Joint-use attachments should be about opportunity. Pole owners have the opportunity to share costs and generate revenue. Attachment owners have the opportunity to reduce capital expenses and time to market. Yet, joint use often gets a bum rap because traditional management tools prove inadequate for delivering the benefits of these opportunities.

A lack of the right tools to manage attachments can have a significant impact on costs. In 2004, the Utah Public Service Commission ordered a local cable television company to pay the pole owner $3.8 million for audit costs, back rent, and penalties for illegal attachments. The pole owner’s case was bolstered by irrefutable data -- pole ID, GPS coordinates, and digital photographs obtained by a 2002/2003 audit -- for each attachment.

Unfortunately, the cable company did not have records for its attachments and could not dispute the pole owner’s claims. Although previous audits had been performed, the 2002/2003 audit was the first time that verifiable pole and attachment information was recorded.

Companies need precise and verifiable pole and attachment information to reduce conflicts between the pole attachment owners and improve the management of these assets. Geographic information system (GIS) technology can help by improving the accuracy of joint-use audits and streamlining the attachment request process.

Seeing Is Believing
New tools for managing pole attachments are now within reach through the integration of GIS technology and street-level imagery. Companies can now record pole and attachment assets on a map and verify the data with street-level imagery or vice versa. This approach leverages map and imagery information for pole assets to make joint-use audits faster and more accurate. It also streamlines the attachment request processes.

Imagine the value of joint-use audit information that delivers a digital map showing pole locations along with a high-resolution image of each pole and attachment. This not only provides documentation to support an objective and fair process for resolving disputes but also gives both pole and attachment owners the GPS coordinates and a visual record of field assets and pole runs.

GIS-based tools can even automate the field data collection and joint-use audit processes. Using extensions such as Earthmine for ArcGIS, poles and other field assets can be identified automatically and placed on a map. (See Figure 1.) This type of imagery is rendered “smart” because each pixel in an image is identified with an x,y,z location point that can be synchronized with the GIS map view.

Figure 1. Automatic recognition of poles places yellow points in both the street map at left and the image at right.

This data is collected with a specially equipped camera/vehicle combination that collects the 3D imagery as the vehicle passes through the audit area. In addition, the system can be trained to recognize visual imagery of field assets, such as poles, and record the location. This technique allows much of the work previously performed in the field to be completed by audit technicians in the office using GIS with smart imagery to identify pole locations. Even better, there are zoom capabilities that provide close-ups to visually reveal pole attachment details.

Disputes Help No One
During the last several decades, there has been a shift in pole ownership, with the majority of poles now belonging to utility companies. Regardless of existing pole ownership, when poles must be replaced, it is often the utility company that performs the replacement work and becomes the new owner. The new pole is recorded in the utility’s database but often not removed from the previous owner’s records. This leads to ownership disputes during the joint-use audit.

In many cases, only one or neither of the companies has coordinates for the poles that are under ownership dispute. The challenge is to first discern whether the companies are disputing the same pole or 2 distinct poles in close proximity. (See Figure 2.) But, because there is no standard method of naming poles and both companies keep separate pole databases, a field visit is often required to reach a resolution. Even when GPS coordinates exist, discrepancies in GPS measurements can create 2 poles on a consolidated map, and a field visit may still be required.

Figure 2. Map and image views of a pole’s GPS location help resolve pole location and ownership issues.

The use of integrated imagery and GIS can help resolve many of these ownership issues. In the case of an ownership dispute, the image of the pole and location on the map are clearly identified. Both parties can verify that there is a single pole and resolve the ownership issues based on previously agreed-on criteria. Once ownership has been established, the database can be updated. The result is a permanent record of the resolution exists for both companies, assuming they agree to share the data that was collected. For areas where there is no ownership dispute, each company will have a record of the poles and agreement on ownership for future reference.

Improving the Joint-Use Audit Process
At the mere mention of joint use, most companies, including pole and attachment owners, focus immediately on the audit process during which an inventory of each pole and attachment is collected. The pole and attachment data has residual value well beyond the annual bill, but only when the audit is designed for a larger purpose and uses a system, such as a GIS, from which the information can be extracted and reused for other applications. GIS provides an excellent platform for data management, planning, and analysis. A GIS-based, joint-use management system can record existing attachments and pole locations and store visual imagery with a georeferencing capability. Information can be retrieved based on ownership, location, and type of attachment. This type of information gives pole and attachment owners the ability to reduce billing disputes and expedite future requests and approvals for attachments.

The previously mentioned Utah case is an example of an audit that can result in unwelcome financial surprises. Therefore, the audit is probably the most contentious and yet potentially the most beneficial portion of the joint-use process.

