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UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI

ROUTE LOCATION FOR FIBRE OPTIC CABLING,

A case study of Upper Hill- Nairobi

NYAMORI MICHAEL OLUOCH

F19/2474/2009

A project report to be submitted to the Department of Geospatial and

Space Technology in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award

of the degree of:

Bachelor of Science in Geospatial Engineering

APRIL 2014

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ABSTRACT

In an effort to improve the standards of long distance transfer mechanisms of

data in the developing countries, many countries including Kenya have

adopted the fibre optic cabling technology. This has replaced the traditional

copper twisted pair cables and coaxial cables. This study mainly aims at

showing how GIS can be used in determining a fibre optic cable route to be

used in ducting the cables from the servers to the customers.

This study uses GIS tools in the determination of the best location of the

route network in Upper Hill region, the study area based on three criteria;

Along the road reserve at a buffer distance of 1.5 metres from the major

roads; Location of the prospective customers who are not yet connected

relative to the already existing network, provided by Liquid Telecom

Company; Having a network that is cost effective and secure in terms of the

route it follows and the customer base along the route. The study also aims

at developing a geodatabase of the Upper Hill region that can be used by the

telecommunication industry as a guide in navigation and identification of the

buildings, facilities and utilities in the region.

The study aimed at displaying the fibre optic cable network and other base

information in a digital map. This information is useful to the users, telecom

service providers and managers who can easily relate the data with what is

on the ground. GIS was used for the preparation of the digital for the

preparation of digital maps and carrying out the analysis procedures, thus

overlay and proximity studies. The final output is a digital map where all the

above data could be displayed at the click of a button on the digital map.

From the study, it is evident that the manner in which fibre optic cables are

currently being laid underground by most telecom companies should be

changed, so that instead just burying the cables, they should rather be

ducted in conduits to avoid risks of damage and interference with other

utilities. The study further recommends that the Government should take over

the management, security and maintenance of the fibre optic cable network

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while the service providers remain in charge of the data, but at a fee

remittable to the Government for their services.

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DEDICATION

I dedicate this work to my parents, Mr. and Mrs. Nyamori, my sisters

Irene and Mercy and last but not least, my brothers Maurice and

Francis.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, I would like to thank God for the knowledge and wisdom he

has given me during the entire project.

Secondly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor

Dr.Ing. D. N.Siriba, of the Department of Geospatial and Space

Technology, University of Nairobi. His guidance, advice and supervision

throughout the period during which I was doing this study were very

inspiring and helpful in the achievement of the objectives of the project.

I would also like to thank my family for supporting me throughout my

stay in college, with a lot of love, care and prayers of goodwill. My

appreciation also goes to the entire faculty of engineering

administration, especially the teaching staff of the Department of

Geospatial and Space Technology, as well as the technicians and

technologists of the department, for all of their joint support and

technical assistance accorded.

I would also like to appreciate the staff of Survey of Kenya, Liquid

telecom, and Jamii Telkom. Special thanks to Mr. Lemlem Nixon of

Liquid telecom and Paul Silali of Survey of Kenya for their guidance,

support and for providing me with part of the data used for the project.

Last but not least, I would also like to thank my fellow classmates, with

whom I had a wonderful time both in and out of class. I must thank them

for the help, guidance and positive criticism throughout the time I was

working on this project.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT .................................................................................................... i

DEDICATION ................................................................................................ iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................. iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................ v

LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................... vii

LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................... viii

ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................ ix

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ............................................................... 1

1.1 BACKGROUND INFORMATION .......................................................... 1

1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT ...................................................................... 3

1.3. OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT ....................................................... 5

1.4 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE PROJECT.................................. 5

1.5. PROJECT ORGANISATION ................................................................ 5

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW..................................................... 7

2.1 FIBRE OPTIC CABLES TECHNOLOGY .............................................. 7

2.1.1 History of fibre optics ...................................................................... 7

2.1.2 Fibre optic cable mechanism .......................................................... 9

2.1.3 Optical fibre relay system ............................................................. 11

2.1.4 The merits and demerits of fibre optic cables. .............................. 12

2.1.5 Applications of fibre optic cables .............................................. 12

2.2 GIS IN NETWORK PLANNING........................................................... 13

2.3 HISTORY OF FIBRE OPTICS IN KENYA .......................................... 14

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY ........................................................ 17

3.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................ 17

3.2 METHODOLOGY OVERVIEW ........................................................... 17

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3.3 DATASETS, DATA SOURCES AND TOOLS ..................................... 20

3.3.1 Data sources and Datasets .......................................................... 20

3. Area Code Boundaries ........................................................................ 21

3.3.2 Tools ............................................................................................. 21

3.4 DATA CAPTURE AND EDITING PROCESSES ................................. 21

3.4.2 Data preparation ........................................................................... 21

3.4.3 Determining the fibre optic cable route network ............................ 22

CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS AND ANALYSIS .......................................... 27

