By: Paul Salasznyk, Ph.D. and Xiaoming Qin

Last month, the FCC moved to expand media diversity by empowering community groups to launch and operate low-power FM (LPFM) local radio stations.  LPFM stations are available to noncommercial educational entities, public safety, and transportation organizations.  Unlike commercial full power stations that are driven by ratings, LPFM stations air programs that address local concerns and debates of a particular community or ethnic group within a broadcast radius of two to four miles.    

To date, concerns about harmful signal interference have kept smaller LPFM operators from entering the market in many areas – especially urban areas.  As a result, larger entities have dominated the market.  These concerns have also created a backlog of facility and translator application approvals.  During last month’s Commission meeting, the FCC relaxed signal interference constraints, paving the way for more LPFM opportunities. 

Working with the FCC, Computech analyzed and mapped complex channel frequency spacing constraints for more than 30,000 existing facilities nationwide.  Incorporating these constraints, Computech’s GIS and development staff created several products that highlight the location of potential LPFM facility opportunities nationwide including:

• An Application Programming Interface (API) that returns a list of available channels based on any latitude/longitude in the US
• A Map that visualizes the number of channels available at 11 million + points nationwide, including the population within the broadcast radius of those points
• A time series Map that shows the evolution of LPFM facilities as a function of time
• A Mobile Website that returns a map and list of available channels based on the latitude/longitude of the mobile device

Below is an image from Panel B, which included representatives from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) , Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Comisión Federal de Telecomunications (COFETEL), all of which are Computech clients and have utilized Computech’s auction systems.

For more information regarding Computech’s Spectrum Auction Solutions click here.

On September 27, the FCC conducted the Mobility Fund Phase I Auction, the first ever to award high-cost universal services support through reverse competitive bidding.   The goal of the auction was to address gaps in mobile services by supporting the build-out of current-and next-generation mobile networks in unserved areas — areas where these networks are unavailable.
 
The Commission engaged Computech to design and build the auction platform.   As with most projects, cost and schedule were critical factors, so the team decided to build the new system on top of the existing Integrated Spectrum Auction System (ISAS).  This approach allowed the team to utilize the existing infrastructure and re-use many of the ISAS core software components, reducing project costs and speeding up the time to delivery.
 
Using the single round, reverse auction format, winners were chosen based on the lowest cost-per-mile bids to extend coverage to unserved roads.   In all, thirty-eight companies and subsidiaries participated in the auction, submitting a total of 894 bids.  Winning bidders are eligible to receive a total of $299,998,632 in one-time Mobility Fund Phase I universal service support to provide 3G or better mobile voice and broadband services covering up to 83,000 road miles in 795 geographic areas.

We are pleased to announce a new addition to our website called Computech Showcase.  Using the latest tools and techniques, this new page is a venue for our staff to exhibit the analysis and presentation of real world data.  Computech Showcase spans several of Computech’s technical competencies including geographic information systems (GIS), operations research (OR), as well as application and web development.  Contributors to this page will include a multi-disciplinary team of GIS developers, operations researchers, web designers and developers.

In the coming months, our team we will continue to add fresh and interesting content to the page.  Our goals are the following:

To unleash the power of data:
Data, in its unprocessed form, is nothing more than a set of digitized numbers and characters.  It is not until we process, analyze, and visualize the data that it becomes useful for learning and decision making.  When analyzed and presented effectively, data “sings” and tells a story.  Through our Showcase page, using a variety of real datasets, we will find compelling ways to tell those stories.

To produce rapid prototypes and mashups of relevant data:
Contrary to full-scale application development projects with long development lifecycles, Computech Showcase will include rapidly developed mashups of relevant data.  We will explore datasets from the government and private sectors, encompassing an assortment of subject areas.  Through close collaboration, our multidisciplinary team will identify, analyze, and produce meaningful visualizations.  Our mashups will include many visualization techniques include charts, graphs, and GIS mapping.

To explore the latest tools, techniques and technologies:
The world we live in has a rapidly evolving technological landscape.  New data analysis and presentation tools, techniques, and technologies emerge and gain prominence every day.  Using Computech Showcase as an R&D engine, we will explore and apply the latest trends and technologies, and will strive to stay at the cutting edge.

Computech Showcase is an evolving project that aims to spur stimulating conversation about data, visualization, and technology.  We welcome any feedback or suggestions for improvement.  If you are a government agency, from the public sector, or are a researcher, and are interested in creating compelling visualizations of your data, please feel free to contact us.

