Mapping Tool User Guide

Introduction

The Mapping Tool provides a visual workspace for network planning, infrastructure management, customer visibility, and service qualification. It allows you to view sites, access points, subscribers, coverage areas, backhauls, and custom geographic layers on an interactive map.

Use this guide to learn how to access the tool, manage map layers, qualify customer locations, and perform network planning using the What If feature.

Prerequisites

Before using the Mapping Tool, ensure you have:

Access to the application and appropriate permissions for the Map module.
Existing infrastructure data, such as:
- Sites
- Access Points
- Subscribers
- Radio coverage data
- Interconnections
Customer or location information if you plan to use service qualification features.
Clutter profiles configured if you plan to perform advanced site planning.
Basic knowledge of map coordinates, including latitude, longitude, and elevation.

1. Access the Mapping Tool

Log in to the application.
Navigate to the left-side menu.
Select Map.

The Mapping Tool opens with an interactive map interface and supporting controls.

2. Understand the Mapping Tool Layout

The Mapping Tool is organized into three primary areas:

Tools Section
- Used for map actions, filters, custom layers, and planning features.
- Displays coordinate information such as latitude and longitude.
Layer Control Section
- Used to turn map layers on or off.
- Controls visibility for infrastructure, subscribers, coverage, and custom map data.
Map View
- The central map area where sites, subscribers, access points, coverage zones, and planning results are displayed.

3. Use the Tools Section

The Tools section provides options for filtering data, creating custom map elements, and controlling how map markers behave.

View Coordinates

At the top of the Tools section, the map displays geographic coordinates:

Latitude
Longitude

These coordinates help identify precise locations on the map and are useful for network planning or customer qualification.

Use Custom Filters

Custom Filters allow you to display specific customer groups or records based on selected customer information.

Use custom filters when you want to:

View only certain subscriber types.
Focus on customers in a specific service area.
Reuse saved customer views for ongoing planning or support tasks.

Open Marker Pop-Ups

Markers on the map may display additional information when interacted with.

Depending on configuration, marker pop-ups can open when you:

Hover over a marker.
Click on a marker.

Pop-ups typically provide summary or detail information about the selected map object.

Configure Click Pin Behavior

When selecting a pin or marker, you can choose what information is displayed:

Summary — Shows a brief overview.
Details — Shows more complete information.
Both — Displays summary and detailed information together.

This is useful when switching between high-level map review and detailed customer or infrastructure analysis.

4. Create and Manage Custom Layers

Custom Layers allow you to create geographic objects on the map, such as:

Polygons — Useful for defining service areas, coverage zones, neighborhoods, or boundaries.
Polylines — Useful for routes, fiber paths, backhaul paths, or planned network segments.

Common Uses for Custom Layers

Use custom layers to:

Define planned service territories.
Mark construction or expansion areas.
Outline restricted or priority zones.
Document physical routes or boundaries.
Support sales, operations, and engineering planning.

Export Custom Layers

Custom layers can be exported as KML files.

KML export allows you to open map data in tools such as:

Google Earth
Google Maps
Other GIS or mapping platforms that support KML files

This is useful for sharing map information with external teams, contractors, or planning stakeholders.

5. Use Layer Control

The Layer Control section determines what data appears on the map.

You can enable or disable layers depending on the information you need to review.

Select a Base Map

The Base Map controls the visual style of the map background.

Available options include:

Streets — Standard road and address view.
Hybrid — Satellite imagery with map labels.
Topographic — Terrain-focused view showing elevation and landform details.

Use Streets for address searches, Hybrid for visual site context, and Topographic for terrain-aware planning.

Display Sites

Sites represent infrastructure locations in your network.

These may include:

Towers
Rooftop locations
Network hubs
Relay locations
Other service infrastructure points

Enable the Sites layer when reviewing infrastructure placement or planning network expansion.

Display APs

APs, or Access Points, represent access point equipment or sectors associated with your sites.

APs may display basic service radius or signal indicators, showing that an access point is active or available for service planning.

Use the APs layer to review:

Active access points
Sector placement
Potential customer service areas
Network reach from existing infrastructure

Display Subscribers

The Subscribers layer displays customer locations on the map.

Depending on configuration, you may be able to display:

All subscribers
Default subscribers
Filtered subscriber groups using custom filters

Use this layer for customer management, service review, and geographic analysis.

Display Radio Coverage

Radio Coverage shows estimated service coverage based on antennas and access point configuration.

This layer helps visualize:

Approximate service radius
Potential coverage gaps
Areas that may require additional infrastructure
Candidate locations for service qualification

Coverage should be used as a planning aid and may need to be validated with terrain, clutter, signal, and field data.

Display Interconnections

Interconnections represent network links between sites.

These are typically:

Backhauls
Point-to-point links
Site-to-site transport connections

Use this layer to understand how infrastructure locations are connected across the network.