4.1 RESULTS ....................................................................................... 27

4.1.1 The Geodatabase ......................................................................... 27

4.1.2 Attribute data ................................................................................ 27

4.1.3 New network map ......................................................................... 29

4.2. ANALYSIS ......................................................................................... 31

CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............... 33

5.1 CONCLUSIONS .................................................................................. 33

5.2 RECOMMENDATIONS ....................................................................... 33

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure1.0.1 ..................................................................................................... 3

Figure 2.0.1The three parts of a fibre optic cable ......................................... 10

Figure2.0.2 Total internal reflections in an optical fibre. ............................... 11

Figure 3.0.1 Methodology flow chart. ........................................................... 18

Figure 3.0.2Map of the study area- Upper Hill in Nairobi ............................. 19

Figure 4.0.1 Upper Hill Geodatabase ........................................................... 27

Figure 4.0.2 Major roads buffer ................................................................... 30

Figure 4. 0.3 The map of the overlay of the estates, major roads and the

existing fibre optic route network. ................................................................. 30

Figure 4.0.4The final map of the proposed network. .................................... 31

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 4.0.1 Attribute table showing petrol stations in Upper Hill .................. 28

Table 4.0.2 Attribute table showing major roads data in the study area ...... 29

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ABBREVIATIONS

CBD: Central Business District

EASSY: East African Submarine System.

FLAG: The Fibre Optic Link around the Globe.

GIS: Geographic Information systems.

IOR: Index of Refraction.

Ltd: Limited.

Maser: Microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.

OTDR: Optical Time Domain Reflectometer.

SEACOM: South and East African submarine cable communication

system.

TEAM: The East African Marine System.

UML: Unified Modelling Language.

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CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The recent developments in technology have brought about the

transition of transfer mechanisms of large volumes of digital data over

long distances from twisted pair cable of copper wires network cabling

to coaxial wire cabling and very recently to optical fibre network cabling.

This has enhanced the efficiency of digital data transmission in many

aspects, for instance, the level of noise interference has been

managed, and the data transfer speeds have been improved. The

amount of bandwidth capacity for data volumes has also been

increased. Furthermore, the limits of the lengths over which the data

can be transferred with the use of the new optical fibre cables without

the risk of attenuation of data quality is much longer as compared to the

initial data transfer modes. (Networktutorials.info, 2014)

Over the last 20 years or so, fibre optic lines have taken over and

transformed the long distance telephone industry. Optical fibres have

contributed to making the internet available around the world, as well as

cable television (Ward, K. 2006). When fibre replaces copper for long

distance calls and Internet traffic, it dramatically lowers costs. Liquid

Telecom, Safaricom limited, Access Kenya, Frontier Optical Network

and Jamii Telecom are amongst the companies implementing

countrywide fibre optic cable networking, thus providing high speed

internet services to their clients countrywide. Today, a variety of sectors

including the military, telecommunication, data storage, networking and

banking sectors are able to apply and use fibre optic technology in a

variety of applications. They are also used in medical imaging and

mechanical engineering inspection.

The manner in which telecom companies burry their cables

underground without any form of cable guarding criteria exposes them

to various risks.

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This research focused mainly on the fibre optic cable networking. It

proposes the designing of a network where conduits shall be positioned

underground and the fibre optic cables ducted through, with a sampling

case study of the Upper Hill region, Nairobi. The conduits are meant to

be strategically positioned underground at a safe buffer distance within

the road reserves in Upper Hill. This will ensure that they are not

tampered with should the roads will be upgraded. This will help secure

the cables from being tampered with and also make the cables

maintenance easier.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has a wide spread application

in many of the business processes. An emerging area of interest is the

fibre optic cable technology, which is amongst the fields of

telecommunication industry. It can be employed to facilitate the

designing of an optimal route network for laying conduits for ducting the

fibre optic cables regionally. (Smeureanu & Dumitresce, 2010)

To support management, the fibre optic cable routes and components

has to be precisely captured and stored in a GIS database. GIS is also

used as a network inventory and infrastructure management tool in fibre

optic cable networks. Alongside representation of the network elements

in map form, it also captures all attribute data of the elements and is

therefore able to generate useful reports about the same. This is very

important and instrumental in managing network resources and

planning for network expansion in regions that are experiencing

diminishing resources. Site engineers can also use GIS in localization

of faults that may result from equipment failure, accidental cable

damage or vandalism and drastically reduce downtime since the

database query eliminates the need for field engineers to manually

trace cables on site. GIS provides all the information required in fixing

faults since it gives a detailed report of all equipment ports that are used

for providing service to subscribers.

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1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT

The advent of fibre optic technology in Kenya has led to a remarkable

development in the country’s Information Communication Technology

sector. The service providers have since then been in competition with

each other in securing subscribing customers connectivity in most

urban centres in the country, connecting telecommunication firms,

banks, learning institutions, government and private working offices and

even homes. This has resulted into massive and frequent digging up of

trenches along roads, pavements and even across some roads.

