Infoterra Ltd, a leader in the provision of geospatial products and services, has launched a new UK and Ireland clutter dataset to extend its portfolio of geospatial solutions for telecommunications network planners. Based on the latest 2005/06 satellite imagery, the new clutter dataset will provide telecom operators with the most current information available, offering 50m resolution data nationwide and more detailed 25m resolution data for major urban areas. If required Infoterra can create clutter data at resolutions as high as 1m.

This latest version of Infoterra’s dataset will be of particular significance for telecom operators who need the most up-to-date and reliable information to optimise network planning for their next generation mobile systems. Using Infoterra data, telecom companies can improve their coverage prediction performance, reduce future infrastructure costs through more accurate planning, and enhance service coverage.

“For the wireless market, factors such as time-to-market and ensuring optimal coverage can make a huge difference to the eventual success of a network. We’re confident that with this latest, high resolution dataset we can again provide wireless operators with an essential planning tool to support their network development,” commented Dr Andy Wells, Director of Sales for Infoterra Ltd. “Our clutter data has already been used to successfully plan wireless technologies such as GSM, 3G, wireless broadband and WiMAX, and we’re ideally placed now to help operators plan their next generation telecommunication systems.

“With this announcement we’re confirming our ongoing commitment to constantly update and enhance our extensive portfolio of geospatial data covering the UK and Ireland,” he added. “We’re already a leader in the capture of accurate elevation data, offering “off-the-shelf” data for over 100 British cities. We’ve also recently invested in a revolutionary new laser scanner, which will enable us to routinely capture more data per square metre, allowing the creation of detailed urban models. This makes an ideal solution for applications in the telecommunications industry such as line-of-sight, WiMAX and next generation wireless systems.”

Using a range of data sources and techniques, Infoterra generates high resolution clutter data, to support planning across the entire spectrum of wireless communication systems. Digital terrain models (DTM), digital elevation models (DEM) & orthorectified aerial photography are used to create clutter data at resolutions as high as 1m, which is essential for optimising wireless broadband and WiMAX networks. Satellite imagery is used to derive datasets over large geographic areas and can be supplied at resolutions ranging from 10m to 100m.