Lille Metropole: interfacing Topkapi with the GIS software ArcGIS

Topkapi offers in standard the tools to integrate to its HMI the mapping interfaces of any GIS (Geographical Information System) featuring a WMS(1) connector. Feedback with Lille Metropole and the ArcGIS GIS.
The Direction de l’Eau de Lille Metropole operates over 650 structures (discharge stations, booster stations, basins, pluviometers) supervised since 2006 by a redundant client/server solution by Topkapi.
Facing such assets distributed over a broad territory and to mutualize their operating computer tools, the choice was made in 2012 to link supervision and the ArcGIS GIS published by the ESRI company.

Why interface the ArcGIS GIS software with Topkapi SCADA? 

The principle is simple: display in Topkapi’s graphic screens the background maps served dynamically by the GIS. The point of this interfacing is multiple explains the technical team of Lille Metropole. "Combining technical and geographical information allows to better comprehend the hydraulic network and interactions between the different structures, identify promptly the cause of a malfunction and trigger maintenance action at the right location". The mapping information changes permanently, and rather than updating it regularly in Topkapi(via file import), it is more convenient to obtain it directly in real time by asking at from the referent GIS.

The WMS connector of the two software packages uses a standardized communication protocol specified by the Open Geospatial Consortium, working in the development and support of open standards to guarantee interoperability of geographical data contents, services and data.

In Topkapi, the configuration is fast and limited to entering the coordinates of reference points to display the map section required, and choosing the GIS layers to use (over 30 layers created by Lille Metropole in ArcGIS).
To avoid useless cluttering of synoptic views, graphic objects feature display conditions (according to the zoom level) allowing to display them automatically as the view is detailed.

Many applications require the supervision tool to interface with a GIS: electricity, gas, drinking water network, sewage network, telecommunications,... The WMS mapping connector is available in standard for any license package since Topkapi version 5.0.

(1) Web Map Service