Corporation. Tutorial #1 Starting Geocode LOS

Transcription

1 Micropath Corporation 2023 Montane Drive East Tel: Web: Golden, Colorado Fax: E Mail: sales@micropath.com Download GeoCode LOS : Tutorial #1 Starting Geocode LOS 1. Run the Geocode LOS.msi file to install the program and associated files, documentation, and to create folders. 2. Start the GeoCodeLOS.exe application which is located the default installation folder for GeoCode LOS is c:\program Files\Micropath\GeoCodeLOS folder. 3. Using the mouse, click on File / Open Tower XLS. Click on Sample.xls 4. You are now ready to start using GeoCode LOS. The remainder of the tutorial refers to navigation within the GeoCode LOS application. 5. Set and forget the Default Settings. Some options in the default setting will eliminate manual typing in order to facilitate repetitive data entry for testing and training. a. Click on Options / Settings Default Values. b. Enter 2023 Montane Drive E,Golden,CO,80401 in the Default GeoCode Street Address textbox. c. The Antenna AGL Feet sets the default values for antenna heights accordingly. d. The Elevation Data Type displays a listing of elevation data. Elevation data must be present to generate the path profiles. 6. Let s GeoCode a street address (remote point). 1

2 a. Enter 2023 Montane Dr E,Golden,CO,80401 in the textbox and click the GeoCode Address button OR click the GeoCode Address button if the textbox is empty (remember the street address you entered in Default Values?) b. Geocoding the street address, Google Maps returns a latitude and longitude coordinate to the program. Now that we know the coordinates of the remote point, we can generate path profiles and most importantly, visually analyze the results to determine if the street address is LOS between 1 or more tower sites. c. You will notice some displayed advisories that briefly appear on the screen keeping you informed of the GeoCoding and generation of the path profiles. Be patient, this doesn t take long! d. Based on the returned coordinates of the street address, a lettered marker is displayed on the Google Map. (Marker letters are user selectable in the Quick Action Tools on the top menu bar click the Google Maps button) e. GeoCode LOS is now populated with the results. 7. The parameters contained in the tower CSV file are the basis for determining which physical paths between a tower and the remote point are analyzed. For example, if the antenna on the tower has an effective talk out distance of 10 miles and the remote site is more than 10 miles away, the tower is eliminated. If the antenna discrimination angles between the tower and the remote site are outside of the towers antenna beam width, the tower is eliminated from the analysis. 8. The displayed list of Towers can be modified by clicking on the LOS Only and VOIP buttons. Click on the Link Diagram button draws a, you guessed it, a link diagram between the remote site and the displayed list towers. 2

3 9. The Open Report button opens a notepad as shown below. You can enter a comment and save the report using the various buttons. Clipboard entries can be pasted into another document. 10. So far so good? Let s continue and navigate around the GeoCode LOS main screen. a. Click on the GM Expand button on the top menu bar. The Map now opens up to a full screen display. Latitude. Longitude, elevation and the USGS 7.5 quad map name are displayed as you move the mouse cursor. 11. Selecting a path profile to print or expand is easy. Click on the path profile OR click on desired tower in the list of Towers. Notice the checkbox next to the name of the tower. a. Right click (or Control Q from the keyboard) on the selected path profile and a number of options appear. Click Maximize and a full screen path profile is drawn. You can drag the mouse in the path profile to enlarge an area. 3

4 b. The antenna at the remote site can be raised/lower real time after clicking on the Path Profiles button in the Quick Action Tools. 12. With a couple of quick mouse clicks, you can display the footprint or sector of one or more towers antennas. a. Click on Google Maps on the Quick Action Tools located on the top menu bar. b. Click on the Select Tower dropdown and select the tower as shown in the figure below. After you have selected a tower and specific antenna, click on the Draw Tower Sector Footprint button. c. As you can see, there are two footprints on the map. How can that be? Simple. Just repeat the above steps for a second antenna and voila, the footprint appears. Great tool for checking the azimuths and overlaps of your antennae! d. The arcs or bands inside the footprint are ordered in increments of 2 mile spacing. If the talk out distance of the antenna is an odd number, the arcs will be spaced at 2 mile increments with the last arc spaced at 1 mile. We ve covered a lot of ground and functionality in this tutorial. Except for entering the street address, there has been no typing!! Just a few more words and you can start analyzing your own tower sites. A remote site can be also be a single mouse click on the map. After a click on the map, a latitude / longitude coordinate is obtained. Now click the Map Click Coordinates button and GeoCode LOS takes it from there. The Enter Coordinates button provides the capability to manually enter a unique latitude / longitude coordinate for the LOS analysis. To have GeoCodeLOS work with your own towers you will need to create a CSV or Excel XLS file with your tower sites (See Appendix A in the _Docs folder) and obtain the necessary USGS elevation data (see Appendix B and the NedExtractor documentation). 4

