telecommunications Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that fe ...

, a Geographical Operations System (GOS) combines the integration of data with geographic mapping ability in a consolidated process for

companies. The process can be defined as, "the marriage that integrates

Geographic Information Systems A geographic information system (GIS) is a type of database containing geographic data (that is, descriptions of phenomena for which location is relevant), combined with software tools for managing, analyzing, and visualizing those data. In a br ...

(GIS) and

Operational Support Systems Operations support systems (OSS), operational support systems in British usage, or Operation System (OpS) in Nippon Telegraph and Telephone, NTT, are computer systems used by telecommunications service providers to manage their networks (e.g., tele ...

(OSS) entails..." in a telecommunications company. The goal of a GOS is to enable the spread of information among employees of a company by providing equal access to geographic representation and

database In computing, a database is an organized collection of data stored and accessed electronically. Small databases can be stored on a file system, while large databases are hosted on computer clusters or cloud storage. The design of databases sp ...

information about customers and equipment to ensure the deliverance of services. A Geographical Operations System is meant to provide all employees, from database managers to field technicians and customer service representatives, with fair access to information in order to enhance assistance and response to problems. A GOS is adopted by telecommunications companies to combine maps of the company's service area with database information about the company's customers and equipment.

GOS Software

GOS software relies on a central repository for critical data to foster better communication between the various branches of a telecom. GOS software may offer companies a means to achieve

technological convergence Technological convergence is the tendency for technologies that were originally unrelated to become more closely integrated and even unified as they develop and advance. For example, watches, telephones, television, computers, and social media p ...

in their marketed products.

Open Database Connectivity In computing, Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) is a standard application programming interface (API) for accessing database management systems (DBMS). The designers of ODBC aimed to make it independent of database systems and operating systems. An ...

(ODBC) is utilized to create a discernible pathway for retrieving information from GOS software for a range of employees that may not be familiar with database protocols. The software creates a channel within a company for experts to share information on the various aspects of the telecommunications company, thus opening the spread of information and increasing efficiency for employees. Mapcom Systems
''Integration''
{{webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724164329/http://www.mapcom.com/integration.html, date=2008-07-24. Retrieved on 30 June 2008.

Uniqueness

The increasing pressures of

competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indivi ...

and expansion in the telecommunications market have driven many vendors in the field to reassess the internal organization and cooperation. Technological innovation has introduced greater capacity and capabilities in the telecommunications market, but also added complexity for many companies, as they attempt to develop commercial offerings with an ever-growing list of products and services. A Geographical Operations Systems meshes the importance of Geographical Information Systems – which provides the ability to store data in a geographically-correct map – with the reliance of telecommunications companies on Operational Support Systems as a way to categorize and maintain customer and equipment records. The Geographical Operations System simplifies

interoperability Interoperability is a characteristic of a product or system to work with other products or systems. While the term was initially defined for information technology or systems engineering services to allow for information exchange, a broader defi ...

in a telecommunications company by converging resources that may be stored in different

programming languages A programming language is a system of notation for writing computer programs. Most programming languages are text-based formal languages, but they may also be graphical. They are a kind of computer language. The description of a programming ...

from across the company into a single software program to be utilized by customer satisfaction representatives, equipment technicians, telecommunications engineers, and the accounting department, among others. Information is made general and uniform throughout a company to allow independent employees to carry out tasks without seeking out the expertise and time of coworkers.

References

Geographic information systems Information systems Telecommunications systems

GOS Software

Uniqueness

Further reading

References