Site Software Dream Weavers

In a perfect world, propagation tools would do more than just save you resources and keep you from the engineering nightmare of badly placed sites. They also would give you zoning-regulation information and neighborhood board histories, as well as generate building-permit applications.

Ralph Davis, Omnipoint senior technician for the New York region, said low-cost software that integrates all of these issues in a topographically accurate map would be a dream come true.

Most site-planning software on the market today gives terrain, frequency-interference and building-height data, but incorporating other useful information has yet to be standard.

Amy Stephan, Teleworx executive vice president, said her company maps zoning requirements, among other things, with its MapworX software.

Debuted last year, MapworX is a PC-based multidiscipline mapping and analysis application that is used with Teleworx's other planning tools. With MapworX, you can overlay zoning information, marketing analysis or other external databases on top of each other and view them simultaneously.Accord ing to Stephan, the software can map just about any kind of information, including historical buildings and wetlands, two additional categories Davis noted in his vision.

"We can map anything that has an address or latitude/longitude," Stephan said.

But Teleworx doesn't necessarily provide all of the additional information. If you want to map external data, you will save money if you gather your own data. Teleworx can get the data for you, but it will be added to MapworX's $100/month cost.

GETTING THE DATA Paul Smith, MapFactory-HJW vice president of retail sales, said his company currently is working on making zoning maps for use in site planning. However, he would not say when the maps would be available.

"We've always had the ability to do this, but we'd go broke doing it on spec," Smith said. Tagging additional information on a map isn't difficult, but it can be time-consuming. MapFactory-HJW first must get maps from a government entity and then digitize the information, as most counties do not have the information in computer format. Formatting is the most time-consuming part of the process, something Smith feared would keep the price of zoning maps at a premium. Smith hopes in the future local governments will computer-format all zoning maps.

As it stands now, the cost of the process will undoubtedly pass to the carrier.

"They (carriers) have to stop being so cheap," Smith said. "They must pay more for data, but it's worth it; it's a corporate asset."

SAVING MONEY Omnipoint's Davis points to a system's affordability as another key issue RF engineers face. Today's propagation software ranges from $10,000 to $80,000 a year. Although all of the added features are useful, a great package will remain a dream if no one can afford it.

Ted Teofliak, RF Consulting Services president, agreed. His decision to use Expert Wireless Solutions' software, MaXPlan, to optimize his client's networks was based on MaXPlan's low cost.

A basic MaXPlan application costs $10,000, making it one of the least expensive software packages on the market.

Shawn Ziglari, Expert Wireless Solutions principal, said his company can superimpose a zoning map over a BTA, but so far no one has asked him to do that. He added that Expert Wireless will charge for the time it takes to input the data provided by the client.

Omnipoint currently uses Teleworx's Xcalibur, a basic RF design and optimization tool, which costs about $20,000 a year with a maintenance contract.

Regardless of added features, even dream features, Davis and Teofliak said they are not willing to spend much more than they already do for site-planning software.

FINDING A GOOD NEIGHBORHOOD Other dream features aren't easily addressed. Laura Hughes, Centennial Wireless marketing director, said her dream software would address zoning requirements and also include neighborhood board information.

For instance, if a zoning board has blocked utility company build-outs, you might have some opposition when it comes time to build. Hughes said a tool that can help you sidestep problem areas would save a lot of time.

The amount of time spent in neighborhood board meetings became quite costly for Centennial when it began build-out in Florida. Armed with the right information, you can cut that time down. Hughes, however, doubts software can meet this need.

"It's almost like asking for something that's not there and that probably wouldn't be, ever," she said.

Smith said MapFactory-HJW is able to put publicly recorded voting histories on a map and would be happy to do it for a company willing to pay for this customized service.

"If someone were really interested in pursuing that, I would actually love to take that challenge and do that project," Smith said.

SAVING TIME Of course software can't tell you where the difficult neighborhoods are. But an added database can provide you with voting histories and help save you time.

RF engineers want software that has the ability to automate labor-intensive tasks and save time.

"Time is of the essence," Davis said. "Anything that would reduce my time requirement in a more mechanical fashion is a welcomed addition."