There are a number of problems emanating from the manner in which

these useful cables are being laid underground from their sources to

their target customers. The telecom service providers deploy many

workers to dig up trenches frequently, the trenches in which they lay the

cables. This generates various problems and menaces which ought to

be sorted out for future efficiency, as illustrated in figure 1.0.1 (A to F)

Figure 1.0.1

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The haphazard manner in which fibre optic cables are laid without

minding about whatever is already laying beneath the trenches being

dug causes a lot of interference with other communication lines and

cables already laid underground, and often leads to their damage.

Pipes carrying water, fuel and sewer can also be broken in the process.

They also interfere with the drainpipes and underground power and

communication lines whenever they dig up the ground to repair faults

detected along the cables. This is shown above in figures 1.0.1 (A, D

and F).

The current cable laying procedure causes a lot of inconvenience to the

general public including pedestrians and motorists who walk along the

pavements that are dug frequently for purposes of cable installation or

maintenance. Often, the tiles on the pavements are removed to pave

way for trench digging thereby forcing pedestrian to walk along the main

roads preserved for motorists’ usage, as illustrated in figures 1.0.1(A)

and (B) The service providers’ workers are also inconvenienced

because they have to work late into the night when there is low traffic

on the roads to dig up trenches that cross the roads for the purposes of

cable maintenance and connections. This is shown in the above

diagram, in figure 1.0.1 (E) (at the junction of Utalii lane Monrovia Street

in front of Hazina Towers Nairobi).

The digging up of trenches along the road sides and pavements also

has a negative economic impact on the service providers. They have to

incur a lot of costs in employing many workers for the desired long

lengths of trenches of the entire customer linkage network to be dug up;

cables be laid and trenches be reburied or pavements be repaired in

good time to avoid inconveniences. There is an element of cost

whenever a firm digging up trenches for their cables damages other

cables found underground, or breaks pipes which leads to repairing

expenses. It is also costly to keep buying new cement, sand and tiles to

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repair the pavements whenever such an installation has been done, as

shown in figure 1.0.1.(C).

Whenever an underground cable installation or maintenance is being

done, the manner in which the pavement tiles are overturned and soil

piled along the pavements, roads and streets make the cities lose their

aesthetic value. It is an eyesore, especially in major towns and cities

countrywide, for instance what is displayed in figures 1.0.1 (A, B and F)

is an example of the resultant eye sore cited in Nairobi CBD.

1.3. OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT

The main objective of this project is to demonstrate the use of GIS in

the determining of a fibre optic cable route network, along which

conduits would be laid and cables ducted within.

The specific objectives are:

i) To create a geodatabase of the fibre optic network datasets for the

area of study.

ii) To produce a map of the study area showing the spatial distribution

of fibre optic cable route network within the region.

iii) To perform spatial network analysis of the route network.

1.4 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE PROJECT

This study is intended to demonstrate the use of GIS in the designing

fibre optic route network. the study is also limited to the fibre optic cable

network only even as much as the route network design can as well be

applied for other communication lines like underground electric cabling

which suffer same challenges.

1.5. PROJECT ORGANISATION

The report is organized into five chapters. Chapter One introduces the

project background, its objectives, scope and limitations. Chapter Two

presents literature review with reference to research done from various

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sources of relevant information. Chapter Three gives an overview of the

study area, data and tools as well as methodology used in the project.

Chapter Four presents the results and the analysis of results. Finally,

Chapter Five gives the conclusions and recommendations of based on

the results.

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CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 FIBRE OPTIC CABLES TECHNOLOGY

2.1.1 History of fibre optics

Alexander Graham Bell patented an optical telephone system called the

photophone in 1880. This assisted in the advancement of optical

technology. That same year, William Wheeler invented a system of

light pipes lined with a highly reflective coating that illuminated homes

by using light from an electric arc lamp placed in the basement and

directing the light around the home with the pipes. Heinrich Lamm was

the first person to transmit an image through a bundle of optical fibres in

1930. It was an image of a light bulb filament while trying to look at the

inside parts of the body (Timbercon, 2014).

In 1951, Holger Moeller applied for a Danish patent on fibre-optic

imaging in which he proposed cladding glass or plastic fibres with a

transparent low-index material, but was denied. Three years later,

Abraham Van Heel and Harold H. Hopkins presented imaging bundles

in the British journal Nature at separate times. Van Heel later produced

a cladded fibre system that greatly reduced signal interference and

between fibres. (Timbercon, 2014)

Also in 1954, the "maser" was developed by Charles Townes and his

colleagues at Columbia University. The laser was introduced in 1958 as

an efficient source of light. The concept was introduced by Charles

Townes and Arthur Schawlow to show that masers could be made to

operate in optical and infrared regions. Basically, light is reflected back

and forth in an energized medium to generate amplified light as

opposed to excited molecules of gas amplified to generate radio waves,

as is the case with the maser.

In 1961, Elias Snitzer of American Optical published a theoretical

description of single mode fibres whose core would be so small it could

carry light with only one wave guide mode. Snitzer was able to

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demonstrate a laser directed through a thin glass fibre which was

sufficient for medical applications, but for communication applications

the light loss was undesirably great. However, two Englishmen, Charles

Kao and George Hockham demonstrated theoretically that light loss in

existing fibre glasses could be decreased dramatically by removing

impurities. (Timbercon, 2014)

The first proposal to employ clad optical fibre glass as a

telecommunication transmission medium appeared in 1966. At this

time, a typical fibre glass 1000 decibels per kilometre and many

experiments were done to improve the loss.

