Loading GSM Cell Site Data in Actix A-SVS

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COPYRIGHT Actix Inc 2004

Loading GSM Site Data in Actix A-SVS

Introduction ...........................................................................................................3 Importing Network Data ........................................................................................3 Obtaining Site Data in Tabular Format ..............................................................3 Guidelines for Formatting Tabular Data ............................................................6 Importing the Data.............................................................................................8 Updating Cell Site Data.......................................................................................15 Automatic Import of Cell Site Data ..................................................................15 Loading Cell Site Data ........................................................................................17 Cell Site Display..................................................................................................18 Displaying Site Labels .....................................................................................18 Coloring Sectors on the Map ...........................................................................20 Searching for Cells ..........................................................................................22 Viewing Cell Site Information ..........................................................................24

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Introduction
The Network Explorer allows you to import network element data into Actix Analyzer Service Verification Solution (Analyzer), creating a cell plan file called cellrefs.txt. It also lets you browse and edit this network information once it has been loaded into Analyzer. The Automatic Import feature provides an automated method of updating cell site information in Analyzer as changes are made to the network. This document describes how to import delimited data into Analyzer, and how to configure the Automatic Import tool.

Importing Network Data

The important thing to remember about Analyzers network data import process is that the process requires two files: 1. A delimited text file that contains unformatted data arranged in tabular form, with one row for each individual sector in a network. 2. A blank file, containing only Analyzer header information, to be populated with formatted data. Obtaining Site Data in Tabular Format In order to import cell site data from your own network, you will need to obtain a delimited text file containing the data listed in the table below. To maximize the benefit Analyzer can bring to GSM network analysis, the parameters listed in bold in the table on the following page are REQUIRED for cell data to function with logged data in the main workspace. All other parameters are optional. The data may come from a network database or a planning tool configuration file. As long as the data is in a tabular format with one row for each sector, Analyzer will be able to import the data.

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GSM Cell Site Parameters for Import: Parameter

Site Name Site Number Latitude Longitude Sector Number

Analyzer Group Analyzer Name

GSM_Site GSM_Site GSM_Site GSM_Site GSM_Cell SiteName SiteID Latitude Longitude Sector_ID

Purpose
Text description of the Site for display on map. Numeric identifier for the site. Locates site icons on map. Locates site icons on map. Sector-specific information useful for display on maps (can be alpha or numeric) Orients the sector icons on the map. Governs the shape of the sector wedge icon to reflect the beamwidth of antenna deployed at the site. Used for cell site identification and to calculate lines to cells. Used for cell site identification and to calculate lines to cells. BSIC is the concatenation of the NCC and BCC values for a cell. Used for cell site identification and to calculate lines to cells. This field must be numeric! Base station power, for informational purposes only. Mobile country code, for informational purposes only. Mobile network code, for informational purposes only. Location area code, for informational purposes only. BSC name, for use with A and Abis link data. BSC identity, for use with A and Abis link data. MSC name, for use with A and Abis link data. MSC identity, for use with A and

Azimuth Beamwidth

GSM_Cell GSM_Cell

Azimuth Beamwidth

BCCH BSIC

GSM_Cell GSM_Cell

BCCH BSIC

CI

GSM_Cell

CI

Base Station Power MCC MNC LAC BSC Name BSC ID MSC Name MSC ID

GSM_Cell GSM_Cell GSM_Cell GSM_Cell GSM_BSC GSM_BSC GSM_MSC GSM_MSC

EIRP MCC MNC LAC BSCName ID MSCName ID

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Parameter
Sector Display Wildcard Sector Display Wildcard Sector Display Wildcard Routing Area Code Layer Type

Analyzer Group Analyzer Name

GSM_Cell GSM_Cell GSM_Cell GSM_Cell GSM_Cell Face_Display Azimuth_Display Phase_Display RAC LayerType

Purpose
Abis link data. Use to color sectors on the map by a custom integer field. Use to color sectors on the map by a custom integer field. Use to color sectors on the map by a custom integer field. Routing area code, for informational purposes only. Use this field to manage multiple cell layers to be displayed and hidden separately.

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The figure below is an example of a delimited GSM file that could be used to import a site list into Analyzer. Though the columns can be in any order for import into Analyzer, the figure shows all of the REQUIRED fields. Additionally, the Excel spreadsheet must be saved as a TEXT file for import into Analyzer.

