Multiple Models

In the DNE, any NE can exist in more than one model. This can be very useful if you are building either multiple views of the same information or if you are working with several intersecting systems.

An example of the former might be a business model for a large company. In some instances you may want a general overview of your strategy (for example, for executives who have to know in general terms what is happening everywhere), while in other instances you may want a very detailed account (for example, for the individual departments who need thorough detail for their department only). Because NEs can exist in multiple models, these two versions of the same model can share NEs. There are several advantages, including the ease with which you can move from one version to another (to answer questions like, "and how exactly are we going to do that?" about an NE in the general map you can go straight to the more detailed model), and that it is easier to maintain accurate supporting documentation when you only have to update a single NE rather than updating information in several different locations.

An example of the latter might be a model for the transit system for a city. In this case you might want to build one model for the subway system and a separate model for the train system. Although these systems are independent, they intersect at some stations (say, Union Station). By using the same NE to represent Union Station on two different models, you have easy access to a wider variety of information. Since the actual systems intersect, it makes sense that the models should intersect, too, and by allowing multimodel crossovers like this, you ensure that each model is not blind to the other.

In the DNE you can even view multiple models simultaneously. In the case of the transit models, this means that you could view the subway system only, or the train system only, or could view them both together. These views can be switched on and off at a mouseclick, giving you complete control of information presentation.

Multimodels cannot be exported: maps are exported in a single model only (but can be exported in any single model).