Display Custom Layers

The Custom Layers option displays layers created using the Custom Layers tool.

Enable this option to view:

Service boundaries
Planned expansion areas
Route paths
Custom polygons or polylines
Operational planning zones

6. Use the Main Map View

The central map area provides different modes for locating addresses, qualifying customers, and planning network expansion.

Use Normal Mode

Normal mode allows you to search for and locate addresses on the map.

Use this mode when you need to:

Find a customer address.
Review a specific location.
Navigate to a service area.
Inspect nearby sites, APs, or subscribers.

Use Quick Check

Quick Check is used to validate or pre-qualify a customer location for service.

Use Quick Check to determine whether a potential customer may be serviceable based on available network data.

Typical use cases include:

Sales qualification
New customer onboarding
Service availability checks
Initial feasibility review

Quick Check results should be validated with detailed engineering review when needed, especially for complex terrain or marginal coverage areas.

Use What If

What If is used for network deployment planning.

It allows you to model possible network scenarios before physically deploying equipment.

Use What If to evaluate:

New site locations
New customer connection points
Point-to-point links
Potential coverage expansion
Feasibility of serving a specific area

7. Perform Network Planning with What If

The What If tool supports multiple planning modes for evaluating possible network deployments.

Available planning modes include:

Site-to-Site
Site-to-Point
Point-to-Point

Each mode requires location and elevation information to generate useful planning results.

8. Plan a Site-to-Site Link

Use Site-to-Site planning when evaluating a connection between two infrastructure sites.

Required Start Site Information

Provide the following information for the starting site:

Latitude
Longitude
Elevation
Azimuth
Frequency

Required End Site Information

Provide the following information for the ending site:

Latitude
Longitude
Elevation
Azimuth
Distance
Clutter profile

When to Use Site-to-Site Planning

Use Site-to-Site planning to evaluate:

Backhaul links
Relay site connections
Tower-to-tower connectivity
Network expansion between infrastructure locations

9. Create or Configure a Clutter Profile

A Clutter Profile represents environmental characteristics that may affect signal performance, such as buildings, vegetation, or terrain obstructions.

To create or configure a clutter profile:

Open the App Launcher.
Select Equipment.
Navigate to the Mapping section.
Define the clutter profile according to your planning requirements.
Save the profile for use in network planning.

Clutter profiles help improve planning accuracy by accounting for real-world environmental conditions.

10. Plan a Site-to-Point Connection

Use Site-to-Point planning when evaluating service from an infrastructure site to a specific point, such as a customer location or proposed endpoint.

Required Start Site Information

Provide the following information for the starting site:

Latitude
Longitude
Elevation
Azimuth
Frequency

Required End Point Information

Provide the following information for the endpoint:

Latitude
Longitude
Elevation
Azimuth
Distance

When to Use Site-to-Point Planning

Use Site-to-Point planning to evaluate:

Whether a customer location can be served from an existing site.
Whether an access point can reach a specific endpoint.
Potential signal path and feasibility.
Candidate installation locations.

11. Plan a Point-to-Point Link

Use Point-to-Point planning when evaluating a direct link between two specific locations.

Required Information

For both the start point and end point, provide:

Latitude
Longitude
Elevation

In this mode, azimuth and frequency in MHz may not be required, depending on the planning workflow and system configuration.

Best Practices

When using Point-to-Point planning:

Ensure both endpoints have accurate coordinates.
Confirm elevation values are correct.
Verify that start and end locations are entered consistently.
Review generated profiles carefully before making deployment decisions.

When to Use Point-to-Point Planning

Use Point-to-Point planning to evaluate:

Direct wireless links.
Temporary or proposed connections.
Possible customer-to-network paths.
New relay or extension opportunities.

12. Apply Mapping Best Practices

To get the most value from the Mapping Tool, follow these best practices:

Use the correct Base Map for the task:
- Streets for addresses.
- Hybrid for visual inspection.
- Topographic for terrain review.
Use Custom Filters to reduce visual clutter when reviewing subscribers.
Keep Custom Layers organized and clearly named.
Export important layers to KML when sharing with external teams.
Validate planning results with engineering review when coverage or path quality is uncertain.
Use Quick Check for initial qualification, not as the only final approval method.
Confirm latitude, longitude, and elevation values before performing network planning.
Use clutter profiles where terrain, vegetation, or buildings may impact signal quality.

Conclusion

The Mapping Tool provides a centralized workspace for viewing infrastructure, managing subscriber visibility, analyzing coverage, and planning network deployments. By combining layers, filters, Quick Check, and What If planning modes, teams can make more informed decisions about customer serviceability, network expansion, and infrastructure design.

For best results, use the Mapping Tool as part of a broader planning workflow that includes accurate location data, validated equipment information, clutter profiles, and engineering review.