Press Information:
Jesse Theodore, Esri
Tel.: 909-793-2853, extension 1-1419
E-mail (press only): press@Esri.com
General Information: info@Esri.com

NetEngine Software Now Shipping

Developer's Tools Designed for Transportation Logistics and Network Analysis

Redlands, California--Esri today announced that NetEngine, a new programmer's library designed for network analysis, is now shipping. Developers can take advantage of NetEngine software for network modeling, pathfinding, and tracing of network topology.

"We are extremely pleased with the feedback from our beta testers and early deployments," says Ernie Ott, Esri's transportation industry manager. "NetEngine is proving itself in a diverse set of environments, including a system that provides route guidance based on real-time traffic data and another providing optimal path routes for a large fleet manager over their Intranet. This system also uses Esri's MapCafé, a Java applet for showing maps over the Internet."

Esri's NetEngine provides the capability to define, store, traverse, and analyze networks that represent real-world geographic features such as streets and highways; railroads; electric, gas, or telecom network facilities; water and sewer lines; or streams.

NetEngine is being released in response to the rapidly growing demand for more robust routing and scheduling information systems for private and public fleet managers. NetEngine is available to commercial software developers who wish to deliver off-the-shelf solutions to fleet managers, systems integrators, and others working in a wide variety of disciplines. In-house application development staffs can use NetEngine to support corporate transportation logistics and network analysis information systems. NetEngine is designed to be deployed on single user, stand-alone systems, in client/server networks, or over the Internet.

NetEngine is a collection of proven software modules that have already been installed on thousands of PCs and workstations worldwide as part of Esri's ArcView Network Analyst, which was released in May of 1996. Esri developers have decoupled the NetEngine network data structures and solvers from the ArcView GIS user interface, allowing other software developers access to NetEngine functions through the C language on several UNIX variants and PCs, or any development environment that supports calling a 32-bit dynamic link library in Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows NT. NetEngine also includes a Visual Basic type library.

NetEngine stores and manipulates very large networks, such as an entire street network, for a state or country. NetEngine software's revolutionary approach allows the programmer to use networks larger than will fit in the physical or virtual memory of the computer system through a specialized network memory management module.

"Perhaps the greatest benefit of NetEngine is that it standardizes the way software developers store and query network data," says Dale Honeycutt, senior software engineer and Esri's network team leader. "It allows a team of programmers to develop routing or other algorithms around a common, documented, and supported data structure."

"NetEngine software's ability to support advanced network modeling concepts for hierarchical and multimodal transportation networks is rare among commercial network models," says Dr. Jay Sandhu, Esri senior software engineer. "NetEngine is capable of quickly accessing network connectivity, as well as developing and storing network topology in a permanent disk file. Users can solve a full range of simple to complex network problems using NetEngine. This includes the ability to find the shortest path between two addresses over city streets or the ability to combine both highway and rail networks and the rules of intermodal connections for shipping cargo in order to determine a cost-effective route that meets customer schedule requirements."

Although not a required component for deploying NetEngine applications, Esri's MapObjects development environment is well suited for use with NetEngine. MapObjects software delivers a collection of more than thirty-five map-oriented automation objects through an OLE Custom Control (OCX). When used together, a developer can quickly identify a specific path through a logical network and then relate the path to a specific geographic representation of the logical network in "map space," providing real-world context to the user. For example, a dispatch technician might provide landmarks or directions to a new driver unfamiliar with a delivery zone.

"NetEngine has become a standard component of the custom routing and scheduling systems we build for our clients," states Don Weigel, manager of transportation/logistics consulting services for Esri. "We have the ability to apply NetEngine software's standard tools in application prototyping exercises and to develop custom algorithms based on our clients' business rules, fleet characteristics, and other factors."

"A big plus for organizations deploying NetEngine applications is the availability of nationwide street network databases from many vendors on several continents," says Ernie Ott, transportation industry manager, Esri. "NetEngine can use existing data in commonly available Esri technology and industry formats. Another initial benefit of NetEngine is the ability to integrate its route building functions with commercial geocoding software, such as is provided in Esri's ArcView GIS and MapObjects software."

NetEngine is currently installed at several early deployment sites and is available in Windows 32-bit environments. It may be licensed as a central developer's kit with client application fees based on deployment volumes. In the United States, contact any Esri sales office, or call 1-800-447-9778. Outside the United States contact your local Esri international distributor, or call 909-793-2853, extension 1235.