GIS a Bigger Tool in Toolbox

By Mike Robuck

Geographic Information Systems are becoming more prevalent in operators’ toolboxes these days. GIS can cable help operators not only find subscribers and businesses in their own footprints, but also keep track of where telcos are laying fiber or where DSL services have been rolled out.

Last month MapInfo, which counts Cox and Comcast among its cable customers, introduced a new algorithm for its MapMarker Plus v12.0 geocoding tool. The new version includes the optional MapMarker ParcelPrecisionT data set that included ground-level data for 44 million address points.

“MapMarker Plus gets us much closer to the actual point on the surface of the Earth where a customer might be and it’s more accurate with the geocoding technology,” said Chris Cherry, MapInfo’s Director of Communications Industry Strategy. “The new geocoding algorithm is accurate almost to the rooftop of an actual structure.”

Geocoding, the adding of geographic coordinates to every record in a database, is the critical first step for an organization to visualize its business data on a map and discover trends and patterns that are not apparent when simply looking at a spreadsheet. MapMarker Plus v12.0 has data-building tools and interpolation methodologies that bring companies as close as 75 feet on average to a given address, closer to its actual location on the ground. When even more accuracy is required, ParcelPrecision delivers points to the parcel center or street location, according to the press release.

Comcast’s Seattle division, which garnered System of the Year from Communications Technology earlier this year, used geocoding to find the proximity of its plant to commercial addresses, which led to increased sales after those opportunities were identified. For more on the use of GIS in the Seattle division, click here.

—Mike Robuck