Key Terms

alignment the planned centreline of an infrastructure project within a designated route it is represented geospatially as a line and constitutes the final product of the route generation process basemap a background map layer that provides geographic context (e g , roads, terrain, or satellite imagery) for visualising other data capex capital expenditure case a job executed by optioneer’s engine that produces outputs, known as results , depending on the selected case type case status a tab in optioneer's results library showing whether cases have run successfully, along with their creation details, author, and parent configuration centreline a reference line extracted from the centre of an alignment collection a grouped set of data layers organised for routing collections are linked to a project’s configurations and are classified as constraints (polygon data) or linear features (line data) configuration the mechanism in optioneer that “wires up the brain” of the system, ensuring constraints are given the correct weighting and all relevant project metrics are calculated constraint a feature within the project space that influences routing optimisation these typically include man made or regulatory barriers (such as buildings and wind turbines) and natural or ecological features (such as wetlands and geological zones) corridor a polygon result type that defines the region in which options may be identified corridors can be generated by the engine, manually, or through a combination of both costing parameters factors used to assess cost related risks associated with each constraint , such as length or installation requirements design rules configurable rules in optioneer, each containing unique logic that enables users to model developments and apply engineering or environmental assumptions each rule is managed via the parameters tab flyover an automated “walk the line” feature of an individual option , which can be exported as a video for consultation purposes gis (geographic information systems) a system for capturing, storing, analysing, and visualising geographic data to support decision making and planning in optioneer, gis data can be accessed through map controls and is available in two subtypes raster and vector heatmap a visual tool used to display the distribution of optimal solutions within the search space linear features data layers containing line data that represent linear infrastructure, such as roads, utilities, or networks long section long section a tool that analyses an option along its entire length, displaying selected metrics (such as slope) to evaluate its suitability map controls the main interface between optioneer users and the map metrics quantitative outputs from the engine used to assess results examples include total cost, total length, distance through layers, number of features within a set distance, and distance to layers along an alignment option a line result representing a potential route or alignment for new infrastructure, such as a pipeline or overhead line option comparison a feature in optioneer that enables users to evaluate multiple options visually and in tables by comparing key metrics parameters settings that define how different factors influence route generation and assessment they assign values to constraints based on risk, cost, and technical feasibility, ensuring results align with project requirements these include costing, penalty and technical parameters pareto front a chart showing how options from a single case perform against two objectives cost ( capex ) and penalty (risks) penalties risks relating to environmental, permitting, or socio economic factors, such as roads or historical sites project the workspace in optioneer where users define, analyse, and manage infrastructure planning scenarios, including maps, data, and routing options project features the points, lines, and polygons within a project , including any geo referenced comments radar plot radar plot a web like diagram where each axis represents a specific metric , allowing options to be compared holistically by showing how metrics extend across the axes rankings calculated metrics that help you numerically compare different options in optioneer found within results library → analysis mode raster data data stored by dividing an area into a grid of small squares, or ‘pixels’, each with a value representing a characteristic of that location examples include temperature, elevation, or bathymetry red amber green (rag) a method of displaying metrics using colour coding to indicate performance against thresholds red for poor, amber for caution, and green for acceptable or optimal values resistance map a map that aggregates constraints across a project area, where warmer colours indicate regions with more constraints and cooler colours indicate areas with fewer gaps represent no go zones where infrastructure should not be developed results the outputs from running a successful case , which can be viewed in the results library or compared using optioneer’s analysis tools results library the central repository in optioneer where all executed cases and their associated results are stored and accessed route point a start, end or way point used to define the locations between which optioneer should optimise proposed solutions saved views a feature in optioneer that bookmarks the visibility and styling of the map, allowing users to return to them easily saved views are shared between users scatter plot scatter plot a graph that displays options as data points, enabling comparison across selected metrics and helping to identify trends, trade offs, or outliers scenario a grouping of options in optioneer used to compare and evaluate results simultaneously by applying different parameters , users can identify which option aligns most effectively with project objectives sites polygons generated within a defined search area , sized according to user input and positioned to minimise penalties an option is available to restrict each site to a single land parcel table a tabular view in optioneer that organises metrics for multiple options , allowing clear comparison of their performance technical parameters risks relating to the technical challenges associated with each constraint , such as slope or proximity to water vector data geospatial data representing features as points, lines, or polygons (e g a start point, a road, or a corridor respectively) viewshed an overhead line specific result that shows where the route is visible from visual sensitivity map a map highlighting visually sensitive areas for a case , based on the location of proposed structures and surrounding elevation sensitive areas are places where the project should not be visible, such as monuments or sites of cultural importance weighted ranking a method where metrics are assigned weights to reflect their importance within a project, enabling quantitative identification of the preferred route and alignment options additional materials a table showing possible rankings within optioneer, and potential layers to evaluate them against a graph explaining the pareto front