v2.37: "The operation 'createFeatureLayer' can now support segments of type COMBINED_TRANSPORT."

[Bernd Welter]

We improved the xServer v2.37 but unfortunately the following "impro release note" managed to escape from the official docs:

The operation 'createFeatureLayer' can now support segments of type COMBINED_TRANSPORT."

But trust me - the feature has been implemented!

Here's what that means:
Quite often users want to determine which explicit ferries they want to block in their "world" (or to be more precise: they want to restrict the ferries they want to see in routing results).

Let's look into this request:
The purpose:

• Create a custom feature layer scenario called "f1"
• ...based on the single segment "segmentIds": ["SEGM0002a453b15d...."], which is a COMBINED_TRANSPORT segment
• ...by blocking it
• ... in both directions
• ... anytime (no time domain given)

Code: Select all

{ "features": [
        {   "segmentIds": ["SEGM0002a453b15d...."], 
            "descriptions": 
            [   {   "attributes": [{"key": "opening","value": "0"}], "timeDomain": null  }   ],
            "direction": "BOTH"
        }
    ],
    "resultFields": { "binaryFeatureLayer": false  },
    "themeId": "PTV_RoadAttributes",
        "featureScenario": "f1",
            "requestProfile": {
        "featureLayerProfile": {
                "themes": 
                [   {   "featureScenarios": ["f1"], "id": "PTV_RoadAttributes", "enabled": true
                    }  ]
        }}}

• In xServer 2.36 and before a custom feature layer did not support to handle ferry segments:
  

  Code: Select all

  {
    "faultInfo": {
      "$type": "InvalidValueFault",
      "hint": "Please make sure that this string is a response from a PTV xServer of the same version using the same map. Do not modify this string.",
      "parameter": "/createFeatureLayerRequest/features[]/@segmentIds[]",
      "value": "SEGM0002a453..."
    },
    "message": "The encoded content is invalid."
  }
  

• With xServer 2.37 this request now returns a successful response:

  Code: Select all

  {
    "$type": "FeatureLayerResponse",
    "featureLayerDescription": {
      "themeId": "PTV_RoadAttributes",
      "featureScenario": "f1",
      "tenant": "globaltenant",
      "scope": "globalscope",
      "createdAt": "2025-05-30T12:46:54.000+02:00",
      "lastUsedAt": "2025-05-30T12:46:54.000+02:00",
      "size": 29366,
      "providerInformation": "HERE 241h0",
      "mapVersion": "6188119842897510564"
    }
  }

For those who are familiar with the xRouteToll2 Testclient:

• Creation of the layer was successful:

  

• Routing based on the scenario performs detour

  

Open questions:

• Visualization?
• How to maintain specific sets of ferries? (A single map contains thousands of COMBINED_TRANSPORT segments - often the clients want to block all but a few...
• When will this be availavble on PTV Developer?
• Provide your questions?

[Bernd Welter]

this is now also reflected in the PTV Developer Data API:

Check the changes

[valdasb]

Hello,

Blocking some segments of type COMBINED_TRANSPORT is a very useful feature but is the opposite possible? I mean, is it possible to create new custom segments of type COMBINED_TRANSPORT?

[Bernd Welter]

Hello Valdas,

Is it possible to create new custom segments of type COMBINED_TRANSPORT?

The answer is simple: not possible.

All the editor functions we ever offered - whether this was based on

• xServer1 + Map&Guide RoadEditor
• xServer2 / xData2
• PTV Developer Custom Attributes

were designed to override attributes of existing segments.

But we never offered to

• create new road segments
• create new teleporters / combined transport "segments"

This story is too huge and requires a full blown GIS system.

In other words:

• PTV buys standard road networks incl. dozends of attributes from vendors such as HERE
• PTV offers to override these attributes if they simply do not reflect "your own business reality" (due to error, not up2date, special agreements, ...)

Bernd

[valdasb]

OK, that's clear. But maybe You have any ideas of how to workaround the problem of missing train or ferry lines? Or "fix" the wrong ones? For example, we need to route the truck by Wörgl-Brenner train. xData gives the required train line:

Code: Select all

"combinedTransport": {
"name": "Rola Wörgl-Brenner",
"type": "RAIL",
"duration": 18082,
"start": {"name": "Wörgl","country": "AT","coordinate": {
"x": 12.033915862,"y": 47.482539082
}
},
"destination": {
"name": "Trento","country": "IT","coordinate": {
"x": 11.096358212,"y": 46.103613833
}
}

But the train line returned is to Trento, which is 130km away from Brenner. So, I need either the way to add missing train to Brenner (which is not possible) or fix existing combined transport record by overriding it's destination. Any ideas?

[Bernd Welter]

I guess you are right : the relation Wörgl / Brenner is just the partial combined transport.

https://rola.railcargo.com/de/

Current situation (2025.2H)

I therefore recommend that you create a ticket through the helpdesk:

• The data contains only 2 out of 4 relations
• The labels are incorrect

Real name	Name in 2025.2H
Wörgl-Brenner	missing
Brenner-Wörgl	missing
Wörgl-Trento	Rola Wörgl - Brenner (wrong)
Trento-Wörgl	Trento - Rola Wörgl

In the meantime I can brief the data team and prepare the required supplier bug ticket towards HERE.

[Bernd Welter]

Ah - I've just been told that there's already a ticket for this... we'll push this internally...