5 If you require assistance, have questions or wish to make comments or suggestions, please let us know by Telephone support in English with a live person is also available at We are located in Colorado, on Mountain Time, and have a two hour time difference from the east coast of the United States. System Requirements Windows 7 (x32 / x64), Windows Vista, Windows XP (SP3), Windows x 768 Screen Resolution Elevation Data Free (USGS NED or SRTM) Microsoft.NET 2.0 or higher Free from Microsoft Google Maps API Key Free Micropath HTML/JavaScript Files Free Web Page URI To Host Micropath JavaScript Files Micropath NedExtractor Program Free Sales and Technical Support Technical Support Hours: 10:00 AM to 4:00 Mountain Time Micropath Corporation 2023 Montane Drive East Golden, CO Tel: Fax: support@micropath.com / sales@micropath.com 5

6 Glossary AGL AMSL API Key CSV Above ground level. This is the antenna height or centerline above ground. Average Mean Sea Level. (0 feet or meters) Application Programming Interface Key. Available from Google Maps. Comma Separated Values. An ascii text file consisting of sequential line items separated by commas. GeoCode Obtaining latitude / longitude values for a specific street address. Ground Elevation The actual ground elevation at a given location or point. F LOS K MGRS MRC NED NLOS SRTM Remote Tower USGS UTM VOIP F factor or value used for the Fresnel Zone. Typically set for 0.6 x F1 (1 st Fresnel zone) Line of Sight. Does not include obstructions that may exist along the radio path. K factor or value used for defining the earth curvature in path profiles. Military Grid Reference System. A coordinate system used by military entities. Map Reference Code. The first five digits of the code represent the degrees of latitude and longitude of the area in which the USGS map quadrangle is located. These digits are followed by a two character alphanumeric grid reference to a 7.5 minute cell within the 1 degree by 1 degree block of area. The rows within each block are coded A through H and the columns are coded 1 through 8, both beginning in the southeast corner of the 1 degree by 1 degree area. Example: 37085A5 National Elevation Data. A seamless 1 arc second (NED1) and 1/3 arc second (NED13) data base available from the USGS. Non Line of Sight. Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. 3 arc second (SRTM3) elevation data. Coverage is world wide between 60º N and 60º S. 1 arc second (SRTM1) elevation data is available for the United States. SRTM data can be obtained from the NASA/JPL web site at: Any unique location or point defined by a street address, a mouse click on the Google Maps, or a manual entry of a latitude / longitude coordinate. A remote site might be a residence or business address, well site, electrical substation, pumping station, water treatment plant, video camera or security location, etc. A radio communications facility or tower, building, light pole, etc. This site is often referred to as a master station. United States Geological Survey. Universal Transverse Mercator. A coordinate system commonly used in GIS applications. Voice over internet protocol. 6

