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The best ways to use Optioneer
The best ways to use Optioneer

Appropriate and inappropriate use cases for Optioneer

Adam Anyszewski avatar
Written by Adam Anyszewski
Updated over a week ago

What type of asset can I use Optioneer for?

Optioneer currently supports the following:

  • offshore cables

    • offshore sections for wind farm export cables, subsea interconnectors, telecom cables

  • onshore buried cables

    • onshore sections for wind farm export cables, subsea interconnectors

  • offshore pipelines

    • transmission for crude and natural gas

  • onshore buried pipelines

    • transmission system for natural gas and hydrogen

  • onshore water pipelines

    • transfer schemes for fresh water supply, sewage

  • overhead power lines

    • medium / high voltage transmission lines

Please refer to documentation to find out more detail on what is & isn't supported for individual asset types.

What size of project can I use Optioneer on?

Optioneer can currently support:

  • projects from 5 to 200 km distance offshore (as the crow flies)

  • projects from 2 to 70km distance onshore (as the crow flies)

It is possible to use Optioneer on projects that are shorter than stated above but the detail of results will be limited due to resolution that Optioneer operates at (circa 30m or 1 arcsecond).

Opportunities to use Optioneer on projects longer than stated above should be discussed with Continuum Industries team. The limitation is in place due to size of data and 'search space' complexity. Larger projects can be supported with use of waypoints and manual 'stitching' of various sections of the project.

Optioneer currently supports 'single line' type of designs and will return the centerline of the asset to the user.

Can I use Optioneer in cities?

Optioneer is currently best suited for rural schemes which don't include a significant portion of the route going through urban areas.

In case any required sections of the alignment go through densely built-up areas, users should split the design into sections which can be generated by Optioneer and those that can be drawn by the user. Users can then use Optioneer to evaluate various sections of the route and sum up the components manually.

Continuum Industries team might be able to devise custom solutions for projects in urban areas. Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have a project which could use Optioneer but contains a significant urban component.

Can I combine various types of assets within a single project?

A single project space can currently only support a single type of asset. This means that for projects that include, for example, an onshore and offshore cable component, the work has to be split up into sections. Users will run separate projects and complete options will have to be 'stitched up' outside of Optioneer.

Can I use Optioneer for detailed design?

Optioneer is intended to serve as an early-stage design and planning tool.

While users do get access to design information which is normally not available at early design stages. calculations that are used in Optioneer are often useful approximations. Information derived from Optioneer is intended for comparison of options and high-level understanding of technical aspects of individual options.

Optioneer was built with an intention that users will take outputs of Optioneer to other, more domain-specific software packages.

Moreover, the user interface is currently intended to support looking at the 'big picture' rather than specific aspects of design, such as details of crossings, landfall points or any specific 'local' requirements.

Can I use Optioneer if I already have a set of options / alignments that I am considering?

Yes! Users can enter existing alignment ideas into Optioneer and evaluate these to get benefits of rapid calculations. Users can also enter any new alignment options and compare 'existing' alignments with any new options that might arise during the project lifecycle. Moreover, Optioneer can be used to develop a range of alternatives and strengthen the logic behind selection of the original option(s).

Can I use Optioneer if I don't have access to a lot of geospatial data in the area?

Optioneer needs data to have a solid basis for calculations and determining where the best options can be found. At the moment, Optioneer isn't capable of 'understanding' satellite imagery and requires that users provide appropriate geospatial data. At the very minimum, Optioneer requires information on elevation, existing constraints and linear features.

Can I use Optioneer to help me with 'this particularly challenging' aspect of my project?

You can probably still benefit from Optioneer, but it is unlikely that software will be suitable to deal with complex geotechnical conditions, very challenging routing requirements, busy and complicated crossings etc. Optioneer was built to allow to look at options at the macro level and provide insight into the detail of potential challenges. Optioneer frequently uses approximate calculations, heuristics, rules-of-thumb and standardised costing / penalty scoring. This approach is designed to support Optioneering at a whole-route level, rather than to deal with specific challenges.

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