Figure 1 - GSM Cell Site Data Spreadsheet

Guidelines for Formatting Tabular Data Although Analyzer does not require cell site data fields to be listed in a particular order, following these guidelines will provide the best results: 1. The Site ID field must contain a unique value for each site location. Beware of non-unique Site ID's - that is, entries that have multiple sets of lats/longs for the same Site ID. Non-unique Site ID's will result in site markers appearing on the map without sector wedges. Site Names need not be unique - they are used for labeling purposes only. 2. Position information must be accurate in order for Analyzer to display sites in the correct location on the map. Longitudes that have a 'West' notation should be represented as a negative decimal, as should latitudes with a 'South' notation. Sites will appear skewed on the map if the latitude and longitude fields are transposed.

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Obtaining the File to be Populated With Formatted Data Before importing new cells into Analyzer, ensure that Analyzer is pointing to a valid cell site database. A valid cell site database is a text file in which the first line contains the text below: ; #NetworkData datafile Every Analyzer installation comes with a clean file called cellrefs.txt located in the directory called: C:\Program Files\Actix\Analyzer\Bin\Cellrefs The file to be populated need not be named cellrefs.txt. We recommend renaming this file with a meaningful name in order to prevent the file from being overwritten during reinstallation. To point the Analyzer to the file you wish to populate with the new cell site data, use the File Location line in the Tools Preferences dialog. See the section on Loading Cell Site Data later in this document for more details.

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Importing the Data Once you have obtained your cell site database in delimited format and pointed Analyzer to a valid cellrefs file, you are ready to open the Network Explorer and import the site information. 1. To access the Network Explorer select Cells Network Explorer

Figure 2 - Network Explorer Window

The Network Explorer display consists of two panels. The left panel contains a tree view of the network element data. The right panel shows details about relevant parameters for the current selection. If you have pointed Analyzer to a cellrefs file containing only header information, you will not see any cell site data at this time. 2. On the toolbar select Import Import From New Template to open the Import dialog. 3. Select the appropriate network data file and click Open to display the Import Settings dialog.

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Figure 3 - Import Settings Dialog (Step 1 of 2)

4. Give the Template a meaningful Template Name. 5. Check the appropriate Delimiter. 6. In most cases, the default information under the General Settings and Coordinate Information headers will apply. Adjust these settings if necessary. 7. Click Next.

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Figure 4 - Settings (Step 2 of 2) Assign GSM_Site Data

8. Expand the GSM_Site data node. Click in the Column field next to the Site_Name parameter. Select the parameter name from your site database that corresponds to the Site_Name parameter. Repeat for each of the required fields in the GSM_Site data node, based on the table below: Field Site_Name SiteID Latitude Longitude Mapping required for proper operation? Optional, but this field is frequently used for the site label. Required, and this field must be unique for each site in the database. Required Required

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Figure 5 - Column Settings (Step 2 of 2) Assign GSM_Cell Data

9. Expand the GSM_Cell data node. Click in the Column field next to the Sector_ID parameter. Select the parameter name from your site database that corresponds to the Sector_ID parameter. Repeat for each of the required fields in the GSM_Cell data node, based on the table below: Field Sector_ID Required for proper operation? Required (This field can be used to color sectors on the map by face number (i.e. 1 = red, 2 = blue, 3 = green)) Required Required

Azimuth Beamwidth

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Field EIRP BCCH MCC MNC LAC CI BSIC Face_Display

Required for proper operation? Optional Required Optional Optional Optional Required, and this field must be unique for each site in the database. Required Optional, but map this field to a custom integer field to color sectors on the map by that field. An example of a custom field would be the phase of the site where: 1 = On Air 2 = Under Construction 3 = Planned for Next Year

Azimuth_Display

Optional, but map this field to the integer azimuth field in order to color sectors on the map by azimuth range. Optional, but map this field to a custom integer field to color sectors on the map by that field. An example of a custom field would be the phase of the site where: 1 = On Air 2 = Under Construction 3 = Planned for Next Year

Phase_Display

RAC LayerType

Optional Optional. Use this field to manage multiple cell layers. Cells can be displayed or hidden on the map by layer.