The goal of making single mode fibres with attenuation less than 20

decibels per kilometre was finally achieved in 1970 by scientists at

Corning Glass Works. To achieve this they doped silica glass with

titanium. The same year, Morton Panish and Izuo Hayashi of Bell

laboratories demonstrated a semiconductor diode laser capable of

emitting continuous waves at room temperature. The Bell laboratories

developed a chemical vapour disposition process in 1973 that heats

chemical vapours and oxygen to form ultra-transparent glass that can

be mass–produced into low loss optical fibre. This is the standard

process for fibre-optic cable manufacturing till to date. (Epanorama,

2011)

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, telephone companies began to use

fibres extensively in the rebuilding of their infrastructure. In 1991,

Desurvive and Payne demonstrated fibre optic cable inbuilt optical

amplifiers. The new all optic system could carry a hundred times more

information than a cable with electronic amplifiers. Photonic crystal fibre

which could guide light by means of diffraction from periodic structure

rather than total internal reflection was also developed in 1991. It could

allow power to be carried more efficiently than with the conventional

fibres and therefore improving performance.

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In 1996, Trans-Pacific Cable 5 Cable Network (TPC-5CN), the all-optic

fibre cable that uses optical amplifiers was laid across the Pacific

Ocean. In 1997, the Fibre Optic Link around the Globe, (FLAG),

became the longest single-cable network in the world and it provided

the infrastructure for the subsequent generation of internet applications.

Today, fibres operate a wavelength of less than 1.5 micrometres with

loss of less than 1 decibel per kilometre. (Great achievements, 2014)

The invention of fibre optic technology is a revolutionary departure from

the traditional copper wires of twisted pair cable and later coaxial

cables. Today, copper wires are mainly used in interconnecting parallel

lines for their cost effectiveness and reliability. Many industries

especially telecommunications industries have opted to use optical fibre

over copper wire due to its ability transmit voluminous information and

data at a time. (Timbercon, 2014)

A variety of industries including the medical, military,

telecommunication, industrial, data storage, networking, and broadcast

industries are able to apply and use fibre optic technology in a variety of

applications.

2.1.2 Fibre optic cable mechanism

Fibre optics (optical fibres) are long, thin strands of very pure glass

about the diameter of a human hair. They are arranged in bundles

called optical cables and used to transmit light signals over long

distances. A single optical fibre consists of three parts, as shown in

figure 2.0.1. The inner most part is called the core, it consists of a thin

glass centre of the fibre where the light travels. Cladding is the outer

optical material surrounding the core that reflects the light back into the

core. The outermost layer is the buffer coating that protects the fibre

from damage and moisture. Hundreds or thousands of these optical

fibres are arranged in bundles in optical cables. The bundles are

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protected by the cable's outer covering, called a jacket. (Howstuffworks,

2012)

Figure 2.0.1The three parts of a fibre optic cable

Fibre optic cables are better suited for digital and light signal

transmission. They are thinner and are more resistant to

electromagnetic and radio interference than metal cables. Fibre optic

cabling is also less expensive to maintain than metal.

There are two types of optical fibres namely single-mode fibres and

multi-mode fibres. The single mode fibres have small cores and

transmit infrared laser light. Multi-mode fibres have larger cores and

transmit infrared light from light emitting diodes. The single mode fibres

can keep every light pulse over a longer distance than the multi-mode

fibres, because its transmission of degradation is very small thus

enabling it to have a higher bandwidth. This further makes the single

mode fibre to be an ideal source of high speed long distance data

transmission medium for any applications while multi-mode fibres are

only applicable in short distance transmission, not exceeding two miles.

This is because they have higher attenuation levels even though they

carry more data than single mode fibres. (Arumugam, 2001)

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2.1.3 Optical fibre relay system

A fibre optic relay system consists of the following four components; the

transmitter, the optical fibre, the optical generator and the optical

receiver. The transmitter produces and encodes the light signals. It is

physically close to the optical fibre and may have a lens to focus the

light into the fibre. The optical fibre is the conductor of the light signal

over distances. The one or more optical generators are spliced along

the cables to boost the light signal for long distances. This avoids signal

loss that occurs especially when light is transmitted over long distances.

The optical receiver then receives the incoming digital light signals and

decodes them and sends the electrical signal to the recipient user’s

computer, television or telephone. The receiver uses a photocell or

photodiode to detect the light.

The light in a fibre-optic cable travels through the core by constantly

bouncing from the cladding, a principle called total internal reflection as

shown in figure 2.0.2. The light with signal is focussed into an

acceptance cone because the cladding does not absorb any light signal

is focussed into the core of the fibre from the core, the light wave can

travel great distances. However some of the light signal degrades within

the fibre, mostly due to impurities in the glass.

