In planning for telecommunications, the initial step for most communities is an assessment of the existing telecommunications assets. This assessment seeks to determine the extent of the current telecommunications infrastructure and services, as well as the locations of potential customers. If the infrastructure assessment reveals a deficiency in supply relative to the estimated demand for telecommunications services, GIS data can be used to come up with a plan to help fill this need.
Many community officials concerned with telecommunications availability within an area understand that they must first map out the location of the physical infrastructure of their local telecommunications provider(s). In order to get this often sensitive data relating to the network assets and services provided by telecommunications providers, community officials can obtain custom-made telecom maps from a company specializing in telecom GIS data, such as GeoTel Communications.
These telecom maps provide detailed information about a particular city or metro area so that users can locate network assets (such as lit fiber, long haul fiber, fiber lit buildings, etc.) efficiently in a spatial, map-like environment. For example, a metro fiber data set is digitized and layered onto high-quality street data (or aerial imagery for enhanced study) to create easy-to-use fiber optic maps.
Once the community understands the existing telecommunications assets in the area, they can begin to answer questions like if a specific building contains lit fiber or if it is capable of providing Broadband services.
If your community is conducting an initial telecommunications assessment, call GeoTel Communications at (800) 277-2172 to order custom-made telecom maps. GeoTel’s telecom GIS data products can help local governments, city officials, and urban planners to make informed decisions for planning new networks.