10. Click Finish when all the columns have been assigned. If the current workspace contains existing site data, you will be asked whether you want Loading GSM Site Data in Actix A-SVS Page 12

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to remove existing data before importing new data. Select Yes to overwrite existing data. Select No to append to existing data. 11. If any errors occur during the import, a pop-up message will indicate that an error log has been created. The error log specifies the cause of each error encountered and can be found in: C:\Program Files\Actix\Analyzer\Bin\Cellrefs\ImportErrors.log 12. Inspect the cell data in the Network Explorer by expanding the All_GSM_Site_Elements folder in the left-hand pane of the Network Explorer. 13. Double-click on any site name in the right hand pane. The Name, Location and ID of the site will appear, as well as a folder containing GSM Cell Elements. Drill into the GSM Cell Elements folder and examine the values corresponding to each sector. 14. To save the formatted site information, select the Save button. 15. Close the Network Explorer by clicking the X at the upper right hand corner. 16. After closing the Network Explorer, view a new map by selecting View Display New Map. 17. If cell icons do not appear on the map, right click on the GSM_Cell layer in the map legend at the left hand side of the map window. Select Zoom to Layer to zoom the map to the appropriate location. Be sure to close the map with the X at the upper right hand corner to save all changes to the map view.

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Figure 6 - Use Zoom to Layer to Locate Cells on Map

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Updating Cell Site Data

There are two convenient ways to update cell plan information in Analyzer: Minor cell plan changes (a few azimuths, BCCHs, etc.) can be modified directly from the Network Explorer. Simply browse to find the site and sector of interest and double click on a single parameter to activate the text. Be sure to save the modifications before exiting the Network Explorer! If the cellplan file is updated (multiple sites added, complete frequency retune), use the Automatic Import feature to detect changes to an existing cell plan and import the updated cell site file into Analyzer. Instructions for using the Automatic Import feature follow. Automatic Import of Cell Site Data The Automatic Import feature detects changes to cell plan data and updates the configured site data every time Analyzer is opened.

Figure 7 - Automatic Import Setup

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To use the Automatic Import feature: 1. From the Analyzer main menu, select Tools Preferences. 2. Expand the Automatic Import option under Cellrefs and select the Enable Automatic Import option. 3. Select the Automatic Import Input File. This is the text file that contains your delimited site data. 4. Select the Automatic Import Template. Once a template has been created, a new Analyzer workspace must be started in order for that template to appear in this list. To use a template created on another computer, copy the template of interest from the C:\Program Files\Actix\Analyzer\Bin\Cellrefs\Templates directory to the same directory on your machine. 5. Click OK to exit the Change Preferences dialog. A message will appear that Automatic Import has been enabled and that your currently loaded cellrefs will be overwritten the next time Analyzer is restarted. Once Automatic Import is configured, any changes to the Automatic Import Input File will be detected, and will be changed accordingly in your Analyzer cell site file each time Analyzer is opened.

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Loading Cell Site Data

In order to display cell sites in Analyzer, and integrate cell site data with real-time measurements, a formatted cell site database must exist containing location and configuration data for each cell site. The previous section explained how to create a cell site file from a spreadsheet containing network parameters. In Analyzer, we refer to the formatted cell site file as the cellrefs file, although this file can have any name. Analyzer reads cell site data upon opening a new workspace. Therefore, if any changes to cell site data are made, a new workspace must be started (or Analyzer reopened) in order for the changes to take effect. Follow these steps to point Analyzer to a formatted cell site file: 1. From the main menu, select Tools Preferences. 2. In the Change Preferences dialog, on the File Location line, click on the name of the current cellrefs file. 3. In the Open dialog, navigate to the cellrefs file you would like to use and select Open. 4. Click OK to close the Preferences dialog. 5. A message box will be displayed saying that the new cellrefs file takes effect when a new workspace is loaded. Click OK to close the message box. Analyzer loads cells upon opening Analyzer or starting a new workspace. From the Main Menu, choose File New Workspace to create a new workspace. 6. In the new workspace, click View Display New Map. If cell icons do not appear on the map, right click on the GSM_Cell layer in the map legend at the left hand side of the map window. Select Zoom to Layer to zoom the map to the appropriate location. Be sure to close the map with the X at the upper right hand corner to save all changes to the map view. By default the cell sites are now visible.

