GeoTel Communications, LLC

GIS Technology Reaches New Generation

admin — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 21:01:56 +0000

As southern California seems to continuously struggle to rebound from the recession, a new certificate program at Victor Valley College aims to help cultivate a new work force of graduates in the booming field of geographic information systems, or GIS.

GIS technology has been widely used in the business of agriculture, providing farmers with global positioning system-driven tractors. The defense industry also uses GIS technology to map missile patterns and project debris paths during target practice.

In southern California, however, there seems to be a shortage of people qualified for jobs using GIS technology. Victor Valley College’s professor Fon Allan Duke says that there is just not enough people qualified to assist in the case of a catastrophic event.

“The problem you have in the industry is either you have people with master’s degrees that are overqualified doing work that they don’t really want to do and you’re overpaying for it, or you have people that have been trained on the job who don’t really understand all the specifics and so you get poor product,” Duke said.

Victor Valley College’s new GIS for Emergency Response and Management certificate is aiming to equip students with skills that they will need to develop GIS tools for private companies or governments. Students will have to pass four courses in order to get certified. This new program offers a more broad look at GIS technology and will equip students with the basic mapping, information technology and business skills that have become synonymous with GIS technology.

Duke ultimately envisions Victor Valley College running a GIS lab where local agencies and companies can assign projects to students. These same companies can then hire students whose work they admired. He is also working on creating GIS high school level classes for teens interested in this type of technology.

US Govenment Closes Data Centers

admin — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:26:40 +0000

Over the course of the next four years, the United States will see a drastic decrease in computer data centers. The federal government is projecting to close some 800 centers in an attempt to modernize how their computers manage data.

This is part of a plan, released by federal CIO Vivek Kundra, called the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative, or FDCCI. The initiative has already been partially completed. The first two phases included an inventory of each government agency’s assets and the submission of a draft of their consolidation plans. The next phase of the initiative is to put those drafted plans into action.

Kundra explained that the plan is just a fragment of a larger strategy that will, hopefully, move towards more efficient computing of data in the cloud. The federal government currently spends around $80 billion a year on IT related hardware, software and services. This is more than any other country in the world spends on their technology budget.

There is the need to shift away from redundant systems and applications that, according to Kundra, “have sprouted like weeds.” This shift will ultimately make things easier for the general population and improve the citizen experience.

The government is following the lead of small businesses that have, for years, been using software that shares computing tasks across multiple machines within a single data center. More and more services will go online and the government’s focus will shift from the delivery of services to the collection of data and useful ways to present it.

The FDCCI will also prove to have an environment impact, as most of these data centers are currently power-hungry. An average center consumes the energy equivalent to that of 200 residential homes.

It is predicted that 373 data centers will be closed by the end of year 2012.

Google Is Building A Fiber Network

admin — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:06:56 +0000

Google announced in a blog that they will finally be installing thousands of miles of fiber optic cable for its Google Fiber network.
The lines will be installed between Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri. Two years ago, Google announced plans for this experimental fiber network and Kansas City won their request for information.
This network will create a solid backbone, which will ultimately branch out to even more Google consumers and increase download speeds more than 100 times faster than current broadband solutions.
Google executive heading the project, Kevin Lo, explains that each cable contains thin glass fibers about the width of a human hair. The cables will be woven to create a completely new high-speed infrastructure laid out in a previously created fiber map.
Google says, although this is an experiment, the network will operate as “open access” and give users the choice of multiple service providers. In other words– the network will remain consistent with Google’s past advocacy of being open and non-discriminatory.
In July of 2011, the detailed engineering phase was just beginning. Google needed to gather the geographical information needed to create the fiber map. When the Google network is officially launched, it will provide speeds of 1 gigabit per second. This is equal to about 128 megabytes and will be about 100 times faster than existing broadband services currently providing Internet access to homes nationwide. Uploads of data to the Internet using the new fiber map will move at the same speed, or 100 times that of the current United States residential average.
Google, and citizens all over the United States, are hoping for this city test to result in the seamless execution of a new and improved fiber map that will deliver faster and better Internet for everyone.

Louisiana Blazes High-Speed Web Trail

GeoTel — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:42:03 +0000

LAFAYETTE, La. – In this tradition-rich city known for its crawfish and Zydeco stomps, high-speed Internet rules. Web videos upload in a few quick seconds. Surgeons review online pathology reports from their living rooms. University students share bulky research files with one another electronically at lightning speeds.

