Friday, December 17, 2010

Hawaii Broadband Coverage Map powered by ESRI GIS

To the average citizen, the term GIS doesn't mean much. Some who have heard it tossed around in conversation associate it synonymously with GPS, which is not altogether accurate. In fact, I have to admit, when I was a sales rep for ESRI software, the leader in GIS solutions, I barely understood it.

Here is what I finally came to understand... Government, particularly municipalities and counties, have resources all over the place--fire hydrants, street signs, barricades, lights, cameras, sewer pipes, water lines, power grid, etc. Inventorying these items isn't enough. They fall into jurisdictions, plots, neighborhoods, townships, etc. So how do you know what you have and where you have it? Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

So, why the vocab lesson? The State of Hawaii recently launched an interactive broadband mapping website based on a familiar name: Esri technology. Visitors can view broadband coverage throughout the state. This will be an important resource for consumers in Hawaii, enabling them to identify and choose from the growing number of broadband services that are becoming available in the state.

The coverage maps are built with BroadbandStat, an application developed by Esri that enables the user to map information from a variety of sources and provide a visual way of exploring the results. The idea is to provide data that states can can use to pinpoint where the expansion of new broadband services will support local economic development. The data is also a useful resource for policy makers, grant writers, and companies doing broadband investment research.

But aside from just geeking out on the cool new technology, there's one more thing that got me excited about this new map. Go to it. Check it out (http://www.hibroadbandmap.org/). And... compare "Wireless" coverage to all the other options on the map combined. Tell me what you see :-)

Labels: Coverage, Fixed Wireless Broadband, GIS