Yesterday, the National Broadband Map (NBM) underwent its third data refresh since the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched the website in February 2011.  As part of the NTIA’s national broadband data collection initiative, providers from all 50 states, 5 territories, and the District of Columbia submit granular data about the providers, technologies, and speeds offered at locations nationwide.  Providers submit data semiannually.  During this cycle, Computech processed, analyzed, and visualized more than 20 million records of data from 1,865 broadband providers.

Built as part of NTIA’s State Broadband Initiative (SBI), Computech designed and developed NBM to help promote broadband data transparency and data-driven decision making, empowering consumers and facilitating the expansion of broadband throughout the country.  Built on a layer of APIs using open source tools, the 2012 Terman Award winning NBM is an embodiment of Federal Chief Information Officer Steve VanRoekel’s strategy for “Digital Government” which takes a coordinated, information and customer centric approach to changing how the government works and delivers services.  We hope that the NBM becomes a template for how other government agencies publish data and create applications.

In addition to using the data for presentation in the national map, our team of data scientists, user experience designers, GIS developers, and information architects have been actively working to analyze and present the data in other, equally compelling ways.  Armed with a thorough understanding of the data, Computech has participated in Universal Service Fund (USF) reform, including the Connect America Fund (CAF), the Mobility Fund, as well as the production of the 706 report, which reports on the availability of High-speed and advanced telecommunications services in the United States.

We are looking forward to working with our customers to build upon the functionality of the NBM, and using the wealth of data to conduct vital analysis, mapping, and data-driven decision making pertaining to the nation’s broadband initiatives.

Last Wednesday, June 13th, Computech received the award for the for the IT Services & Consulting category at the 2012 American Technology Awards for the National Broadband Map. In attendance, along with the team that successfully implemented the National Broadband Map, were Computech Founder & CEO JD Murphy and President Larry Fitzpatrick. The awards, also known as the “Termans” in honor of the widely credited father of Silicon Valley, are awarded on the basis of a thorough evaluation by industry experts and technology leaders. Computech was one of three finalists for the Terman award in the IT Services and Consulting category, this in a year with record-breaking submissions.

The Termans were presented  at a gala dinner in Washington D.C. featuring keynote addresses from Juniper Networks’ CEO Kevin Johnson, who received the American Technology Awards Corporate Leadership Award  and Richard Spires, the CIO at the Department of Homeland Security and the Government Technology Executive of the Year recipient.

Computech is proud to join the ranks of the other nominees and are pleased to be the winners of such  a prestigious award acknowledging all of the hard work that went into making the National Broadband Map a success.

Computech’s submission of the National Broadband Map was nominated as a finalist for the IT Services & Consulting category for the 2012 American Technology Awards this week. The awards, also known as the “Termans” in honor of the widely credited father of Silicon Valley, are awarded on the basis of a thorough evaluation by industry experts and technology leaders. Computech is one of three finalists for the Terman award, this in a year with record-breaking submissions. The Technology and Government Dinner award ceremony will be held on June 13^th, with two Computech representatives in attendance. Whether or not Computech takes the prize home, being nominated is a true honor.

See Computech’s Press Release

Let’s face it – the most excellent people skills are rarer than we like to admit – even sometimes in ourselves.  As we try to gain the trust and confidence of stakeholders, we are constantly being judged on our performance.  Excellent documentation can infrequently make up for hurt feelings or trashed relationships.

All your thinking, analysis, and problem solving skills will gain you naught if stakeholders get the word that you don’t listen well, can’t understand their domain, can’t control the action in meetings, or can’t elicit effectively in interviews.

So here are some tips and how to use your skills to be more effective:

Set expectations at your elicitations – remember that you are collecting requirements (stated) to turn them into requirements (confirmed), but that decisions to build are completely separate from the discovery process.  Be honest with your stakeholders – you don’t make the decisions, you make sure that all inputs are considered in their proper context.  Most stakeholders understand that priorities come into play; they just want to know that their input wasn’t ignored, or heard by an ignoramus.