More than 800 miles of fiber-optic cable hum invisibly underground in Lafayette, a city of 120,000, delivering Internet speeds of up to 100 megabytes per second — rare for even major cities. The cutting-edge connectivity in the heart of Cajun country is due not to a private telecom giant but to a public municipal service that offers higher speeds and often lower rates than the private sector.

It hasn’t come without a fight. From the time the cyber network was just a far-fetched concept, the city’s two main private providers, Cox Communications and BellSouth (now AT&T), have fought the initiative every step of the way — from an information campaign against the project to civil lawsuits.

LUS Fiber, a subsidiary of Lafayette Utilities System, the city-owned power company, offers the speedy Internet service along with cable television and phone service. The Louisiana Supreme Court ruled in favor of the city in 2007, allowing the project to proceed.

“We expected some opposition. But no one has had the level of push-back we got here in Louisiana,” LUS Fiber director Terry Huval says. Telecom companies “want to nip it in the bud to keep other municipalities from doing the same thing.”

The battle over broadband in Lafayette is part of a growing number of clashes across the USA that pit municipalities against telecom firms for the right to deliver Web access to homes and businesses. More than 150 local governments across the country have built or are planning to build cyber networks, says Christopher Mitchell of the Minneapolis-based Institute for Local Self-Reliance, a non-profit group that advocates community development and local access to technology. Mitchell says those efforts often draw opposition in the form of misinformation campaigns, lawsuits from private providers or unfavorable state laws resulting from telecom lobbying. Nineteen states either ban cities and counties from getting into the broadband business — or make it difficult.

As the Obama administration advocates greater broadband connectivity across the USA, communities vying to build the networks are being fought by state legislators backed by telecom companies or the companies themselves. At the core of the debate is whether local governments should be getting into the costly and at times risky business of providing Internet service and whether public financing and other options give cities an unfair advantage over private companies. Telecom companies often pay “franchise fees” to cities for the right to sell cable TV programming, a tool the cities can leverage against companies, telecom officials say.

“Our initial objection was, and remains, that it is an unfair advantage for your competitor to also be your regulator,” says Todd Smith, a Cox spokesman. “Many states prohibit government from competing with the private sector.”

MSP Mergers & Acquisitions: 2012 Starts with a Bang!

GeoTel — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:21:46 +0000

The managed services provider (MSP) market is starting 2012 much in the way it started 2011: With plenty of MSP merger and acquisition activity. We’re tracking all of the M&A deals on MSPmentor’s MSP Merger and Acquisition page. As of this writing, four M&A deals involving MSPs have either been announced or completed since the New Year. What’s driving the M&A activity?

Here are five educated guesses:

1. True Synergies: In the case of Network Depot buying Evolve Technologies, both companies service SMBs in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. Plus, executive from both companies have longstanding relationships. Over the long haul, I suspect Evolve CEO Dave Sobel will focus more of his time on being a market educator and evangelist — though it sounds like the proper financial motivators are in place to keep him focused on successfully integrating Evolve with Network Depot.

2. Regional Focus: The Canfield-Steel Valley deal essentially doubles down on the Ohio region. This is a very small regional deal, likely involving fewer than 10 employees overall (my educated guess). But it’s symbolic of the larger IT channel, where small VARs and small MSPs are looking to partner up for local scale.

3. Deep Pockets: In the case of mindSHIFT, I believe the company wanted a deep pocketed parent to help scale the company’s cloud and managed services. Plus, early mindSHIFT investors may have wanted an exit. Best Buy answered the call for help.

4. Entrepreneurial Fatigue: Let’s face it — many entrepreneurs have been building their managed services businesses for five or more year. Some of those executives expected rapid returns on those investments, only to discover the managed services market is a lot more difficult than it looks. Hench, some MSP leaders are opting for an exit if it includes a reasonable payout and/or earnout opportunity.

5. Competitive Pressures: In the case of Birch Communications buying AstroTel’s “assets,” I suspect AstroTel was facing intense competition from telecom giants and needed to partner up.

MSPmentor is aware of at least one more major MSP deal that is expected to be announced within the next two to three weeks. We’ll continue our daily analysis as more deals emerge.

And one final note: MSPmentor is not suggesting that entrepreneurs are getting rich from the M&A deals. In many cases, MSPmentor suspects, the deals are more about business synergies and long-term target earnouts rather than high valuations and instant cash for sellers.

Joe Panettieri | January 2012

10 Insights: The National Broadband Plan

admin — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 15:13:48 +0000

In 2009, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) began the process of what would come to be known as the National Broadband Plan. Its purpose is to map out the future of America through a strong technological infrastructure, namely broadband communications. The plan essentially is to provide broadband access throughout the United States, thus strengthening the nation’s economy and education system, among other things. In this article, we will address some lesser known aspects of the plan. The following are ten tings you should know about the FCC’s National Broadband Plan.

