Handling geographic information : a telecommunication service provider's perspective

Much of a telecommunication service providers' activity depends on geographic information : on knowing where things are and understanding how they relate to each other. Many aspects of decision making -for management, planning, investment -depend on it. Large sums of money are spent on collecting geographic information, but using it to its full potential is difficult. New developments in information technology now offer a real possibility for improvement in the use and handling of geographic information. This paper will discuss why a telecommunication service provider, like Telecom Australia, needs to bç able to effectively handle geographic data and how geographic information system technology can be used to integrate the collection, processing, storage, retrieval and analysis of large amounts of such data. A pilot project set up to assist in forecasting telecommunication demand will be discussed.Cavill Marina. Handling geographic information : a telecommunication service provider's perspective. In: NETCOM : Réseaux, communication et territoires / Networks and Communication Studies, vol. 3 n°1, mai 1989. Communications and Telecommunications Geography. 26th IGU Congress, Sydney - Australia, 1988. pp. 183-190