7 Appendix A Creating A CSV File Firstly and most importantly, the CSV file format is precise. No exceptions to the defined fields or formats are allowed. Very simply put, deviation from the prescribed 13 fields that comprise a single line in the CSV file will make GeoCode LOS inoperable and/or provide unpredictable results. You can create a CSV file using: 1. GeoCode LOS internal notepad (click on Tower Editor) 2. A text editor 3. An Excel spreadsheet Sample CSV files using different coordinate formats in Degrees, DM, or DMS formats are included in the GeoCode LOS installation and can be found in the program folder under _Sample CSV Files. Also included in this folder is a blank Excel spreadsheet. A single line in the CSV file represents a single tower site and a single antenna. You can have multiple antennas for a single tower. Each antenna is a separate line item within the CSV file. Example lines in the CSV file are presented below. Each item or field in the CSV file is separated by a comma. An layout or format of the CSV file is presented below. An explanation of each field items follows the sample file format presentations. Site ID, Site Name, Latitude, Longitude, Ground Elevation, Primary Antenna Height AGL, Diversity Antenna Height AGL, Frequency MHz, Antenna LOS Transmit Distance, Antenna Azimuth, Antenna Beam Width, VOIP Y/N, Data Rate Coordinate Format: Degrees Bea s Lane,DEN APT BEA , N, W,0,75,0,900,3,120,70,Y,3000 Bear Mtn.,DEN APT BRM , N, W,0,75,0,5200,10,212,70,Y,8000 Bear Mtn.,DEN AP BRM , N, W,0,75,0,5400,10,212,60,Y,8000 Bear Mtn.,DEN APT BRM , N, W,0,75,0,5800,10,147,70,Y,8000 Bear Mtn.,DEN APT BRM , N, W,0,75,0,5800,10,212,70,Y,8000 Bear Mtn.,DEN APT BRM , N, W,0,75,0,5800,10,277,70,Y,8000 Bear Mtn.,DEN APT BRM , N, W,0,75,0,5800,10,342,70,Y,8000 Indiana, DEN APT IND , N, W,0,60,0,5800,10,290,70,Y,8000 Morrison,DEN APT MOR , N, W,0,20,0,5200,10,300,70,Y,8000 Morrison,DEN APT MOR 75 52, N, W,0,20,0,5200,10,75,70,Y,8000 Morrison,DEN APT MOR , N, W,0,20,0,5800,10,130,70,N,8000 Morrison,DEN APT MOR , N, W,0,20,0,5800,10,260,70,Y,8000 Morrison,DEN APT MOR , N, W,0,20,0,5800,10,340,70,Y,8000 Morrison,DEN APT MOR 75 58, N, W,0,20,0,5800,10,75,70,Y,8000 Coordinate Format: Degrees Minutes 26 Mile,26 Mile,43:59.434N,105:43.984W,0,10,0,5800,35,360,360,N, Points,4 Points,43:47.9N,05:20.383W,0,10,0,5800,35,360,360,N,5000 Big Mike,Big Mike,44:08.887N,106:12.496W,0,10,0,5800,35,360,360,N,5000 Chicken,Chicken,44:40.917N,105:45.067W,0,60,0,5800,35,360,360,N,5000 Coal Gulch,Coal Gulch,44:20.1N,106:17.448W,0,60,0,5800,35,360,360,N,5000 Culp Draw,Culp Draw,43:43.234N,106:04.226W,0,10,0,5800,35,360,360,N,5000 Coordinate Format: Degrees Minutes Seconds GEN1, GEN90 58, 39:30:05.23N, 105:18:23.84W, 0,150,0,5800,10,90,70,Y,5800 GEN2, GEN270 58, 39:30:05.23N, 105:18:23.84W, 0,140,0,5800,10,270,70,Y,5800 ALEX, ALEX , 39:30:15.56N, 105:56:47.93W, 0,25,0,900,3,360,360,N,3000 7

8 Tower CSV File Field Definitions Site ID, Site Name, Latitude, Longitude, Ground Elevation, Primary Antenna Height AGL, Diversity Antenna Height AGL, Frequency MHz, Antenna LOS Transmit Distance, Antenna Azimuth, Antenna Beam Width, VOIP Y/N, Data Rate Site ID The Site ID is a unique short abbreviation of the Tower Site and the corresponding antenna configuration. In theory, there should be one and only one Site ID for each tower / antenna configuration. Note: The Site ID field is not currently used at this time within GeoCode LOS. However, other Micropath programs are configured to use the Site ID field. Thus, we urge you to create a unique Site ID for each individual tower site / antenna configuration. You may leave this field blank in GeoCode LOS followed only by the comma (,) preceding the Site Name (, Genesee , N, W, etc) Site Name The Site Name is the unique name of the tower site and corresponding antenna configuration for a single line within the CSV file. The Site Name is used exclusively in GeoCode LOS and MUST NOT be repeated or duplicated. An example of unique Site Names for the same tower with multiple antennae could be similar to: DEN APT MOR DEN APT MOR The above example corresponds to: Network Name Type of Access Point Access Point Name,Sector Azimuth Frequency Latitude The tower site latitude can be expressed in Degrees (DEG), Degrees Minutes (DM), or Degrees Minutes Seconds (DMS). N (for north) is appended to each latitude entry. Latitude expressed in DM or DMS must have the minutes and seconds separated by a colon (:). Example: W (Deg) 39: W (DM) 39:30:00.00W (DMS) Longitude The tower site longitude can be expressed in Degrees (DEG), Degrees:Minutes (DM), or Degrees:Minutes:Seconds (DMS). W (for west) is appended to each longitude entry. Longitude expressed in DM or DMS must have the minutes and seconds separated by a colon (:). Examples: W (Deg) 105: W (DM) 105:30:00.00W (DMS) Elevation The ground elevation (AMSL) of the tower site is expressed in local units of feet or meters. If you do not know the tower site elevation, enter zero (0). GeoCode LOS will extrapolate an elevation from the elevation data base for a zero (0) value. GeoCode LOS will NOT extrapolate a ground elevation for a non zero elevation value. Never ever combine ground elevation and antenna height AGL. They are two distinct and separate entities. Antenna Pri AGL The primary antenna height or centerline above ground level is expressed in local units of feet or meters. If the antenna is mounted on a building, the antenna AGL is always above ground level and not above the top of the building. If you do not know the antenna height AGL, enter a zero (0). GeoCode LOS will utilize the value previously set for the tower site in the program s Default Settings. Never ever combine ground elevation and antenna height AGL. They are two distinct and separate entities. Antenna Div AGL The diversity antenna height or centerline above ground level is expressed in local units of feet or meters. Enter a zero (0) for this value. The diversity antenna height AGL is not used in GeoCode LOS but is part of the CSV file format for other Micropath applications. The preceding criteria for primary antenna height AGL also applies to a diversity antenna. Frequency The frequency of the tower transmitter expressed in MHz: Example: , 5300, Do not enter frequency in GHz. Antenna LOS Transmit Distance The simplified LOS or path distance, expressed in miles or kilometers, for an antenna is dependent upon the transmitter power output, system losses (if any), and TX and RX antenna gains. The LOS path distance value should reflect a realistic value and not be arbitrarily exaggerated. Extending the LOS distance above the true or realistic path distance will cause an increase in the number of validated tower sites within GeoCode LOS and may thus present excessive number of paths which are in fact not feasible. An example entry for the Antenna LOS Transmit Distance could be 3, 10, 15, 30, etc. 8

