Why 5G Is All About GIS
5G is here and causing a lot of buzz in the tech world. Everyone seems to have an idea of what it is, yet is not really sure of its potential. Many people have various definitions of 5G, from laughable conspiracy theorists to absurd futuristic predictions. But what if I told you that 5G is all about geospatial analysis?
GIS and 5G will go hand in hand in the coming years, as the future of GIS will incorporate IOT, machine learning, smart cities, driverless cars, and most importantly, 5G.
What is 5G?
What is 5G? 5G is the fifth generation of cellular networks. Up to 100 times faster than 4G, 5G is creating never-before-seen opportunities for people and businesses.
Faster connectivity speeds, ultra-low latency, and greater bandwidth are advancing societies, transforming industries and dramatically enhancing day-to-day experiences. Services that we used to see as futuristic, such as e-health, connected vehicles and traffic systems, and advanced mobile cloud gaming, have arrived.
CISCO states that 5G technology has a theoretic peak speed of 20 Gbps, though the peak speed of 4G is solitary 1 Gbps. 5G also abilities lower latency, which can improve the performance of business applications as well as other digital experiences (such as online gaming, videoconferencing, and self-driving cars).
While earlier generations of cellular technology (such as 4G LTE) focused on ensuring connectivity, 5G receipts connectivity to the next level by delivering connected experiences from the cloud to clients. 5G networks are virtualized and software-driven, and they exploit cloud technologies.
A History of 5G
To understand 5G, it’s helpful to understand what came before it. Broadly, the first generation of mobile technology, 1G, was about voice. The ability to use a phone in a car, or away from home, really took root here. The advent of 2G introduced a short-messaging layerpieces of which can still be seen in today’s texting features.
The move to 3G provided the core network speeds needed to launch smartphones. And 4G, with its high data-transfer rates, gave us video with minimal buffering and gave rise to many of the connected devices and services that we rely on and enjoy today.
The impact of 5G
5G technology is already having a transformative impact on the economy, spurring economic growth by:
1.Creating new industries, products, and business models. As 4G unlocked the app economy, 5G is poised to unlock higher bandwidth, near real-time responses, the industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and mission-critical products and applications.
2.Improving productivity and reducing costs lead to increased economic output from the same inputs.
3.Optimizing service quality significantly and, therefore, consumer willingness to pay for goods and services.
WHY 5G NEEDS GIS
5G a Whether in New Delhi, New York City, or Newfoundland, geospatial data and information are crucial to 5G network rollouts. Well-planned, expansive networks are required for this technology to work seamlessly because, along with its benefits, 5G brings a set of challenges that require detailed and dynamic geospatial data and information to solve by GIS
Geo spatial world notes that Geospatial and 5G are interconnected. Accurate location information helps governments design better cities, focus public services and engage with citizens.
And as cities get smarter much of this location data has to be in real time. 5G’s higher frequencies, which is needed to carry huge amounts of data, have very short range which can be impacted by smallest of the obstructions.
The signal is so sensitive that it can be blocked by the palm of your hand, or even a raindrop. Therefore, accurate, authoritative geospatial data is fundamental here.
This digital geospatial strategy fosters a data-driven approach to modelling future needs, maximizing ROI while minimizing the cost and risk of new infrastructure investment. For example, a company could even incorporate internal geospatial data and local tax data to find the lowest-cost locations for new antennae.
Planned telecom infrastructure can be accurately mapped and merged with data on neighboring hazards so antennae can be optimally positioned to avoid obstruction from tall buildings or lamp posts. Planned networks could be merged with local ecological or meteorological data to model the impact of tree foliage or rain on signal strength in each location.
Examples Where GIS and 5G Interact
Spatial data can also be used in other areas prime for optimization. For example, Telefónica uses GIS to turn data from thousands of IoT sensors into actionable insights that allow their public sector customers to make decisions to help their cities run not only more efficiently but sustainably as well.
With machine learning algorithms and faster processing speeds at 5G speeds, these clients are able to optimize resources, including waste collection and energy costs, and reduce their carbon footprint.
To conclude, from network planning and deployment to maintenance and optimization, spatial analysis is key for the successful rollout of 5G networks. As I stated in my last post, the future of technology is GIS.
