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What is input data?

The GIS layers FOND uses to generate a plan or design: addresses, parcels, streets, paths, poles, leadins and sources, and how FOND turns them into a network.

Input data is the geographic (GIS) information you give FOND about your project area. FOND uses it to answer two questions:

  • Where does the network need to reach? These are the addresses to be served.
  • Where can cables and equipment go? These are the paths, poles and other places where the network can be built.

You can import input data with Area Select, upload your own files, or draw it with the drawing tools.

Input data layers

Which layers you need, and what some of them are called, depends on the project type.

Addresses

Geometry type: Point

The locations that need service. In fiber projects, you can control how much fiber each address gets with the address type and the Demand Model. See How to control fiber allocation in FOND. 

Parcels

 Geometry type: Polygon

The boundaries of land lots. FOND uses parcels to generate other layers, such as underground path, leadins and service area boundaries.

Streets

Geometry type: Linestring

Road centerlines. FOND uses streets to generate other layers, such as underground path, aerial spans and service area boundaries. 

Underground path

Geometry type: Linestring

Every place where underground cables could be placed when FOND generates the plan or design.

Underground points

Geometry type: Point

Every place where underground equipment could be placed when FOND generates the plan or design.

Aerial spans

Geometry type: Linestring

Every place where aerial cables could be placed. Spans show where cable can be hung between poles, whether on an existing aerial network or a proposed one.

Poles

Geometry type: Point

Every place where aerial equipment could be placed. Poles represent the aerial infrastructure where equipment and cables can be attached. 

Leadins

Geometry type: Linestring

The approximate service path from the main network to each address.

Central offices / Sources

Geometry type: Point

The points that feed the network, such as a central office, a distribution cabinet, or a tie-in to an existing network. you may either:

  • Leave sources empty, and FOND chooses where to place them.
  • Add one or more sources, and FOND only places the start of the network at those locations. If you add several, FOND won’t necessarily use them all. It uses as few as the network needs.

Which layers do you need?

For most project types, FOND requires either

  • Addresses + Underground path + Underground points*, or
  • Addresses + Aerial spans + Poles.

in order to form a candidate network.

*Not required for Fiber Planner.

FOND can generate some layers for you

You don’t always need to provide every layer yourself. If you have addresses and parcels and streets, FOND can generate most things that it needs:

  • Underground path and points can be generated from a combination of streets and parcels
  • Aerial spans and poles can be generated from streets
  • Leadins can be generated from a combination of addresses and underground path and parcels 

How FOND uses input data

FOND combines all your path and infrastructure layers into a candidate network: every place where cables and equipment could go. When it generates your plan or design, FOND places cables and equipment on the candidate network, using only the parts it needs to serve every address as efficiently as possible.

For example, the first image shows the underground path, points, and leadins in a project, which is the candidate network. The second shows the same area after FOND generated the network. Cables and equipment follow the candidate network, but only where they’re needed.