1. Timeline – The aim of the Plan is to increase the available terrestrial broadband spectrum by an additional 500 Megahertz. This is scheduled to be done incrementally, and ultimately reach that goal by 2020.

2. Mobile – Of that 500 MHz additional spectrum, 300 MHz will be made available just for mobile use. That portion will be within the 225 MHz to 3.7 GHz range and is expected to be available within 5 years of the Plan’s commencement in 2010.

3. Cost – Estimates of the price tag on Plan implementation are as much as $350 billion. There is ongoing debate as to how much of this amount will be paid for with tax dollars.

4. Dig Once Legislation – In an effort to coordinate, and reduce the installation cost, of fiber optic networks with ongoing construction or roadwork, the FCC has proposed a Dig Once bill. This legislation would require states or municipalities that receive federal Department of Transportation (DOT) funds to notify local fiber operators at least 90 days prior to scheduling any projects involving digging.

5. Health IT – One of the benefits of the Plan the FCC proposes is for individual health records to be accessible to patients, in digital, machine-readable format online, “and at a reasonable cost”.

6. Public Safety – Another significant proposal within the Plan is the creation of a nationwide interoperable wireless public safety communications network. To date, this stage of the plan has been virtually stalled at the starting gate.

7. Spectrum Auctions – As a means of distributing spectrum, the FCC proposed the idea of voluntary auctions, wherein TV broadcasters could raise revenue by selling off unused bandwidth. This has to a significant degree resulted in a twofold problem: 1) Broadcasters are not all willing to sell off valuable bandwidth, and 2) auctions are no guarantee that the bandwidth will go where it is most needed.

8. Digital Literacy Corps – With 100 million Americans without access to high-speed internet at home and another 18 million living in areas where there is scant, if any, broadband available, the FCC proposed that a publicly funded corps of volunteers be developed who can provide training in digital literacy. An example of this concept was provided by the ongoing success of NetLiteracy.org.

9. Education – Citing the music industry and video and book publishing as examples, the FCC recommends the establishment of standards that would make it easier to locate, share and license digital educational content. This proposal was to have taken effect by March 2011.

10. Mapping Progress – A National Broadband Map is available online, which you can use to locate where broadband is available in your area, and from which carriers. Also available are private companies that provide metro fiber maps and other telecom data in (GIS) like GeoTel Communications, LLC.

An Infographic: Hot Technologies Of 2012

admin — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:36:54 +0000

Embed the Hot Technologies of 2012 infographic on your website/blog post:

Download the Hot Technologies of 2012 Infographic in pdf format

What’s The Internet & How Is It Mapped

admin — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 14:22:32 +0000

The Internet is the world’s largest computer network. With networks size counts– the larger a network is, the more information it has to offer. The Internet is often referred to as an “ocean” or “cloud” because of its enormity and power. Some people are said to ‘surf,’ ‘ride,’ or ‘navigate’ the net.

The Internet is a series of computer networks linked to one another around the world, communicating almost instantaneously with one another. A single network of computers, for example, might be all the computers linked to one another within an office or school building. A larger network might be all the computers connected within an entire school district. The Internet is many tens of thousands of these networks communicating with one another, like a big net or web. University networks connected to government networks connected to business networks connected to private networks – this is the Internet! These computer networks are physically linked to one another with telephone, radio, and fiber optic cable lines or via satellite. Networks from other continents are interconnected by the large, intercontinental fiber optic communication lines that run beneath the ocean floor. Fiber maps assimilated in geographic information systems (GIS) software is the main method used to map all the interconnected networks.

Nobody knows for sure how big the Internet is, or how many networks are actually linked, however being able to view these networks using fiber maps or fiber optic maps, it is estimated that there are approximately thirty to thirty-eight million people that are online, with sites on every continent. New user sites are continually being added. In fact, the Internet has grown at an exponential rate since its beginning. It is the largest network of computers in the world and is growing at about ten percent each month.

The internet is mapped using “GIS” which stands for Geographic Information System. It is a computer system or software used to store, edit, analyze and display geographically referenced information. Using GIS to map out where fiber cables are installed and used (fiber maps); it provides valuable information to telecommunication companies about their fiber optic cable systems and allows businesses to see where they can better connect into a fiber system. Businesses and Governments rely upon fiber maps in GIS to plan and make sure this critical piece of infrastructure continues to operate effectively and efficiently, as communications is the backbone of any society.

