Traditional network management systems provide real-time monitoring and management capabilities that enable a service provider to detect faults and identify performance issues in the network. However, network management systems do not document the physical network in sufficient detail to help service provider staff pinpoint the precise physical location at which faults have occurred. This problem is particularly acute in the case of optical fiber outside plant, which can span a wide geographical area and run for hundreds and even thousands of miles. Geographical information systems, on the other hand, support detailed documentation of network facilities. However, they lack any information about the real-time status of the network.

    There does not exist a single solution that combines the capabilities of a network management system and a Geographical Information System (GIS) especially aimed at managing outside optical fiber networks from the perspective of a given service provider to help improve network reliability (such as fault localization and remedies) and prevent revenue loss. Instead, what exists today are standalone GIS, NMS, RFTS (Remote Fiber Test System) or NQMS (Network Quality Monitoring System) SW/HW platform. Real-time geographical fault localization capability is still missing in all the leading standalone GIS, NMS, RFTS or NQMS SW/HW platforms.

What is the Solution?

    This GIS based NMS System is designed to improve Optical Fiber (O/F) Network reliability, efficiency and quality. It integrates several different O/F Network Management Systems (NMS) into one Centralized O/F NMS system. The central O/F NMS manages several NMS and EMS in the O/F network and maps specified fault information on a Fiber Asset Management module and displays it on a user friendly graphical user interface. Quite importantly, it acts on an implicit fiber cut fault indications, interprets them, and in case of a fiber cut, automatically detects the physical location of the fiber cut and reports it to the specified operational support staff for immediate action. In addition, it provides capabilities to use fault and performance management data for planning future extensions and strategic upgrades and predicts faults and performance degradation.