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FME 2020 – What to Expect from this Year’s Release

FME 2020.0 is for the enterprise. It offers no-code data integration, with an expansive library of formats and applications it’s able to read, write and connect to, and unrivalled spatial support. The value it can provide businesses with data challenges only ever increases with every innovative new release. FME 2020.0 promises to follow suit.

Connect

It wouldn’t be a new FME version release without a whole host of additional connective functionality. FME 2020.0 connects to more data, systems and applications than ever before! A few examples are Microsoft Dynamics, CityWorks and Power BI. Not only that but a range of new spatial formats will also be available to connect to including CityJSON, ECW V3, and the point cloud format, Entwine Point Tile.

Speaking of the cloud… Via new connectors and reader/writers, FME 2020.0 will connect to enterprise cloud data hosted by Google Cloud Services, Apache, Amazon and Snowflake Data Warehouse. Additional connectivity for cognitive and machine learning (ML) formats has also been factored into the release as organisations begin to adopt new capabilities and work with the data they bring.

Also developed for this release: readers and writers for all new Ordnance Survey MasterMap formats, so you can use new Highways or Water Networks data, and the updated Sites and Topo Layers.

For those involved in BIM, FME 2020.0 will bring improved support for Revit. Using the platform, you will be able to prepare, inspect and manipulate your building data and integrate it seamlessly with your Revit software.

On the Go with FME

FME 2020.0 will not only connect an individual or team with their data, applications and systems, the development of FME mobile apps now helps to connect data stakeholders, no matter where they’re working.

FME AR will allow users to load geolocated models in 1:1 scale. App users will be able to experience their models in the real world, through the lens of their smartphone camera*. Being able to view models in the real world has a wide variety of potential use cases. For instance, it would benefit electricity providers mapping their underground networks, or construction firms needing to visualise their completed developments at any stage of the process.

The FME Data Express app also continues to go from strength to strength, enabling users to run their FME Server workflows on their mobile devices, and even turn them into custom applications. Information collected by anyone can be instantly processed through a workflow, so the staff at HQ can rest assured that they’re using the most current data. The Data Express app has many uses, but its QR Code reading capability has been adopted by field teams to scan and report back on their asset monitoring regimes.

* Currently, FME AR is only supported on iOS, with an Android update in progress.

Performance Enhancements

As with any update to FME, FME 2020.0 will bring an extensive list of performance enhancements with it. Improvements across the platform, including to elements of Desktop, Server and Cloud, will give users a better experience. Here are just a few examples:

  • Many transformers are now faster, with the StatisticsCalculator now up to 100x as quick as it has been previously. Updates to Bufferer have also seen speed improvements.
  • Do you process a lot of Shapefile? Or maybe Excel? What about GeoPackage? Great news! These formats have been revised to run much quicker in FME 2020.0.
  • The 3-D rendering in FME Data Inspector will also be a lot faster in the updated version. With increased frame rates, allowing users to better visualise their data, faster.
  • New custom-styled lines are available to use in FME Workbench, enabling users to better see what connections they are making by colour-coding sections of their workflow.

Automate

FME 2020 takes the automation power of FME Server to the next level. Pre-determined events can now trigger your workflows to run, thanks to Automations. No need to manually schedule runs of your processes any longer, every time the event occurs, the automation will kick into gear and run your workspace.

Add the FME Server Automations writer(s) into your FME Desktop workspace and upload the workspace to FME Server. Once in FME Server, the feature types being split-out by the Automation will appear as separate ports. As a result, separate outputs will be created once your pre-determined event triggers the workflow.

FME Server 2020

It’s not just Automations that are going to have a big impact in FME Server 2020.0 – there’ve been a number of other changes to enhance the user experience.

The FME Server interface now has a fresher look and feel, thanks to a number of improvements. You can now also upload workspaces directly through the web interface in which you can also configure your services.

Are you an FME Server admin? Are you often left thinking what the best way is to notify users of scheduled downtime? FME Server 2020.0 now lets you broadcast messages to all of your users at once, with the message displayed to them on login.

Enhanced security features will also be present in FME Server 2020. New password rules will come into play and help to protect what matters to you. The admin can now set password strength requirements, expiry times, and prevent concurrent user logins.

Sounds Great, Where Can I Get It?

FME Desktop and FME Server 2020.0 are now available to download directly from the Safe Software website. Head there now to download it!

Tell Me More About FME 2020!

Do you want to learn more about FME 2020? Why not come and join us at our FME World Tour event in Birmingham on 12th May? We’ll be joined on the day by Co-Founder of Safe Software, Don Murray. Complete our online sign-up form.