Top Ten Twitter Apps For Businesses

admin — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 16:54:47 +0000

Twitter is useful, although business users can be much more productive by taking advantage of some of the third party apps built on the Twitter API. Here are 10 add-ons that any business user might want to consider using to be more productive.

who.unfollowed.me
Do you ever wonder the age old question, who unfollowed me on twitter? Wonder no more! We allow you to easily check your unfollowers on your schedule, every 15 minutes, without waiting for an email or a direct message. A pro version is also available to automatically check and report on your unfollowers. What’s the use… well, if anything its fun to know and its also useful to detect people that simply jump on and follow you to try and increase their auto follow back numbers.

Pegshot
Highly under-used, Pegshot is an awesome way to checkin from places. Where it shines is for sharing digital media (photos and videos) as the app crunches data and uploads very fast… no more timing out when uploading a video clip… the perfect twitter companion! For avid users you can also easily create a custom venue for twitter collaboration.

CoTweet
CoTweet is a comprehensive Web-based social media engagement, management and reporting solution that helps companies of all sizes engage, track and analyze conversations about their brands across the most popular and influential social communities today, Twitter and Facebook. CoTweet Enterprise Edition and CoTweet Standard Edition help marketers and customer support professionals manage their day-to-day social media conversations from a centralized, easy-to-use dashboard.

TweetBeep
What’s the use of any company being on Twitter if you aren’t monitoring who’s talking about you? Keep track of conversations that mention you, your products, your company, anything, with hourly updates! You can even keep track of who’s tweeting your website or blog, even if they use a shortened URL (like bit.ly or tinyurl.com).

WeePlaces
For the user who checks in frequently. An interesting time lapse that paints a clear picture of your travels… great visuals used in the service via data from Cloudmade and OpenStreetMap. Finally, the app reports and does check-ins, it also displays facebook Places and GoWalla check-ins!

paper.li
Create a daily newspaper (html) from your tweets, a twitter list, or a twitter hashtag.. a fabulous resource! Some people find it a little too automated and a bit mundane, however, paper.li can help to keep tabs on your lists. Create a good list on a specific topic, create a paper,li, setup to auto post and tweet every day. Your paper will update every 24 hours and people will appreciate getting a mention from you. A sample would be for a company would be to create a list of clients or customers/users and share with the World.. Your clients will love you!

Tvider
Tvider is the simplest and fastest way to share pictures, videos and audio on Twitter from your mobile and computer. Idea for any power user who shares loads of digital media, this is ideal for a company rep to use when on location at an event. Upload and share live video feeds with your clients and customers.

bit.lify
Perfect for the Blackberry corporate user… bit.lify integrates bit.ly into your BlackBerry browser enabling you to easily to shorten and share urls on the go.

TweetMic
Again, another great app for the business travel while on location at events… Speak your mind on Twitter! TweetMic is a simple and intuitive Twitter client app for the iPhone that allows you to make high-quality audio recordings or “Tweetcasts” and publish them directly to Twitter.

Twitter Follow Finder by Google
An Interesting app that suggest Tweets that you might wish to follow – based on similar interests . The app analyzes a social graph based on a number of parameters and suggests additional followers. You don’t need to use your twitter name, for example, enter GIS-user and you’ll be returned with a wealth of information on other GIS tweets that are worth following (perhaps). The app returns tweets you might “like” and tweets with similar interest.

British Telecom Sues Google

admin — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:25:08 +0000

British Telecommunications has filed a civil suit in a Delaware court alleging that some Google products and services including Android, and its search, music, map, and location-based advertising infringe on one or more of six of its patents.

The British company entered a prayer on Thursday before the United States District Court for the District of Delaware for an injunction against Google, as well as unspecified damages, which could be tripled if proven that Google’s alleged infringement of the patents was willful and deliberate. BT has also asked for a trial by jury.

The BT patents said to have been infringed include service provision system for communication networks, navigation information system, storage and retrieval of location based information in a distributed network of data storage devices, telecommunications infrastructure data apparatus and method, and communications node for providing network based information services.

Google Music and Android were cited by BT as examples of Google’s violation of U.S. Patent No. 6,151,309 for service provision system for communication networks, also referred to in the suit as the Busuioc patent. This patent is directed to systems and methods for accessing content in a mobile environment where network constraints vary across networks.

Intellectual property and many major patent holders are asserting their rights, and obligations to pay royalties may force Google to change its Android licensing model and pass royalties on to device makers. Android is at the center of a number of patent disputes involving large companies including Oracle and Apple.

Google has not commented on the suit.