Figure2.0.2 Total internal reflections in an optical fibre.

Acceptance

Cone

Core

Cladding

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2.1.4 The merits and demerits of fibre optic cables.

Some advantages of fibre cable over copper cable include:

i) The fibre optic cables are fully resistant to electromagnetic

interference and radio frequency interference.

ii) They have less signal degradation.

iii) They are more suitable for longer distance data transmissions.

The technology in fibre optic cables allows them to detect a default or

problem in the connection much faster.

iv) The fibre optic cables have no electromagnetic radiation, so it is

difficult to eavesdrop thus providing better physical network security.

A disadvantage is that the cost of installation is higher and if a problem

occurs it often takes special equipment called an Optical Time Domain

Reflectometer (OTDR) to diagnose the issue, which is expensive to

acquire.

Another disadvantage is that at higher optical powers, the cables are

susceptible to "fibre fuse" wherein a bit too much light meeting with an

imperfection can destroy as much as 1.5 kilometres of wire at several

metres per second. A "Fibre fuse" protection device at the transmitter

can break the circuit to prevent damage, if the extreme conditions for

this are deemed possible.

2.1.5 Applications of fibre optic cables

i) Fibres can be used as light guides in medical and other applications

where bright light needs to be brought to bear on a target without a

clear line-of-sight path.

ii) Optical fibres can be used as sensors to measure strain, temperature,

pressure and other parameters.

iii) Bundles of fibres are used along with lenses for long, thin imaging

devices called endoscopes, which are used to view objects through a

small hole. Medical endoscopes are used for minimally invasive

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exploratory or surgical procedures (endoscopy). Industrial endoscopes

are used for inspecting anything hard to reach, such as jet engine

interiors.

iv) In some high-tech buildings, optical fibres are used to route sunlight

from the roof to other parts of the building.

v) Optical fibres have many decorative applications which

include signs and art, artificial Christmas trees, and lighting.

vi) A few communities have Fibre to the Home technology which provides

subscribers with Ultra High Speed Internet, Telephone,

and Television services.

2.2 GIS IN NETWORK PLANNING

In most developed parts of the world, the degree of change to external

plant networks has been substantial; with fibre optic cables replacing

copper wire, and microwave or satellite is replacing fixed, long distance

landlines. GIS has been used to determine the most suitable method of

transmission between wireless and cable, it has also been used to plan

network layouts and target customers. Topography, population density

and predicted population trends are important considerations when

considering transmission method, while detailed demographic including

information, including employment, affluence and neighbourhood

characteristics, help telecommunications providers to assess the best

potential areas for new customers.

With traditional technologies, one of the most important considerations

is where the duct space is available. This is because bandwidth is

limited by space so to send a signal along a tortuous route using up

available duct space can be cheaper than increasing the duct space

along a direct route. With GIS, engineers can generate maps showing

existing networks and shape their plans accordingly. Starting from

scratch, operators can build a database designed to meet the needs of

network planners, sales and marketing departments. This maximises a

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company’s competitive advantage by enabling it to design networks for

providing services to as many homes or buildings as possible.

Engineers have studied highway and railway network datasets to

estimate travel time to major urban centres, analysed land use and soil

characteristics to determine excavation time for cable laying, and

studied population and other socioeconomic characteristics to estimate

the purchasing power of communities.

Outside plant engineers also plan, design and construct networks to

generate new revenue. Often, they are required to expand their network

in order to build high value customer base. Good network planning

requires accurate geospatial solutions in order to allow the engineers to

incorporate all the relevant data into the planning process, enabling

them to plan fibre routes that maximise revenue and at the same time

also meet the budget expectations. Telecommunication networks are

usually planned, designed and constructed. They deliver reliable

services to the clientele and also yield significant revenue to the service

providers. ESRI’s Arc GIS product family enable smarter planning by

bringing together traditionally isolated departments including marketing

and sales. This allows engineers to evaluate the potential network build

outs and expansions with keen consideration of revenue generation

capacities, assisting them to choose to lay cable networks along routes

with the highest ROI (Frantz, 2012).

2.3 HISTORY OF FIBRE OPTICS IN KENYA

In the year 2002, the East Africa Business Community started a

process that would see countries collaborate to bring fibre connectivity

to the entire region. Building a submarine cable on the Eastern Africa

seaboard was part of the plan but delays and shareholder

disagreements compelled Kenya to opt for its own cable. The East

African Marine System (TEAM) was launched as the contingency to

guarantee connectivity in the shortest time possible. Connecting Kenya

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to a hub in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, the project brought together

players from the private sector and Government and was completed in

record time. It became the first cable to land in Kenya in June 2009.

(Softkenya, 2014).

It was followed by SEACOM, a privately funded and more than three-

quarter African-owned fibre link that aims to help communication

carriers in South and East Africa. SEACOM will provide links between

South Africa, Kenya and the world via fibre networks that pass through

India and Europe. (Softkenya, 2014).