A major problem is how companies perceive the value and purpose of audits. Too often, companies design joint-use audits with the sole objective of counting attachments at the lowest possible cost. This is true for both pole owners and attachment owners that share a portion of the audit cost. Companies will either contract with someone to physically visit each pole or equip an employee to collect the attachment information. Attachment owners are then billed based on the quantity of pole attachments. The audits are usually repeated every couple of years. Often, the data collected, which is minimal, is archived or discarded after the bills are created. This process is both inefficient and wasteful.

The ability to have a time record of attachment is useful when questions arise regarding unauthorized attachments -- those installed without following the permitting process. Because the pole location and visual record of the attachment exist with a date and time stamp, quick resolution of disputes is possible. In addition, a permanent record of the attachment can be maintained.

During subsequent audits, the information can be compared with the previous audit using both the GIS and integrated imagery. This should reduce the potential for future claims of unauthorized attachments being placed without a permit. With enhanced reporting and attachment verification, billing can also be more accurate. Personnel can query the database for the number of attachments by owner and identify the location of each attachment. (See Figure 3.) The ability to provide consistent reporting and billing information will result in more accurate forecasts during the budget-planning process and avoid unpleasant surprises when bills are processed.

Figure 3. Attachment verification of the location and close-up views of pole attachments help resolve attachment disputes and provide asset information.

Audits and attachment records can also provide valuable information on the location of assets and can help companies improve other business processes. Information on asset location can help telecommunications marketing and sales departments determine serviceability. Marketing and sales personnel need to know the location of the network in relation to customer service requests. If the data collected in an attachment audit was available to the marketing department, it could significantly help in determining the network location and serviceability.

GIS enables desktop access to pole location and asset information that can eliminate many costly field visits. With access to precise joint-use information, telecommunications and utility companies can better track and manage assets. From a computer screen, technicians can visually determine whether a pole has a splice or a customer drop. They can perform faster pole reconciliation by comparing conflicting location data with visual confirmation.

Smart imagery also delivers the ability to measure objects within the image, which is useful for determining clearances and identifying potential safety violations. When a company is conducting an audit, it is an opportune time to inspect for safety violations. Strict rules regarding clearance requirements and location of attachments within the communications space are designed to protect workers, equipment, and the public. Measurements that previously were performed during a field visit can now be conducted in the office using GIS tools and imagery. (See Figure 4.)

Figure 4. Integrated imagery enables point-to-point measurement (left image) for clearance and safety inspections.

Streamlining Pole Attachment Requests
Perhaps the greatest benefit of a GIS-based pole management system with integrated imagery is the ability to expedite the processing of attachment requests. Attaching to existing poles is cheaper and faster than installing new poles. Unfortunately, the benefits don't always mitigate the often painful process of requesting and obtaining attachment permits.

The lack of a uniform and accessible pole database results in a process that is less than optimal. Often, the company requesting a permit to attach must visit the field to see whether there is space to attach or whether poles even exist in the planned area. Once the attachment requests have been submitted, pole owners duplicate many of the requester's steps by conducting a field visit to determine whether adequate space exists for additional attachments. These field visits are not only costly but time consuming. This delays the approval process and negates 2 benefits offered by joint-use attachments: lower costs and faster implementation.

Correct information about pole location and status paves the way for smoother planning of viable expansion routes. GIS can be expanded beyond pole and attachment management to create enterprise-wide integration with additional datasets from contract, permit, billing, and work order systems. Additional web GIS capabilities from software providers such as Esri make it possible for pole owners to easily share joint-use information with attachment owners. Online exchange of information streamlines the process for new attachment requests.

For instance, telecommunications companies can incorporate the information on pole locations and attachment space availability into planning scenarios for route expansions. Attachment requests can be submitted using an interactive map and a simple point-and-click process.

Many of the processes can be handled using an online, GIS-enabled request system. Pole runs and ownership in areas where attachments are needed can quickly be identified on maps and images. Requests can be submitted electronically to the pole owners, who can visually review the exact poles requested. (See Figure 5).

Figure 5. An integrated pole attachment request system identifies the pole runs visually and by map location.

The ability to integrate 3D imagery and maps in a GIS will significantly improve the entire joint-use management processes. The U.S. National Broadband Plan specifically recommends that "the FCC should improve the collection and availability of information regarding the location and availability of poles, ducts, conduits and rights-of-way."

A GIS-centric approach delivers results that will improve efficiency, reduce cost, and streamline the process of managing joint-use attachments. This will provide tangible benefits to both pole and attachment owners so they can concentrate on the primary mission—delivering service to customers.

Randall Frantz, Director Telecommunications and LBS Solutions, Esri, has more than 27 years of global telecommunications management experience. For more information on Esri and GIS-based telecommunications solutions, email rfrantz@esri.com or visit esri.com/osp.

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