1. Get your attitude right – get neutral – if you favor some stakeholders over others, participation will decline, buy-in will decline, and sniping will increase.  It is okay that some ideas rise higher than others, just make sure that you aren’t perceived as playing favorites.  Make sure that ALL your stakeholders feel like teacher’s pets.
2. Do NOT judge ideas, or try to correct them, when they are offered.  Capture them, use them to stimulate further discussion – the secret to comedy improvisation is to always say yes to your partners – be encouraging, not judgmental, and don’t allow your knowledge of potential solutions to interfere with your goal of thoroughly understanding your stakeholders – completely.
3. If your stakeholder refuses to cooperate because your project isn’t important to them, get them to talk about what is important to them.  Intersections with your project will arise surprisingly often, and when they don’t, file the stakeholder interview against future projects – as trust builds, you will get their cooperation!
4. When a stakeholder gets angry or emotional in a meeting, use the “attitude ladder” to rapidly and effectively connect with them and bring them down.  The key is to understand that the emotions about the requirements effort can range from completely negative, to neutral, to extremely positive.  When a stakeholder goes negative, MATCH their emotion with a little (little) of yours, then bring yours down and see if they will come with you.  Example:  LOUD: “This meeting is a waste of time.  No one asked us if we even wanted this, and we are really busy!”  Response:  NOT QUITE AS LOUD: “I GET how frustrating this is for you!”  CALMER:  If we agree to keep it really short, can we focus on the assignment for the short time we take?”
Use humor – always risky, and yet the right joke can take ALL the tension out of a room.  It is safer to focus humor on yourself, such as:  “This meeting is idiotic!”  Response:  “I resemble that remark – that is why I have to ask all these questions!”  Use with caution.
5. Don’t use WHY.  Don’t argue with me, just don’t do it.  Don’t ask me WHY, or I will ask you “Why don’t you already know this?”  Any WHY question can be changed into a WHAT, HOW, WHERE, WHEN question.  Example:  “WHY is it important to do X” can be turned into “WHAT happens without X in place?” or “WHAT will change given a project to do X.”  No, don’t quote “Root Cause” at me – Why are you still confused?”
6. Prepare, prepare, prepare – put yourself in the stakeholder’s shoes and think of everything you can that might be of concern to them.  Don’t use your preparation just to control the encounter – use it to allow the encounter to flow comfortably for the stakeholder.  When you are ready for most things to come up, it is not stressful if things wander, and it can be productive – over control is NOT loved, and don’t think they don’t notice when you do it.

LEARN HOW TO:

– Prepare for a successful engagement/meeting
– Gain the groups interest and support from the start
– Get executives to transfer their power to you
– Keep the group focused
– Handle disagreements and dysfunctional behavior
– Guide groups to effective business solutions
– Reach consensus around a decision
– Close the session with clarity and commitment

DO NOT DO THESE THINGS IF YOU DON’T LIKE BEING POPULAR.  Your phone will ring too much.

The FCC is dedicated to ensuring that all Americans – including Americans with disabilities – have full access to our nation’s communications revolution. The 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act put into motion new requirements to ensure that everyone has access to communications and video programming, as well as the ability to send and receive emergency information and services.

Part of those requirements included the creation of a clearinghouse to be available on the FCC’s website, which officially launched on October 28, 2011. More recent updates include a “Responsive Design” feature – a technique that delivers quality experience to users no matter how large or small their display – a first for the FCC. The Accessibility Clearinghouse boasts over 2000 listings including mobile phones, mobile apps and assistive technologies, disability organization, service provider and equipment manufacturer contact information, fact sheets and more.

Computech helped the FCC build this Accessibility Clearinghouse by providing data analysis, information architecture, interaction design, custom web development and accessibility management services. A key part of this clearinghouse is making all the information useful, usable and accessible to people of all ages and abilities. To ensure the achievement of these objectives, Computech assisted FCC in gathering feedback from various disability organizations and other federal agencies. Additionally, Computech went above and beyond the Section 508 and WCAG standards to make the system compatible with various assistive technologies, including the aforementioned “Responsive Design” feature.

This clearinghouse is more than a website, and we hope that it will enable and foster better communication access throughout the accessibility community. All of the clearinghouse data is available through RESTful APIs with intention to share. The data can be consumed and repackaged in other forums, in order to grow and share access exponentially. We believe it will benefit everyone to make the information openly available so all parties can tailor the information to different platforms and to different audiences.

Computech also helped demonstrate the clearinghouse to the accessibility community on the day of launch. The community expressed great excitement and enthusiasm with the amazing work done and how the site looks and performs. The FCC was absolutely thrilled with the site and could not give us enough kudos. Karen Peltz Strauss, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Deputy Chief had the following to say regarding our contribution:

“Just when I think that you cannot top yourselves, you do! Today’s event was truly extraordinary and a debt of gratitude goes to all of you, an amazing team of people!   The accolades kept pouring in throughout the morning, into the afternoon and continue into the evening. You have made the Commission shine with your highly professional work. The presentations went off without a hitch, the TEC looked beautiful, and the clearinghouse ‘wowed’ everyone.