The East African Submarine System (EASSY) fibre optic link landed in

March 2010. Undersea fibre optic cable systems will provide African

retail carriers with equal and open access to inexpensive bandwidth,

removing the international infrastructure bottleneck and supporting East

and Southern African economic growth. One megabyte of bandwidth on

satellite costs about 3,000 US Dollars and operators anticipate prices to

be as low as 500 US Dollars. Such dramatic drops in rates will boost

adoption and use in business, Government and households, which are

constrained by high costs for relatively low speeds.

All forms of commerce will benefit from fibre optic connectivity as it will

lower the cost of communication, which is a vital part of any business.

New opportunities will emerge for the growth of the data market as

cheaper bandwidth should translate to more users.

Many sectors have invested in this sector recently, including the public

and private sectors, which have continued to invest in roll-out and

expansion of broadband infrastructure in an effort to ensure access to

high speed data communications services by all forms of clients.

In addition to the South Africa East Africa submarine cable system ,The

East African Marine System cable system and the East African

Submarine System which have already landed at Kenya’s coast,

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several more international links are expected to grace the Kenyan

shores, increasing competition and allowing for more link availability.

Telkom Kenya, Kenya Data Networks, Access Kenya, Wananchi and

Jamii Telecom embarked on laying out fibre-optic networks terrestrially

across the country. The extensive networking being undertaken by

private developers has seen the number of houses who can access

fibre optic internet links rise from a few hundred in 2009 to an estimated

seven million homes (softkenya, 2014). The Government has also

invested in a national fibre optic network that will take fibre deeper into

rural areas that may not initially be considered commercial priorities by

commercial enterprises.

An area where GIS has become particularly important is in cellular

network planning. In the last few decades revenues from mobile

telecoms markets have risen exponentially. Numerous new companies

have entered the field, each vying for a portion of the market. This

market expansion has been particularly great in countries with poor

cable telephone networks. Mobile telephone companies use radio

propagation models to find the best sites for building transmission

stations. The models show engineers the sorts of terrain and obstacles

that a radio signal would have to contend with. This is because

companies need to identify sites that are higher than surrounding areas

and away from buildings or any other major physical obstruction that

might interfere with the signals.

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CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY

3.1 INTRODUCTION

This chapter deals with the creation of the fibre optic cable network in

Upper Hill region based on the consideration of the already existing

cable network of Liquid Telecom Company in the Upper Hill region and

with an added consideration of the areas that are not yet connected, yet

they have high income capacity for the service providers.

3.2 METHODOLOGY OVERVIEW

Figure 3.0.1 illustrates the approach used in this study. The first step

was carrying out user needs assessment which was determined by

observation of the current status of the fibre optic cabling techniques

and trends in especially around Nairobi city and its environs. The

necessary spatial and non-spatial data were identified, together with the

tools required to actualise the project. The data required included shape

files for the buildings in Upper Hill region; the communication networks

like roads, names of estates and the economic capacity of the various

business premises and buildings in the entire region. Topographic maps

of Nairobi, of scale 1:2500 were also used as base maps. The sources

of these data were identified and contacted for data availability. Existing

fibre optic cable network was obtained from Liquid Telecom, a company

dealing with fibre optic cable connection and service providing a country

wide. The data were collected and captured for both spatial and non-

spatial data types.

The data was prepared, processed and verified to determine whether it

suites the set objectives requirements. If it was not suitable, then either

the processing, for example, rectification was repeated or an alternative

appropriate data was sourced. However, the data that found to be

suitable and was overlayed and used to produce the results required. In

any case the results were inappropriate; the overlaying procedure was

18

repeated afresh with some few adjustments until when good results

were realised. The achieved results were analysed and discussed.

NO

NO

YES

Figure 3.0.1 Methodology flow chart.

ARE

RESULTS

CORRECT?

RESULTS ANALYSIS

CONCLUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

USER NEEDS ASSESSMENT

DATA IDENTIFICATION

SPATIAL DATA NON SPATIAL DATA DATA COLLECTION AND CAPTURE

DATA EDITING AND

GEODATABASE CREATION

IS DATA

CORRECT AND

APPROPRIATE?

DATA OVERLAYING

PRODUCTION OF RESULTS

YES

19

3.3 AREA OF STUDY

Figure 3.0.2 Map of the study area- Upper Hill in Nairobi

The study area is Upper Hill region situated in Nairobi County, Kenya.

Upper Hill is located 4.5 kilometres by road west of the central business

20

district of Nairobi. The area of study lies between Northings 9856000

metres and 9857250 metres and Eastings 255750 metres and 258000

metres (Jica et al, 2005). There are several landmarks, including Nairobi

Hospital, the headquarters of the Kenya Ministry of Health and Nairobi

Club Ground (An upscale private membership cricket club), with a

clubhouse and cricket oval.

3.3 DATASETS, DATA SOURCES AND TOOLS

3.3.1 Data sources and Datasets

Research and collection of data was done from many sources of data

including the Internet, field collections and consulting widely from relevant

sectors. The data sets were:

i) An up to date base map.

ii) Fibre network.

iii) Area code boundaries.

iv) Existing fibre optic network.

