Oakland, CA – April 2, 2008:
Citilabs, the world leader in transportation modeling software, is proud to announce the release of its next generation product-line, Cube 5. This new version of Cube has been developed using ESRI’s ArcGIS technology, providing our software users significant advancements in productivity, analysis, and data-sharing. CUBE users will now be able to store transportation networks as ESRI geodatabases, utilizing ESRI feature classes. Moving data back and forth between models and GIS has never been easier, saving transportation agencies and consultants time and money.
“The new functions available in CUBE 5 continue the strategic integration of tools necessary for transportation agencies and consultants,” states Michael Clarke, Citilabs President and CEO. “This software release fulfills much of the promise of our strategic partnership with ESRI by providing a more fully integrated software suite. This new software is much anticipated by many of our users.”
Cube 5 will allow an existing Cube user the choice to keep the traditional Cube networks or to convert all their data, with a click of a mouse, to an ArcGIS personal geodatabase. This capability makes it much faster and easier to pass data between ArcGIS applications and Cube applications. This is a 2-way capability, so information generated or stored in a Cube model can be passed to an ArcGIS application for further processing and analysis. Conversely, transportation or land use information stored in a geodatabase can be transparently passed to a Cube model. For agencies with significant commitments to ESRI software and employee training in this area, the improved productivity offered by CUBE 5’s ability to directly process and store geodatabases will enhance the return on their GIS investments.
“Given the myriad uses of GIS software at national, regional, and local transportation agencies, I believe the productivity and flexibility Cube 5 offer will be eye-opening,” suggests Ernie Ott, Citilabs Vice President. “In the past, joint users of ESRI and transportation modeling software would have to carefully consider how they approach a complex analysis in order to take advantage of the strengths of each platform. They would also consider where data might reside or be generated. The interoperability of applications using an ArcGIS geodatabase and applications based in CUBE will remove some data processing steps from their workflows and often reduce the complexity of these procedures.”
CUBE 5 users will gain access to additional features in the following areas:
GIS/Modeling Teamwork
Data from the GIS department can be used directly in CUBE transportation models and,
data estimated using CUBE transportation models can be sent to the GIS department all using a common geodatabase and MXD files.
Sharing Results with Other Applications
All results from CUBE transportation models may be stored in the ESRI geodatabase format, enabling the sharing of the results with other ESRI-based applications.
Improved Tools for Data Editing and Analysis
- Save transportation figures such as desire lines as feature classes and store them in the geodatabase
- Edit feature classes and shapefiles using transportation modeling topology rules
- Use shaped networks with incorporated shape points
- Create new shaped features while overlaying CAD files
- Select and simultanously edit multiple features
- Search and find anything on the map
- Set any projection and project on-the-fly
- Full support for Mr Sid and ECW formats
- Measuring tools
- Develop road signs and shields using roadway and intersection attributes
- Use the ESRI library of drawing styles and colors, north arrows, scales bars and legends
- Use advanced labeling functions including one label/many features and curved labels
- Print multiple data frames on the same page
- Use map mark up tools
Cube 5 has been thoroughly tested in a 3-stage beta program, which included both highway and transit networks in the geodatabase. “Our usage tests included users from several MPOs and US state DOTs as well as many consultants in Europe, Asia and North America,” said Matthew Martimo, Citilabs Director of Development. “I am very pleased to help deliver this to our existing users, and I hope this ground-breaking integration of transportation models and ArcGIS will tempt some new transportation professionals to try CUBE for the first time.”
Existing Cube 4.x users under a software maintenance contract may upgrade their existing Cube licenses at no additional charge. To learn more about CUBE and other Citilabs products, please contact your local Citilabs representative or visit www.citilabs.com TODay