9 Antenna Azimuth The true north azimuth of the tower antenna expressed in degrees. For an Omni directional antenna, enter 360. Example: 128.5, 185, or 360 (Omni) Antenna Beam Width The tower antenna beam width or sector value. An antenna with a 70 degree beam width or sector will have a spread of +/ 35 degrees on each side of the antenna azimuth. For an Omni directional antenna, enter 360. Example: 70 or 360 (Omni) VOIP Voice Over Internet Protocol. Enter Y or N. Data Rate Enter the data rate of the radio expressed in kbps. Example: 3000, 5000, 8000 Using the Blank Excel Spreadsheet If you are proficient with Excel, the sample spreadsheet.xls file can be used to manually enter or populate the required fields to create your tower CSV file. When exporting the Excel spreadsheet contents to a CSV file, be sure to manually review and edit the CSV file to remote the Excel column headers and/or any extra commas at the end of the file. Notes: 1. When creating your tower CSV file(s), a good approach is to create a small CSV file with about 5 entries. Should there be an error in this file, it is easily discovered and corrected instead of trying to analyze a CSV file with 250 entries. 2. Degrees:Minutes and Degrees:Minutes:Seconds are separated by a colon : 3. N or W is appended to each coordinate, regardless of coordinate format. Appendix B 9

10 Obtaining Elevation Data NED: USGS NED1 and NED13 Elevation data may be obtained using the internet and by following the step by step directions in Micropath s NedExtractor Help file (NedExtractor.pdf). SRTM: via FTP ftp://e0srp01u.ecs.nasa.gov Copying Elevation Data To Folders On Your PC The placement of elevation data files on your PC are handled uniformly whether using NED or SRTM. You only have to select the type of data and then place elevation in its corresponding latitude folders. See the pictures below. Users in the United States should select NED data since elevation accuracy is significantly better than the SRTM. All elevation data is placed in a folder called _ElevData. The default location for this folder is c:\program files\micropath\geocodelos\_elevdata. SubFolders for the type of elevation data (NED1, NED13, SRTM1, SRTM3) are created followed by the creation of two digit latitude subfolders accordingly. See Pictures 1,2, and 3 below. Options Settings Default Values Datums: The datum for the USGS NED and the NASA SRTM files is WGS84 / NAD83. The datum for the USGS NED Alaska 2 arc second elevation data is NAD27. Notes: 1. NED Extractor will also unzip the NASA/JPL SRTM1 and SRTM3 V2.zip files. Extracted SRTM files are NOT renamed. Micropath utilizes the native SRTM file naming convention. 2. DO NOT download or attempt to use USGS SRTM elevation data. 10

11 Application Notes: None. General Notes: 1. Address, city, place names, and coordinates returned by Google Maps may be approximate. 2. Displayed maps and results provided by the geocoding service may vary in detail and accuracy. 3. Micropath does not warrant, either expressly or implied, the functionality, accuracy or detail of any data or map provided or returned by Google Maps geocoding services or USGS / SRTM elevation data. 4. Micropath is not and does not make any representation to be a party or involved in any manner to your Google Maps API Key or your compliance with Google Maps Terms of Service (TOS). 5. Visual Path Design and GeoCode LOS are trademarks of Micropath Corporation 6. Micropath and MapExplorer are registered trademarks of Micropath Corporation. 7. Google Maps is a trademark of Google. Copyright by Micropath Corporation. All rights reserved. 11