Name-the work location's unique identifier, based on its type (Point or Span) and its sequence within the path (i.e., P1, P2, P3, S1, S2, S3, etc.). The work location name is also displayed on the GIS map as the work location annotation. System-generated.
- Type-the work location's type based on its basic geometry: point or line (span). Point work locations are associated with a single point in the GIS; span work locations are associated with two or more points in the GIS. System-generated.
- Status-the status of the work request in the design and construction cycle. System-generated. For more information, see Work Location Status.
- Coordinates-the GIS coordinates associated with the work location. System-generated.
- Labor Difficulty Factor-a cost multiplier that is applied to the labor costs of all units assigned to the work location.
- Linear Allowance-a cost multiplier that is applied to all linear materials at a work span.
- Quantity/Length-the length of the work span. This value is initially set when Bentley OpenUtilities Designer generates the work location and is derived either from map coordinates or a default length (for nonspatial designs).
- Cost-The total cost of all compatible units, materials, and custom costs assigned to the work location. System-generated.
- Description-a description of the work location.
Work Location Status
Bentley OpenUtilities Designer assigns one of the following status categories to each work location:
The work location status is system-generated when you perform certain work request actions. Since work request actions are configurable, the commands that trigger a change in work location status may vary at each installation. Bentley OpenUtilities Designer's default work location status categories are summarized below.
The Labor Difficulty Factor is a cost multiplier that can be utilized when a particular location is likely to require more time and effort than usual because of conditions (such as difficult terrains or safety or environmental considerations). When you apply a Labor Difficulty Factor as a work location, Bentley OpenUtilities Designer multiplies the labor cost of all units assigned to the work location by the value of the Labor Difficulty Factor. This action overrides the value of Labor Difficulty Factor property for the entire design.
In specifying a Labor Difficulty Factor, you can either type a value or select a value from the list of available values. A value of 2, for example, doubles the labor cost of an assigned compatible unit. To specify a percentage, type it as a decimal (15% = 1.15, 20% = 1.20, 35% = 1.35, and so on).
Specifying a Labor Difficulty Factor for a selected work location determines the value of this property for all units assigned directly to the work location as well as those assigned to features at the work location. See Applying a Labor Difficulty Factor to Work Locations. The value of this multiplier can be changed as you work with the design using the Design Assistant.
The Labor Difficulty Factor can also be applied to individual assigned features and compatible units. See Applying a Labor Difficulty Factor to Assigned Features and Applying a Labor Difficulty Factor to an Assigned Unit.
Linear Allowance
The Linear Allowance property is a cost multiplier that can be applied when extra linear material is required at a work span (for example, to allow for the sag on a conductor). When you apply a Linear Allowance multiplier to a work span, Bentley OpenUtilities Designer multiplies the material cost of all material units (such as pipe and wire) assigned to that work location by the Linear Allowance value.
A Linear Allowance value is a multiplier (2, 3, 4, 5, etc.). A value of 2, for example, doubles the material cost of the assigned unit. To specify a percentage, enter it as a decimal (15% = 1.15, 20% = 1.20, 35% = 1.35, and so on).
A Linear Allowance adjustment can also be applied separately to assigned features, units, and materials rather than to the entire work location. See Applying a Linear Allowance Multiplier to an Assigned Feature, Applying a Linear Allowance Multiplier to an Assigned Unit, and Applying a Linear Allowance Multiplier to Assigned Materials.
Quantity / Length
For work points, the value of the Quantity property is always 1.00. For work spans, the Quantity property refers to length. When the Design Assistant generates a work span, the Quantity / Length value is calculated from map coordinates of the path drawn in the GIS window (for GIS designs) or derived from a system default or user-specified value (for non-GIS designs). The calculated length of a work location can be edited to reflect actual field measurements (see Changing Lengths of Work Spans).
Span features automatically inherit the work location's Quantity /Length value when they are assigned. The value is also passed down to assigned compatible units that have been designated as linear units. Any changes to the Quantity / Length value of a work span will change the length of assigned span features and linear units.
The Quantity / Length value is a floating point number (such as 45.00, 47.75, 50.00, etc.). If the length attribute of the feature has been configured as an integer, then the value will be rounded. For example, if the span length of the work location is 47.75, the length of an assigned feature (such as conductor) will be rounded to 48.
Data models commonly include a length attribute that represents the real-world length of a span feature. This is necessary because lengths based on GIS geometry are generally somewhat inaccurate when compared with actual field measurements (due to conductor sag, for example). If a span feature has been configured with an attribute representing its real-world length (such as Actual Length), then the value for this attribute will be derived from the length of the parent work span. A value for the Actual Length attribute is specified using the Feature Editor dialog box (see Editing Attributes of Assigned Features). Alternatively, a real-world value can simply be specified for the Quantity / Length property of an assigned span feature.
Work Location Synchronization
Bentley OpenUtilities Designer can be configured to track changes in the attributes of a work request if those changes have an impact on the work location information of an attached GIS design. With this capability, work location information in the design can be automatically kept in sync with the work request.
Work location synchronization is implemented during configuration by creating custom work location attributes for every attribute that should be synchronized with a work request attribute. Any changes to a work request attribute that matches a work location attribute will trigger a message indicating that information in the design is inconsistent with the work request.
If a design is a GIS design, is attached to a work request, and has at least one work location, Bentley OpenUtilities Designer checks the design each time you open it in writeable mode to determine whether it is still synchronized with the work request. If any work location attributes are inconsistent with the corresponding attributes of the work request, the Design Assistant will display a message . You can either allow the Design Assistant to synchronize the design information with the work request or cancel the operation. During a synchronization operation, any work location attributes that drive annotations in the GIS will also be updated, along with the work location values in the design.