Streamlining our processes to deliver value in a changing world

Feature Manipulation Engine (FME)

Our Data Science and Innovation Team are tasked with enabling us to provide greater insight into the data available to us, through developing tools, apps and processes to deliver greater value and insight to our clients.

In reaching this aim, FME, an acronym that may not be widely recognized, has been nothing short of transformative. FME, or Feature Manipulation Engine, is a software package that has redefined how we tackle day-to-day challenges within the water industry, enabling us to develop streamlined processes for seamless data transformation.

Drawing on the capabilities of standard GIS software, FME takes the complexity out of arduous tasks, paving the way for robust, standardised, time-efficient approaches. Without the need to learn a coding language, FME is almost immediately accessible to a user while still allowing for complex data manipulation. Able to tackle spatial and non-spatial data, FME has facilitated the creation of specialised processes and enabled innovation normally limited by standard GIS packages. Through these processes we can tackle intricate procedures which otherwise may consume valuable time and resources, improving our capabilities to deliver efficient and effective services, and greater insight to our clients.

FME has already proven an invaluable tool in assisting us in meeting our clients’ needs. An example of this is assisting in criticality analysis of sewage pumping stations assets for Severn Trent Water. The benefit of using FME for this endeavour was that it was completed in a shorter time period than manually assessing a variety of different data sources. Outputs were standardised and the risk of human error was removed. Most importantly the process developed is repeatable and only requires adjustment of the source data so that updates can now be run in shorter time intervals, allowing the client better insight into their asset performance. This showcases how, through FME, novel and innovative approaches can be realised. 

Our expertise

We have invested in an externally delivered advanced FME training course to further develop our staff’s expertise and capabilities within FME. In particular, the use of advanced techniques such as looping and the creation of custom transformers will further allow us to tackle industry challenges in new and more efficient ways.

RPS is further fostering the development of our capabilities in FME through the development of internal training material, ensuring this new software is accessible and available throughout our consultancy team at all levels. As skills and talent are developed in the utilisation of FME, we look forward to the exciting new data transformation opportunities we are able to offer our clients in a changing world.