“By your work, you have elevated public attention on disability issues to a new level, demonstrating to everyone that what was unimaginable just a few years ago is now making communications a reality for people with disabilities. Thank you so much for all your incredible dedication and hard work to this effort.”

A few days ago, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) along with Federal Communication Commission (FCC) released the mobile, optimized version of the National Broadband Map website. Computech led the development and completed all phases, from design, information architecture and user experience, to data integration, geospatial and back-end development.

Early in the information architecture phase we all agreed to leverage the unique features of the mobile devices, such as geo location capabilities, touch screen, gesture input and interaction, as well as the lower connection speeds, transfer and data usage,  and different nature of the mobile user experience.  This meant that the effort would not only produce the mobile version of the website, but a completely new user experience.

Users on-the-go do not require all of the features of the desktop version of the website.  However, if they, would like to access all the pages found on the desktop version of the website, they are still able to do this through a link provided on every page.

In addition, mobile users typically do not spend the same amount of time reading long description pages.  The attention span of a mobile user is even smaller than that of a regular desktop user.

The ability to access desired information through the least number of interactions is essential.  More specifically, ease of navigation by utilizing touch and gesture device capabilities makes the whole experience pleasant and enjoyable.

Design and Information Architecture

In the spirit of transparency and open data, following the principles of information design, Computech designed the information architecture of the mobile site around the philosophy of distraction-free content delivery.  The main content of the site captures the primary focus of the user.  Our design hides every other feature on the page into sections via slides.

Consistency in branding and design assures user familiarity with the overall experience, as it follows already established information flow.  However. slight variations in the secondary element treatments allow a subtle distinction between the sites.

Our technical implementation includes the maximum usage of CSS-defined design styles, allowing the User Interface to include a low number of HTTP requests, leaving the connection for the data integration.

Focus on performance

Data power both the desktop and mobile versions of the site, streamed through the same APIs.  Backbone Framework of the website, written specifically to solve the unique nature of the collected broadband data, allowed us to reuse a fair amount of back-end and data integration modules.

All four levels of our caching mechanism proved essential in assuring high performance for both versions of the site.  Nature and frequency of the data collected, along with caching at the Database, Application Server and two levels at the Web server, make both sites up to 100 times faster than if we had developed them in the most conventional way.

Front-End and User Interface

The architecture of the MVC+ Framework, which we developed specifically for the National Broadband Map, gives us the control of every feature and every aspect of the site.  This holds true due to the fact that we power the site by a large number of small deployable unites or modules that we connect and interweave in many ways to achieve the desired effect.  Further, flexibility and vast number of combinations allows us to insert any new modules in any place and at any level.  This is the main driving power to a lean development process, one that was crucial in delivering the project in time and to the customer’s satisfaction.

With such a framework in place, expanding the front-end with additional modules to drive the mobile user experience took much less time than anticipated.  The decision to add an additional framework to back the front-end side of the website played an important role in delivering the product on time.

While we strongly considered limiting the utilization of the trendy responsive design techniques, given the limited focus of the device support (iOS and Android powered devices) we needed to target, and to assure lowest amount of front-end code that needs to download via mobile connections, we decided to separate the desktop and mobile version of the site.

Liquid layout leveled the slight differences in the viewport sizes of the screens.  It turned out to be a good decision as we have saved enough kilobytes to speed up the overall performance of the site.

JQuery Mobile was a clear choice as the web framework for development of the mobile site.   JQuery mobile performed with excellence in complementing the current framework, taking the lower level tasks of front-end development, leaving us to focus more on the integration of the modules.

JQuery Mobile also allowed us to add swipe gesture to the pages, which were required in order for the user to easily flow from one screen to another.  We left pages with text longer than the width/height with the usual up/down scroll, as this would be the most natural assumption of the mobile user.

Tablet

Computech built the desktop version of the site to nearly full compliance, and with slight upgrades to some of the UI elements, we were able to deliver the mobile version quickly.  Our initial strategy when building the desktop version included considerations that ensured tablet devices would have no major issues with most of the pages.  Map pages also worked well, even though they do not use the bundled technology, but a custom base map and desktop version of the mapping technology.

The Future is Mobile, powered by Computech.

Experience our latest mobile solution.
Visit nbm.gov on your iOS or Android powered devices.