What is MapMerger technology?
MapMerger technology is software that ESEA has researched and developed since 1992 to perform automated conflation. At its core is a group of algorithms that identify features in two different data sets that match each other based on their geometry, topology and attribution. The matching information is used to perform operations such as transferring attributes from a source map to a target map, precisely aligning a polygon layer to a road or another polygon layer, adding new roads for routing purposes, or realigning a facility layer to a new land base. The matching algorithms are packaged with interactive match editing tools in an ArcMap extension.

How does the MapMerger extension transfer attributes?
The MapMerger extension generates one-to-one match relationships between features in a source and target data set. Some features will be automatically split to ensure that each source feature is matched to exactly one target feature. Source feature attributes are then transferred to their matching target feature. Source features that are not matched to any target feature can be added to the target data set.

How does the MapMerger extension perform a precise alignment of polygons to roads?
The MapMerger extension is capable of performing an exact alignment of a polygon layer to a road layer. This is accomplished by converting the polygon layer to a line layer consisting of polygon boundaries. The polygon boundaries are then matched to the roads. The precise alignment is accomplished by replacing sections of the polygon boundaries with their matching road geometries.

How is this method of polygon alignment better than rubbersheeting the polygons to the roads?
Rubbersheeting the polygon layer to the road layer will only accomplish an approximate alignment. Replacing the polygon boundaries with the road geometries results in an exact alignment.

How does the MapMerger extension adjust facility layers to a new land base?
The old land base is first matched by the MapMerger extension to the new land base. A rubbersheeting transformation is created using the displacement link vectors that connect intersections in the old land base with intersections in the new land base. This transformation is used to rubbersheet the facility layers. Iterative algorithms are used to ensure that the relative positions of the facilities to the roads is maintained. For instance, a cable line that ran south of a road in the old land base is guaranteed by the MapMerger extension to run south of the road in the new land base.

What does the Needs Assessment entail?
MapMerger technology has been developed with the notion that conflation projects are characterized by having unique requirements.  The MapMerger extension is highly configurable to work optimally in a wide range of applications.   Our experience has shown that customers benefit by having our experts help configure the software and develop workflows to ensure that their projects are completed efficiently.

During the Needs Assessment we will examine your data and perform a pilot conflation.  This exercise will give us a chance to get to know you and your project requirements.  We will determine if the data is conflation ready (no gaps, overshoots, duplicate features etc.), how the MapMerger extension can be configured for optimal performance, the optimum workflow and the level of training that may be required.  A report will be prepared that documents the results of the Needs Assessment.

Does ESEA offer training?
We offer training via web conferencing using your data.

What kind of services does ESEA provide?
We provide consulting and software customization services.