Data-Driven Design: The Backbone of Your FTTH Project - Part 1

Whether your goal is to quickly evaluate a new network build project, or to fully engineer a network for the purpose of constructing it, a realistic design should be your starting point. However, initiating the design process is impossible without input data. The quality of a design can only be as good as the input data used to generate it.  

At Biarri Networks, we specialize in data-driven design, by collecting, generating, combining, and transforming various input data sources into fully engineered fiber networks. 

In this article, we will cover the following topics on data-driven design: 

1. Determining your data requirements: How design fidelity drives data requirements. 

1. Sourcing data: Understanding the data sources available as input to network designs. 

1. Data processing: A quick look at Biarri Networks’ sophisticated data processing tools and their applications. 

In Part 1, we will deep-dive into the first topic:

Determining your data requirements 

From Planning through to Design & Engineering, the level of fidelity required in a design increases significantly. This includes the extent to which the geometry of the GIS data reflects the physical reality of where equipment and cables will be placed, the accuracy of records describing existing assets and their condition, and the level of detail regarding serviceable locations and their specific fiber requirements. 

The higher the fidelity required of a design, the more time is required to source, generate, or prepare the data for design. To achieve good results and avoid wasting time, it is critical to invest the right amount of time and detail at the right points in the process.   

Planning Level Design (PLD) 

• Design scope: PLDs provide a rapid evaluation of potential project areas by conducting an initial inspection of whether an opportunity is viable. The primary objective is usually to estimate design footage, HHP, and an overall cost estimate.  
• Data requirements: At a minimum, street centrelines and addresses or some approximation of serviceable locations, such as a property boundaries dataset (parcels or building footprints).  
• Our offering: We provide both inputs as standard for PLD projects and can use additional data as required. 

Feasibility Level Design (FLD) 

• Design scope: Feasibility designs provide a more targeted evaluation of established project areas. They should describe a realistic network for accurate estimations of path and other quantities, but they do not need to be perfect to a construction level of detail. 
• Data requirements: For FLDs, we recommend investigating the availability of data sources, including central office locations, serviceable locations, and existing assets such as poles, spans, vaults, ducts, and fiber assets. Overall, a moderate amount of time should be spent collating and processing data for an FLD, although this can vary by project. 
• Our offering: We can provide high-quality addressing information (including differentiation between SFUs and MDUs), generation of new aerial and underground infrastructure (single-sided or dual-sided), and cleaning and preparation of other customer-provided data sources. 

End-to-End Solution (E2E) 

• Design scope: An End-to-End solution consists of a best-effort desktop High-Level Design (HLD) followed by a field-validated Low-Level Design (LLD). An E2E design is not used for estimation, it is intended to be built. Therefore, everything from the fiber allocation for service locations to the quantities and the specific materials to be utilized must be as accurate as possible. 
• Data requirements: A variety of data sources should be sourced and carefully prepared, including field information to verify existing assets and the proposed design's constructibility, and any ancillary information that may help guide the design process.  
• Our offering: In addition to everything mentioned above, we heavily invest time and detail into the data stage of all E2E projects. It is important to do this as early as possible to mitigate issues later in the project. We also provide field services for data collection, design validation, and make-ready engineering.