One of the more time-consuming aspects of planning is evaluating drive-test results.

Both Expert Wireless Solutions and Teleworx have software that helps reduce the need for repeated drive tests. The software enables engineers to see how the prediction measures up in the field and gives them the ability to fine-tune it immediately. Using the software via a laptop while drive testing subtracts at least one step from the planning process and saves time.

Rick Brannon, Berliner Communications (BCI) general manager of RF engineering, said another way to save time is sharing information. His dream software would include a central system, allowing engineers in the field and the construction, managing and site-acquisition departments to make and view adjustments simultaneously from various locations.

Davis said an automatic building-permit-application feature would save him time. Instead of hunting down a permit, finding the right information and manually filling it out, it all could be done with the click of a button. Software already exists that integrates FCC and FAA report generators with a frequency-planning tool. But Davis would like to see other information, such as population forecasts or telecom legislation.

But some fear that too much information and too many features applied to a site-planning tool can overload a system and an engineering team. A dream could easily turn into a nightmare if all of those added features made planning predictions harder to interpret.

Site-planning software has to be user-friendly, Teofliak said. If it doesn't take the guesswork out of site planning and give easy-to-read, accurate data, then it isn't doing its job.

ACCURACY Information may be king, but it's only good if it's accurate. In order for dream features to really be worthwhile, they must be up to date. You may end up walking away from a site just because the software information was not updated, Davis said. The issue is frustrating because it can be prevented.

Hughes said software that takes things such as seasonality into account is desirable. Centennial's current software features foliage predictions that change with the seasons.

Engineers don't need to dream anymore. Vendors say they are ready, willing and able to make carriers' dreams come true. Customizing is always possible, MapFactory's Smith said, but you have to be willing to pay more for the extras.

If enough carriers ask for these added features, will they ever become standard? Probably not, Smith said. For the smaller, more fragmented carriers, it's not going to be easy. Maybe one day, the zoning information for big cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles and New York will be available more readily, but he didn't think it will ever be standard. None of this information is "off the shelf;" it can't be compiled once, then wait for someone to buy it. Because of its timeliness, data like this can become obsolete quickly, therefore it always will be a specialized feature, Smith said.

WILL DREAMS COME TRUE? BCI's Brannon said specialized site-planning software's future is unsure. He had the opportunity to use zoning-regulation-mapped software last year and appreciated the added feature, but he said not everyone would want it. Many cellular and PCS networks are built already. The sites yet to be built will mainly serve rural areas, which have few zoning requirements. According to Brannon, rural areas are better planned using software as a guide, but nothing beats personal experience.

"Software packages are not the ultimate answer," Brannon said. "Though we may not like it, there is always going to be some human intervention needed."

You know you need software to plan your network. You know your budget. Now you're ready to look for a software vendor. Keep these points in mind as you search:

1. Get information on all of the company's software. You may find complimentary software helpful.

2. Find out how often upgrades are made. Your network depends on the most up-to-date information and capabilities.

3. Check into maintenance contracts. Make sure they cover the areas of most concern to you.

4. Ask if a package can be customized. Don't be afraid to challenge a vendor. If you want it, chances are that others do, too. Your suggestions might just give them an edge on their competitors.

5. Look for data software. Companies such as MapFactory-HJW do not make engineering systems, but they might have the data you need that a planning-system vendor doesn't.

Here are a few site-planning software applications, compared by cost and features.

Name: Teleworx Xcalibur; Features: Windows-based, portable, real-time coverage contours; thematic mapping; and site and vector labeling. Support software can include zoning requirements; Cost: $18,000 a year.

Name: Expert Wireless Solutions MaXPlan; Features: Windows-based, direct integration of drive-test data from test equipment; interface with other popular GIS software; support for micro-cell models for dense urban areas; Cost: $10,000 flat rate.

Name: Ericsson TEMS CellPlanner; Features: Windows- and UNIX-based, integrated equipment database; site-report generator; site and cell grouping; multilayer cell structures; underlay and overlay capabilities; Cost: $60,000 a year.