Geographical Operations System
Encyclopedia
In telecommunications, a Geographical Operations System (GOS) combines the integration of data
Data integration
Data integration involves combining data residing in different sources and providing users with a unified view of these data.This process becomes significant in a variety of situations, which include both commercial and scientific domains...

 with geographic mapping ability in a consolidated process for telecommunications companies. The process can be defined as, "...the marriage that integrating Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Operational Support Systems (OSS) entails..." in a telecommunications company. The goal of a GOS is to open the spreading of information among employees of a company by providing equal access to geographic representation and database
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...

 information about customers and equipment to ensure the deliverance of services. A Geographical Operations System is meant to provide all employees, from database managers to field technicians and customer service representatives, with equal access to information in order to enhance services and respond to problems. A GOS is adopted by telecommunications companies to combine maps of the company's service area with database information about the company's customers and equipment.

GOS Software

GOS software relies on a central repository for critical data to foster better communication between the various branches of a telecom. GOS software may offer companies a means to achieve technological convergence
Technological convergence
Technological convergence is the tendency for different technological systems to evolve towards performing similar tasks. Convergence can refer to previously separate technologies such as voice , data , and video that now share resources and interact with each other synergistically.The rise of...

 in their marketed products. Open Database Connectivity
Open Database Connectivity
In computing, ODBC is a standard C interface for accessing database management systems . The designers of ODBC aimed to make it independent of database systems and operating systems...

 (ODBC) is utilized to create a discernible pathway for retrieving information from GOS software for a range of employees that may not be familiar with database protocols. The software creates a channel within a company for experts to share information on the various aspects of the telecommunications company, thus opening the spread of information and increasing efficiency for employees.

Uniqueness

The increasing pressures of competition
Competition
Competition is a contest between individuals, groups, animals, etc. for territory, a niche, or a location of resources. It arises whenever two and only two strive for a goal which cannot be shared. Competition occurs naturally between living organisms which co-exist in the same environment. For...

 and expansion in the telecommunications market have driven many vendors in the field to reassess internal organization and cooperation. Technological innovation has introduced greater capacity and capabilities in the telecommunications market, but also added complexity for many companies, as they attempt to develop commercial offerings with an ever-growing list of products and services. A Geographical Operations Systems meshes the importance of Geographical Information Systems – which provides the ability to store data in a geographically-correct map – with the reliance of telecommunications companies on Operational Support Systems as a way to categorize and maintain customer and equipment records.

The Geographical Operations System simplifies interoperability
Interoperability
Interoperability is a property referring to the ability of diverse systems and organizations to work together . The term is often used in a technical systems engineering sense, or alternatively in a broad sense, taking into account social, political, and organizational factors that impact system to...

 in a telecommunications company by converging resources that may be stored in different programming languages from across the company into a single software program to be utilized by customer satisfaction representatives, equipment technicians, telecommunications engineers, and the accounting department, among others. Information is made general and uniform throughout a company to allow independent employees to carry out tasks without seeking out the expertise and time of coworkers.

Further reading

Flournoy, Chuck (March–April 2008), “Tearing Down the Walls: Using Data Integration to Rethink Telecom Operations Management”, Rural Telecommunications magazine.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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