Rural areas lack current infrastructure and lag in internet availability. How do geospatial solutions like GPS and mobile mapping technology help close the digital gap between rural and urban regions?
Sparse population densities do make it economically challenging for fibre providers to justify the investment in extensive infrastructure in rural areas. Additionally, the geographical and logistical hurdles complicate the deployment of fibre networks. Advanced geospatial solutions reduce the costs and speed up the process of getting high-speed internet infrastructure in place.
Precise, real-time geospatial data collection plays a crucial role in addressing the high-speed connectivity gap in both remote rural areas and underserved urban communities, facilitating more efficient fibre infrastructure planning and deployment, and supporting innovations in industrial IoT, artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
Within geospatial technology, mobile mapping systems, GNSS and GPS systems, augmented reality, cloud environments, and field and office software for processing deliverables can offer end-to-end support for tasks throughout the fibre planning, design, deployment and maintenance phases.
Using geospatial data, providers and contractors can effectively identify optimal routes and installation points, reducing the time and cost associated with expanding digital infrastructure.
With mobile mapping, providers are able to send two people out for only a matter of hours to get a whole neighbourhood instead of weeks using traditional methods. This solves a very real staffing problem throughout the region.
Consumers have a growing need for faster, more reliable internet connections. How can technology companies support the ongoing deployment and maintenance of fibre architecture and where?
Geospatial solutions are needed to enhance every stage of the fibre process, from planning to maintenance. Across Europe and the world, mobile mapping, GPS and augmented reality solutions are being deployed in the development of high-speed connectivity projects in the UK, Netherlands, Italy, Germany, France, Croatia and many others.
These tools enable precise mapping and quick visualisation of existing infrastructure and potential obstacles, allowing for seamless integration and expansion of fibre networks. It also enables stakeholders to have a complete, holistic view of the entire environment, both what exists naturally, what is built, and what needs repairs.
GPS can be used to record when fibre optic cables, distribution nodes, manholes, conduits and all the parts of the network are put into the ground, so they have an extremely accurate library of assets that they can go back to and maintain for years to come. LiDAR technology is useful during installation too, as it can be used to scan the trench in which the cables are to be put into the ground, providing a complete 3D picture of everything in the ground.
Geospatial hardware and software options also give fibre installers and providers on-demand accuracy at a much lower cost that they can easily deploy without needing a surveyor. This ensures customers receive faster, more reliable internet connections through efficient and accurate infrastructure deployment and upkeep.
Mobile mapping can create a lot of data; how do FTTH project leads utilise the data to inform better insights?
Without an effective data management strategy, the sheer quantity of data generated from mobile mapping can be overwhelming. But when leveraged and managed correctly, the rich context in mobile mapping data leads to better insights and outcomes.
Once collected, mobile mapping data, along with data from UAVs and other sources, can be processed via software, and then can be made widely available via the cloud to the bigger organisation and externally. This data can be used to design the network, and then the network design can be loaded into an augmented reality view during an on-site walk-out.
During installations, detailed geospatial data from mobile mapping allows for precise planning and reduces the risk of unforeseen challenges. Geospatial solutions facilitate the integration of combined datasets into network planning and management systems, ensuring efficient deployment, minimising disruptions, and maintaining high standards of service quality for customers.
These datasets help providers in Germany, Italy and across Europe analyse and disseminate insights throughout massive government and planning organisations. These tools enable project leads to identify potential issues early, letting them optimise routing and plan maintenance activities more effectively.