Life on the Road

I know many people think that life on the road is a series of fun adventures and great food but, surprisingly, it rarely measures up to those aspirations. It is mostly a series of hotel rooms, repetitive meals, and lots of windshield time. The best times on the road are usually unexpected and can happen when the day-in day-out drudgery is wearing thin. One of the most dazzling sights I have ever seen on the road took place at the least expected time. It was mid-January and the weather had been tough over the previous two days with a combination of snow, freezing rain, and then a severe cold snap. It was the second day of that cold snap and I was just hitting the road early in the morning. I was driving on a narrow two lane back- country highway as the sun was breaking out of the clouds and sitting low on the horizon. As I crested a hill the trees closed in on both sides of the road and were covered with ice from the previous inclement weather. The sun struck the ice crystals in those trees and the trees looked like they were made of diamonds. It was dazzlingly bright as the light played in millions of directions at once. The reflections created a sunlit tunnel as they shot across the highway and I was immersed in a bath of brilliance that astonished and awed me. It was a glorious beginning to the day and I still carry that vision with me with the expectation and hope that I will see something like that once again. That being said, life on the road can be an adventure and in many cases it can be a treasured experience. Traveling through the Midwest is a chance to see some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. The diversity of the terrain and seasonal climate combine to create visions of beauty from the subtle to the extravagant. From a hilly field covered in a snowy quilt for its winter’s nap, to the fiery brilliance of a fall- painted forest, and the ever present multi-hued greens of summer the sights are there to be seen by those who chose to look. The elation of seeing eagles swooping over rivers and lakes, herds of deer grazing on the edge of the woods, wild turkeys feeding in the winter corn fields and the annual migrations of the geese and ducks add to the scenery in an extraordinary way. So when the road is getting long and I am missing my family at home I tend to think about some of the scenes I have been privileged to have viewed and it makes me smile and keep moving. The friendship of the clients I meet also plays a big part in keeping me motivated and focused while I travel. With that in mind here is the current list of conferences and trade shows that gbaSI will be attending or exhibiting at in the near future. I hope to see you at one of these events so if you will be attending any of these shows send me an email ( dpershall@gbasi.com ) or call (309-428-3993) to let me know.

Inventory / Audits

Have you ever had a problem with your communication network and had absolutely no idea what to do to correct the issue or even how to start?  Intermittent loss of signal, persistent static on the lines, or just poor performance?   All of these issues are symptomatic of network maintenance and/or operational issues.

Most agencies depend upon the technical skills and abilities of a small group of dedicated individuals to maintain and operate their communications systems.  This is great as long as these individuals are available and working for the agency but inevitably, these experienced technicians retire or move on to new opportunities.  There goes your network understanding and history out the door!!  It is truly amazing that the complex communications systems that exist in most organizations function as well as they do considering the lack of system documentation that is in place.

The first step in getting a handle on correcting network performance issues is having a true understanding of how your network is configured, what systems and devices make up your network, and how everything is connected and programmed.   While documenting your network is not a new idea, it is an idea that’s time has come.  New mapping technologies and multiple softwares are now available that make creating and maintaining the complex communication infrastructure datasets affordable.  These GIS softwares allow you to map your physical network, document how connections are made, record device information and configurations, and prepare reports that are actually usable and informative to the communication managers and technicians.

gbaSI specializes in working with you to assemble and build the critical documentation and datasets you need to successfully manage and operate your communication infrastructure.  Network construction plans sets, cable routing information, connection and splice diagrams, device information, communication system elements, and a whole lot more are mapped and included in the GIS datasets that will be available to you at the touch of a mouse.

Give us a call so we can help you make your technology talk!