Associations enable the modeling of connectivity, containment, and structure attachment between non-spatial and non-coincident network features. The following table describes the types of relationships between two utility network elements:
| Association | Description | Geometry supported |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity | Models the connectivity between two junctions that don't have geometric coincidence (are not in the same x, y and z location). A transformer may be connected to a fuse, for example. | Yes |
| Structural attachment | Models equipment attached to structures. A transformer bank may be attached to a pole, for example. | Yes |
| Containment | Models assets that contain other assets. A vault may contain valves and pipes, for example. | No |
// Get the elements associated (by containment) with a specified utility element.
val utilityAssociations = utilityNetwork.getAssociations(
element = utilityElement,
type = UtilityAssociationType.Containment
).getOrElse { error ->
return showError("Error getting associations: ${error.message}")
}
// Iterate all associations for this element.
utilityAssociations.forEach { utilityAssociation ->
// Get the first ("from") and second ("to") elements in the association.
val fromElement = utilityAssociation.fromElement
val toElement = utilityAssociation.toElement
}
You can also provide an envelope to find all valid associations within the specified extent.
The following example creates a new graphics overlay to display all associations within the map extent using a unique symbol for each association type.
// Get the current viewpoint's extent.
val extent = currentViewpoint.targetGeometry.extent
// Create symbols for structural attachment and connectivity associations.
val attachmentSymbol = SimpleLineSymbol(SimpleLineSymbolStyle.Dot, Color.green, 5F)
val connectivitySymbol = SimpleLineSymbol(SimpleLineSymbolStyle.Dot, Color.red, 5F)
// Create a unique value renderer for the associations and apply it to the graphics overlay.
val attachmentValue = UniqueValue(
description = "Attachment",
symbol = attachmentSymbol,
values = listOf(UtilityAssociationType.Attachment.javaClass.simpleName)
)
val connectivityValue = UniqueValue(
description = "Connectivity",
symbol = connectivitySymbol,
values = listOf(UtilityAssociationType.Connectivity.javaClass.simpleName)
)
graphicsOverlay.renderer = UniqueValueRenderer(
fieldNames = listOf("AssociationType"),
uniqueValues = listOf(attachmentValue, connectivityValue)
)
// Get all of the associations in the current extent.
val utilityAssociations = utilityNetwork.getAssociations(extent).getOrElse { error ->
return showError("Error getting associations: ${error.message}")
}
utilityAssociations.forEach { utilityAssociation ->
// If it's not a containment relationship, add a graphic for the association.
if (utilityAssociation.associationType != UtilityAssociationType.Containment) {
val graphic = Graphic(utilityAssociation.geometry).apply {
attributes["GlobalId"] = utilityAssociation.globalId
attributes["AssociationType"] = utilityAssociation.associationType.javaClass.simpleName
}
graphicsOverlay.graphics.add(graphic)
}
}
Specifying a utility element will return all its associations unless the utility element's terminal has been set, which limits the connectivity associations returned.
Specifying an extent will return all its connectivity or structural attachment associations with geometry. The geometry value (polyline) represents the connection relationship between a from element and a to element. You can use the geometry to visualize the association as a graphic in the map.