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Cell Site Display

Displaying Site Labels By default, site and cell labels will be displayed on the map. You can leave the labels as they are, modify the way they are displayed, or turn them off entirely. The site labels are displayed independently of cell labels. This allows you to display of Site Name or Site ID in addition to or instead of BCCH, Azimuth, or Beamwidth. In Analyzer, sectors are called cells based on the European terminology. The following instructions specify first site labeling, then cell labeling: 1. In the Layer Control dialog box, select the site layer (named GSM_Site-Site_Name) 2. Under the Properties heading in the Layer Control dialog, press the Labels button. 3. The MapInfo-style Label Properties box will appear. Check each of the following options: Show Allow overlapped text (recommended) Hide adjacent duplicate text (optional) 4. In the Label Properties box, use the drop down Data Field menu to determine the label format to display. Currently, there are two formats of labels from which to choose: The Site_Name (default) shows only the site name. The KeyField label shows only the site ID. 5. If you wish to offset the label from the cell site symbol, use the options in the Position box in the Label Properties dialog. 6. If you wish to change the font of the labels, use the Label Style button in the Properties dialog. 7. Select OK to exit the Label Properties dialog. The Site Labels have been formatted. Next, format the Cell Labels: 1. In the Layer Control dialog box, select the cell layer (named GSM_Cell-BCCH-Beamwidth) Loading GSM Site Data in Actix A-SVS Page 18

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2. Under the Properties heading in the Layer Control dialog, press the Labels button 3. The MapInfo-style Label Properties box will appear. Check each of the following options: Show Allow overlapped text (recommended) Hide adjacent duplicate text (optional) 4. In the Label Properties box, use the drop down Data Field menu to determine the label format to display. All GSM_Cell parameters are available as options for labeling. 5. The BCCH Label shows the BCCH for each sector, displayed next to the sector. If you wish to offset the label from the cell site symbol, use the options in the Position box in the Label Properties dialog. 6. If you wish to change the font of the labels, use the Label Style button in the Properties dialog. 7. Click OK in the Label Properties dialog, and then OK in the Layers dialog to apply the labels.

Figure 8 - Labeled Sites on Map

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Coloring Sectors on the Map By default, sectors are colored by BCCH on the map. To color the sectors according to a different field (i.e. Sector_ID, to color sectors by face), or to make all sectors the same color: 1. Click the Cell Sites button at the top of the map. 2. In the Series drop-down, choose GSM_Cell. 3. Use the Cell Color drop-down choose the field to color by. To make all sectors the same color, specify an unused field (i.e. MCC). To color sectors by face (i.e. 1 = red, 2 = yellow, 3 = blue) choose Sector_ID. 4. Click OK to exit the Sites / Cell Properties dialog. 5. Site coloring will appear as specified. To modify face colors, expand the GSM_Cell parameter in the legend. Right-click on individual ranges and choose Selected Ranges Style to modify colors.

Figure 9 - Sites / Cell Properties Dialog

Note that the sector need not be colored and labelled by the same parameter. The figure below shows sectors colored by Sector_ID and labelled with the BCCH. Use the Layer Control dialog to adjust labelling as desired.

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Figure 10 - Sectors Colored by Sector_ID on Map

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Searching for Cells Search for Cells provides a mechanism for locating specific cell sites based on user-defined search criteria. To conduct a search: 1. Display site data of interest on the map. 2. From the main menu, select Cells Search for Cells. 3. From the main menu, select Window Tile Horizontally or Window Tile Vertically to arrange the CellRefs Search dialog and the map in the workspace. 4. Ensure that GSM is visible in the Technology drop-down. 5. Use the Add, Edit and Delete buttons to modify search criteria. 6. Click the Search Now button to show in the Results window all matching cell sites from the current cellrefs file.

Figure 11 - CellRefs Search Dialog

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7. From the Results window, select a row to highlight and center the corresponding sector on the map. 8. Click the Highlight All button to highlight all matching sectors on the map.

Figure 12 - Map Highlighting All Sectors Meeting Search Criteria

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Viewing Cell Site Information A cells Azimuth, Beamwidth and Sector ID can be obtained by running the mouse over a sector on the map. To obtain more detailed information on each site or sector: 1. Display site data of interest on the map. 2. From the main menu, select Cells Display Cell Data. 3. From the main menu, select Window Tile Horizontally or Window Tile Vertically. 4. Click on a sector wedge or site dot on the map. Details about that sector or site will appear in the Display Cell Data window.

Figure 13 - Display Cell Data Window

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