The Role of Optical Fiber Communications in Geospatial Transfers
Optical fibers and wireless networks together form the most critical nervous system of the contemporary world. Fiber optic communication has completely transformed the way we process, analyse and transmit information. It plays a significant role in helping improve the operations of various geospatial information systems.
Use of Geographical Information Systems
Geographical Information Systems (GIS) refer to a geospatial technology, which integrates, edits, stores, analyses, displays and shares geographic information. GIS has many applications. It is used to edit data on maps. It is also used to analyse or present spatial information for engineering projects, planning, management, business, telecommunications, transport and logistics.
Geospatial communication is based on communications satellites. Satellites are better suited for sending information transmissions through remote locations and tough terrains. Satellites allow for a more effective global mobile communication. The question is how fiber optics can help with geographical information sciences?
GIS and Fiber Optics
Fiber optics are used in spatial fiber optic communications. They are much faster compared to satellite communications and do not suffer from the same type of propagation delay. Optical fibers and communication satellites are both critical to the whole information infrastructure. The two technologies work together and have helped advance telecommunications to a whole new level.
We make use of both GIS software and the fiber network in order to improve location-based information in advanced telecom systems. The seamless merger of the two technologies allows us to provide a more dependable source of location-based information.
The use of Spatial Application Service Provider (ASP) models has helped with the expansion of the mammoth global telecom infrastructure. The bandwidth and broadband capacity available allow for a more robust network which allows the spatial ASP to deploy complex, data-intensive applications for GIS operations.
Some of the popular applications of spatial ASP which are known to a lot of people are Expedia.com, MapQuest.com, Expedia.com and MapMachine of National Geographic. These applications provide essential spatial information through the public Internet. There are far more complex spatial ASP deployments used in engineering projects, mainly for the purpose of communicating with field engineers and offices in remote locations.
Optical fibers provide a location based service and help deliver GIS over the internet. They are cost-effective and ideal for long-distance telecommunications. Optical fiber allows for the digital transmission of data.