1. The Base map

Topographic maps of Nairobi, of scale 1:2500 were acquired from the

Survey of Kenya. Maps were scanned, georeferenced and then

digitized in GIS to a high quality streets based map. Attributes are then

appended to the data, and then stored as GIS files on secure servers.

2. Fibre maps

The telecommunications infrastructure data set contains fibre routes

digitized in GIS for Upper Hill. The data set is digitized and layered onto

the highest quality streets data available, or on aerial imagery for

enhanced study. It is an excellent data set that enables the user to

locate metro or long haul fibre quickly and efficiently within a GIS or

web based environment.

21

3. Area Code Boundaries

This telecommunications infrastructure data set consists of boundary

polygons representing the geographic area covered by upper hill area.

Area boundaries are the basic method for identifying coverage areas

and customers local to that area code.

4. Existing fibre optic cable network.

The existing fibre optic network for Upper Hill region was acquired from

Liquid Telecom in form of shape files. It also consisted of shape files of

building polygons of their existing customers.

3.3.2 Tools

a) Hardware

Laptop with specifications of Intel core i 3 Duo core, of 2.57GHz, 3 GB

RAM and 320 GB hard disk.

a) Software

i) Arc GIS 10.1 software was used in mapping and overlay analysis.

ii) Arc View 3.2 was used in the clipping of relevant datasets to the study

area polygon and also the formation of most the final maps.

iii) Microsoft Office Suite was mainly used for the drafting and editing of

the final report write up.

3.4 DATA CAPTURE AND EDITING PROCESSES

3.4.2 Data preparation

The existing fibre cable network data for Liquid Telecom was in MapInfo

format, Latitude/longitude WGS 84 projection was converted to shape

file format and reprojected to the desired projection UTM,WGS 84,

Zone 37S and in metres linear unit. The rest of the data already existed

in shape file format and were ready for overlay analysis.

22

3.4.3 Determining the fibre optic cable route network

The fibre optic cable network location was guided by these criteria:

i) Along the road reserve at a buffer distance of 1.5 metres from the

major roads.

ii) Location of the prospective customers who are not yet connected

relative to the already existing network, provided by Liquid

Telecom Company.

iii) Having a network that is cost effective and secure in terms of the

route it follows and the customer base along the route based on a

reconnaissance and survey which was conducted in the non-

connected residents and premises in the region.

iv) The cables should be ducted in conduits of 45 cm diameter at a

standard depth of 1.5 metres.

The existing data consisted of shape files of relevant datasets covering

the whole Nairobi County region. First of all, the whole data was loaded

in ArcView GIS 3.2 software. The extents of the area of study was then

determined and a shape file layer of study area polygon created. Using

x tools extensions, the relevant datasets were then clipped with the

area of study polygon. The relevant datasets were buildings, Estates in

the region, petrol stations, roads (minor, major and trunk roads), rivers,

sports and recreation centres, police stations, and supermarkets. The

procedure is as illustrated in figures 3.0.3, 3.0.4 and 3.05.

23

Figure 3.0.3 Preparing the data for clipping

Figure3.0.4 Clipping the relevant datasets with the study area polygon layer.

An overlay analysis was done to the layers such that all relevant data

were visible in the output result without any omission or obstruction.

The major roads in the entire study area were then buffered, as shown

in figure 3.0.7, at a distance of 1.5 metres.

24

Figure 3.0.5 Buffering the major roads

The layer of the buffered roads was then overlayed with the layer of the

existing fibre cable network. Basing on the knowledge about the estates

in the region, their commercial capacities and income earning potential,

the estates layer was overlayed with the major roads layer as this would

be used in the designing of the new cable route network.

The new network was then digitized in the parts that were not covered

by the existing cable network, and that were also passing through

estates that are highly to attract good customer base for the fibre optic

services.

According to a ground truthing survey which was done, it was evident

that the estates that are in the study area consists of different classes of

residential buildings which reflect literally reflected different economic

classes of people in terms of income generation capacity and thus this

study used this as a basis to gauge who would be potential fibre optic

cabling customers in case a connection would be done. Figure 3.0.6

shows the map of estates.

25

Figure3.0.6 Map of the estates in the Upper Hill region

Figure 3.0.7 Buffering of the major roads

26

In any case the results were not correct; the overlay analysis of the

layers had to be repeated. In case the results of the overlay analysis

was validated and found to be correct and appropriate, the results were

then used to derive final analysis, recommendations and conclusions of

the whole study.

27

CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS AND ANALYSIS

4.1 RESULTS

4.1.1 The Geodatabase

A file Geodatabase was created and named UpperHill Geodatabase.gdb.

The Geodatabase constituted with feature datasets (Buildings, Estates, major

roads, supermarkets, police stations, sports and recreation sites, man holes

and petrol stations). The geodatabase provides an easy way of organizing

the data and also retrieving it since all the information is stored in one place.

The result of the Geodatabase is shown on figure 4.0.1.

