PLS-CADD to ESRI Utility Network or PostGIS

Transmission engineering data shouldn't live in a silo. Our PLS-CADD to GIS converter transforms PLS-CADD XML and KMZ/KML exports into normalized, GIS-ready structure and conductor datasets — written directly to ESRI File Geodatabase, PostGIS, or GeoJSON, ready for Utility Network migration workflows.

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What the converter does

A purpose-built .NET pipeline: parse, stage, transform, validate, write — with a QA report accounting for every feature.

1 · Parse

PLS-CADD Exports

Reads XML exports for structures, sections, and staking materials; KMZ/KML for point and line geometry.

2 · Stage

DuckDB Spatial

Stages source data in DuckDB with the spatial extension for fast, reliable transformation.

3 · Transform

Structures & Conductors

Produces normalized structure and conductor datasets, matching conductor geometry to XML sections by section ID.

4 · Validate

QA Report

Machine-readable JSON data quality report — every substitution, skip, and discard is accounted for.

5 · Write

GIS Targets

ESRI File Geodatabase (StructureJunction / ElectricLine), PostGIS with GiST indexes, or GeoJSON.

Built for production, not just demos

Dry-run validation — verify inputs and transformations before writing a single feature.
QA gating — --fail-on-qa-errors returns a distinct exit code for CI/CD pipelines.
Coordinate system control — source and target SRID handling, including WGS84 GeoJSON output.
Managed PostgreSQL ready — SSL modes, CA validation, and RDS/Azure/Cloud SQL support.
Air-gapped operation — pre-provision the DuckDB spatial extension for locked-down hosts.
Automated testing & CI — parser, staging, CLI smoke, and writer smoke tests with Windows CI and versioned release packaging.
Safe overwrites — explicit confirmation required before replacing an existing geodatabase.

Output targets

Target	Details
ESRI File Geodatabase	Structures → StructureJunction, conductors → ElectricLine; ready for Utility Network loading
PostGIS	Auto-created schema and tables, GiST spatial indexes, optional topology initialization
GeoJSON	Single FeatureCollection in WGS84 for web maps and interchange

.NET 8 LTS DuckDB spatial staging GDAL-based FileGDB writer Npgsql / PostGIS writer CLI + JSON config + env vars Windows release bundles

Why it matters

PLS-CADD holds the engineering truth about your transmission lines — structures, sections, conductors, staking. But that truth is invisible to your GIS, your Utility Network, and your enterprise systems until it's converted correctly. Manual conversion is slow and error-prone; our converter makes it repeatable, validated, and automatable.

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Feed the Migration Platform

Combine PLS-CADD conversion with Smallworld and Geometric Network migration for a complete legacy-to-UN program.

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Analyze in 3D

Converted transmission structures and conductors flow straight into SceneView-based 3D corridor analysis.

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QA in VoltGrid

Review converted outputs in true 3D, compare as-built vs. design, and serve results across the LAN.

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Bring your transmission engineering data into GIS

Send us a sample PLS-CADD export and we'll show you the converted result — structures, conductors, and the QA report.

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