Government Technology - January 2008 - (Page 53)

Pilot Project City ofﬁcials in Manchester, Conn., approved a limited WiMAX deployment to test viability of the technology. If the project is successful, the network could be expanded citywide. existing communications systems on other radio frequencies, which Fresno, Calif., learned the hard way. The city had roughly $750,000 to spend, so it attempted to build a WiMAX cloud to cover an area that 65 percent of vehicle traffic traveled. Project leaders implemented the network to enable police cars exclusively to connect and download necessary data every time they drove through the cloud. They would lose connectivity when they left the cloud and regain connectivity when they re-entered it. Problems arose when the WiMAX network, which operated on the 900 MHz spectrum, interfered with the city’s 800 MHz police radios. The arrangement worked fine when officers were in the WiMAX cloud, allowing them to exchange data and video via the 900 MHz network and to maintain voice communications via the 800 MHz system. But when officers left the cloud, they lost both WiMAX and 800 MHz radio connectivity. “The WiMAX dependency prevented the cars from switching back over to the slow [800 MHz] speed link to maintain contact with our dispatch system,” said Conrad Nerdahl, management information systems manager for the Fresno Police Department. “These officers told us, ‘You know, when we’re in the zone, it’s working great. When we get out of the zone, we’re flying blind.’” Nerdahl added that the WiMAX network functioned properly as a backhaul connecting all of the fiber-ready towers in Fresno to one another. However, that wasn’t very useful to the 800 MHz applications outside of that network that couldn’t function as a result. This is one area where Wi-Fi appears to beat WiMAX. Wi-Fi networks can coexist with other communications systems on other radio signals, allowing police to download data at strategically placed hotspots. Fresno’s only option was to expand the WiMAX network citywide and run all communications applications over it, eliminating use of the 800 MHz spectrum. Nerdahl said that would have transformed the WiMAX network into at least a $2.5 million project. Fresno didn’t have the money, so the WiMAX network sits unused for now. “We only had $750,000 to fill up the project,” Nerdahl said. “We pretty much chewed up all that money in the hardware costs.” Nerdahl still wants to eventually build a WiMAX network for transmitting data to officers as well as voice content. The city owning its own WiMAX network would also offer it a better chance at redundancy during an emergency, he said. “What happens if the phone company all of a sudden decides to turn its systems off? We’d need to provide our own connectivity,” Nerdahl said. “We’ve looked at the existing WiMAX project we have in place, and that’s why we have not totally abandoned it yet. While we move forward with the cellular option to at least keep us moving forward, we’re looking at WiMAX as a disaster backup system.” He said he hopes to collect enough grant money to make WiMAX a reality in Fresno. Follow the Leader WiMAX deployment activity remains modest in the United States, but momentum is building. Local governments typically like to play “follow the leader,” which means results in Brownsville and Manchester will be critical. If they’re successful, a government stampede in the WiMAX direction could easily follow due to the simple deployment and maintenance of WiMAX. 53 Join Our Growing Government Team Apply your government experience to a career with ESRI, a company known for innovation and growth in the geographic information system (GIS) software industry. Our dynamic sales, marketing, and consulting experts work together to provide strategic direction and leadership for federal, state, regional, and local government agencies. We are looking for energetic, articulate people who are enthusiastic about GIS technology and have expertise in government-related disciplines for the following positions: These positions are based in our Washington, D.C., regional office and corporate headquarters in Redlands, California. Join the team dedicated to helping government agencies improve the quality of life for their constituents. Copyright © 2007 ESRI. All rights reserved. ESRI, the ESRI globe logo, and www.esri.com are trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of ESRI in the United States, the European Community, or certain other jurisdictions. ESRI is an equal opportunity employer. Learn more and apply online at www.esri.com/careers/govt. http://www.govtech.com http://www.esri.com http://www.esri.com http://www.esri.com/careers/govt

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Government Technology - January 2008

Government Technology - January 2008 Contents Point of View Big Picture The Last Mile On the Scene CIO Sightings Four Questions for... Spectrum Location, Location, Location Digital Governor Back to the Drawing Board Waukesha Goes Green Collaring Dangerous Dogs Public Sector Goes Web 2.0 Bounce Back SACWIS Rollout Simple Strategy Products Personal Computing How It Works signal:noise

Government Technology - January 2008

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