News and perspectives from the world of fiber optic networking

There's a lot to say in the world of fiber optic networking - planning, design, mapping, technology, software, database, permitting, dark fiber, fiber-to-the-home. The experienced network professionals of 3-GIS know the challenges you face & implement solutions daily.

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Andrew Wright

Apr 1, 2024 8:00:00 AM
  • Telecom technologies
  • 3-GIS | Web
  • Fiber network planning

Collecting railroad crossing information for fiber planning

Recently, I tuned into a webinar hosted by the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) all about permitting. One topic that caught my attention was the process of obtaining a railroad crossing permit, which, in the United States, requires including a standardized railroad crossing ID.

Curiosity piqued, and I decided to do a bit of sleuthing to see if this data was readily available. A quick Google search with the terms "Federal Railroad Crossing Esri" led me straight to the Federal Railroad Administration Safety Crossing Inventory, Form 71. I found that this database contained up-to-date information that could really simplify the permitting process.

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May 23, 2022 5:00:00 PM
  • Android
  • 3-GIS | Mobile

Give me more RAM: Android’s changing hardware specifications impact on 3-GIS | Mobile

As most people know, technology, particularly hardware, continues to mature and advance. I think back to the first desktop computer my family had and the jaw-dropping 128k of RAM it had and compare that to the laptop I am writing on that has 16 gigabytes of RAM. That's 16,777,216k!!! The change did not happen overnight. It happened over about 35 years in my example. While not exclusive to Android, we are seeing this evolution continue today with the new releases of the Android operating system.

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