Work

A Graph Data Model for CityGML Utility Network ADE: A Case Study on Water Utilities

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Modelling connectivity in utility networks is essential for operational management, maintenance planning, and resilience analysis. The CityGML Utility Network Application Domain Extension (UNADE) provides a detailed conceptual framework for representing utility networks; however, most existing implementations rely on relational databases, where connectivity must be reconstructed through joins rather than represented as explicit relationships. This creates challenges when managing densely connected network structures. This study introduces the UNADE–Labelled Property Graph (UNADE-LPG) model, a graph-based representation that maps the classes, relationships, and constraints defined in the UNADE Unified Modelling Language (UML) schema into nodes, edges, and properties. A conversion pipeline is developed to generate UNADE-LPG instances directly from CityGML UNADE datasets encoded in GML, enabling the population of graph databases while maintaining semantic alignment with the original schema. The approach is demonstrated through two case studies: a schematic network and a real-world water system from Frankston, Melbourne. Validation procedures, covering structural checks, topological continuity, classification behaviour, and descriptive graph statistics, confirm that the resulting graph preserves the semantic structure of the UNADE schema and accurately represents the physical connectivity of the network. An analytical path-finding query is also implemented to illustrate how the UNADE-LPG structure supports practical network-analysis tasks, such as identifying connected pipeline sequences. Overall, the findings show that the UNADE-LPG model provides a clear, standards-aligned, and operationally practical foundation for representing utility networks within graph environments, supporting future integration into digital-twin and network-analytics applications.

Source: ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information

DOI: 10.3390/ijgi14120493

Authors: Ensiyeh Javaherian Pour, Behnam Atazadeh, Abbas Rajabifard, Soheil Sabri, David Norris

Institutions: The University of Melbourne, University of Central Florida, South East Water (Australia)

Language: English

Topic: 3D Modeling in Geospatial Applications

Subfield: Building and Construction

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Industry, innovation and infrastructure, Sustainable cities and communities

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,292