Figure 4.0.1 Upper Hill Geodatabase

4.1.2 Attribute data

Attribute data was created and entered for all feature classes stored in the

Geodatabase. In order to identify and display information in the attribute

tables about any of the feature classes, the identify tool in Arc GIS was used.

Using the identify tool and clicking on an item on the map, all the information

about that feature was displayed provided that it was available in the attribute

28

table or if it was joined or related to the particular feature classes. Tables

4.0.1 and 4.0.2 shows the attributes for petrol stations in the study area and

major roads in the region respectively

Table 4.0.1 Attribute table showing petrol stations in Upper Hill

29

Table 4.0.2 Attribute table showing major roads data in the study area

4.1.3 New network map

The resulting digital maps were a result of clipping, buffering, overlaying and

digitization. The fibre optic cable networks were classified as the existing and

the proposed network.

Buffer of all the major roads in UpperHill was done at a distance of 1.5

metres from the road. The length to use in buffering was arrived at from an

informed opinion after consulting an urban planner who advised on the same.

All major roads are 6 metres wide, 3 metres tarmacked on both sides of the

centre line. The roads have a road reserve of 1.5 metres within which

communication lines, pavements, sidewalks and drainage systems are

systematically accommodated. This is the region that this study opted to use

for the laying of the cables. Figure 4.0.1 shows the buffering result.

30

Figure 4.0.2 Major roads buffer

The layer of major roads buffer was overlayed with that of the existing fibre

route network and the estates layer. Figure 4.0.2 shows the result of the

process.

Figure 4. 0.3 The map of the overlay of the estates, major roads and the existing fibre

optic route network.

31

After the overlay analysis, the parts which were not yet covered but

showed a high potential of being prospective customers and business

centres and the new network digitized to reach out to them generating

from the existing network. Figure 4.0.3 shows the final map of the

proposed network.

Figure 4.0.4 The final map of the proposed network.

4.2. ANALYSIS

The overlaying of the base map with the fibre optic cable distribution resulted

in a digital map as shown in figure 4.0.2. The map shows fibre optic cable

distribution network. The overlay also shows the base information that is

useful for planning, navigation and management purposes.

32

The base information, in form of road network and proposed cable location

for the area of study, helped anchor the fibre optic cable distribution

information to their location. The digital map created makes map revision,

updating and editing to be easy to perform. The digital map is interactive and

hence the map user can easily pan and zoom in and out to desired level of

detail. Through switching on and off of various layers the user can also

change the nature of desired information for display on the map window.

In the results, the major roads were preferred to all other roads inclusive of

minor roads due to various factors. After research was conducted, it was

proven that most fibre optic service providers prefer to lay their cables within

the road reserve distance of the major roads for the benefit of more security

assurance from vandalism since currently, the underground Kenya Power

Company electricity cables are also laid in this region above the fibre optic

cables. The constructions of most major roads are over in most regions

across the country thereby assuring safety from road construction damages.

The new proposed network shown in figure 4.0.3 has only been extrapolated

for the areas that had not been connected yet, and yet they showed high

likelihood of being prospective customers of the services. It excluded already

covered areas because it would not be economical to unearth all laid cables

in the region in order to have the conduits installed in place the way the

newly proposed areas would be done were this proposal be implemented on

the ground.

33

CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 CONCLUSIONS

The objectives of this research as outlined in chapter 1 section 1.3 were

successfully achieved as presented and analysed in chapter 4.

Using GIS a geodatabase was created to help in determining an optimal

route network that would be used by Liquid Telecom to extend their customer

base in the study area by connecting newly selected customers, who reside

in the areas where the network reaches. The relationship classes and

attribute tables were also retrievable for each data feature. Updating and

retrieval of information from the database was found to be faster and less

cumbersome as compared to other traditional non spatial information

processes.

The database also provided a centralised way of keeping records unlike the

traditional methods where most telecom firms kept fibre distribution notes in

excel worksheets, while fibre optic cable routes were stored in separate files

with no direct relationship to each.

From the study, it is evident that GIS provides the ability to actualise a

communication network in a given area accurately. The database that was

created for the area of study can be adopted for efficient management of the

fibre optic network infrastructure and any other communication network that

the same customers would require services of.

5.2 RECOMMENDATIONS

It is recommended that the database be implemented for any other

communication network or company conducting similar business. This would

34

aid in better planning and decision making in terms of fibre cable planning

and management.

The approach can also be extended to internet GIS which can allow the

users to access the geospatial and spatial analysis tools from any computer

provided that there is internet access. This will be very useful to the

maintenance personnel.

It is recommended that in case budgetary constraints are not an issue, then

the telecom companies should adopt the idea of merging up their networks

into conduits as this study has proposed, which should be of accommodative

diameter for them, and surrender the laid networks to the Government

(central or local). Thus the Government would take charge of the conduits

and manholes in terms of customer connectivity, security and maintenance,

as the telecom companies take charge of the data and remit an agreed

amount of revenue to the Government in turn.

In future, the telecommunication industry should also consider having

overhead cables especially in town centres to avoid a lot of digging and

interference.

35

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