What’s new at IQGeo - Product release roundup March 2023

A key priority of the IQGeo product management and engineering teams is to listen to the challenges faced by our customers and constantly enhance our products to meet their changing needs. Given this focus, I am always pleased to share with you our latest releases and updates, driven by direct feedback from our customers. Our product development team has been quite busy the last few months. 

Telecommunications, electric and gas utility operators are “Building better networks” with IQGeo’s award-winning software solutions. The ability to powerfully model any network requirement, integrate every system and data source, and support field and office teams with continual innovation is helping operators create the networks of the future. Our solutions ensure greater cross-team collaboration and process efficiency throughout the network lifecycle, from planning and design to construction, operations, and sales.   

Below is a summary of the latest product releases and updates that we believe will help our customers address the challenges they face in this changing landscape. 

Network Manager Electric 2.0 

The foundation for adaptive grid management, Network Manager Electric enables utilities to easily realize value from network data and flexibly model any grid scenario. With the release of 2.0, we’ve enhanced the ways in which electric utilities can model grid assets, including: 

• Hierarchical approach - Users can visualize workflows through auxiliary geometries and representations.
• Transmission and substation modeling - The base data model includes features to manage transmission networks. 
  
• Radial, loop and mesh network tracing - Users can model any kind of network via equipment and wire tree associations. 

Network Manager Telecom 2.5 

Network Manager Telecom is the industry’s most flexible and comprehensive geospatial solution to accelerate fiber network operations, from planning and design to network construction and maintenance. We help automate the entire network lifecycle from a single platform and reduce time to revenue.  The 2.5 release improves productivity with new features via: 

• Replace structure - Users can now easily replace an existing structure with a new structure while maintaining equipment connectivity. 
  
• Cable cutting - Fiber cables can be cut at a structure or can be ring cut at a splice closure (with circuit data automatically updated).
• Splice report – An improved report shows splicing by cable and displays each fiber strand so that users know which fibers are being used and which are available. 

Workflow Manager 2.1 
Workflow Manager is the only project and construction management software to combine digital ticket automation with geospatial network intelligence to deliver faster, more accurate, and more flexible projects. The 2.1 release optimizes ticket and shift functionality in the following ways: 

• Assign existing features to a new ticket - Users can select features on a map, such as cables or poles, and create a ticket that includes the geometries of those features.
• Create tickets from the field - Field Techs can now more easily create tickets, and filter by ticket type to find their specific work tasks.  
• Improved shift management - Through a new Admin Interface, users can quickly edit shifts, add and remove users, and generate status reports. Shift management usability is also improved for field techs. 

Platform 6.5 
The IQGeo Platform improves productivity and collaboration across your organization by providing a current, accurate view of complex network assets, easily accessible by anyone, anywhere. We continued enhancing productivity and interoperability in the 6.5 release with: 

• Improved vector rendering – Vector layers render significantly faster with less load on the server.
• Forms advancement – Save time with reduced clicks and scrolling along with auto-fills.
• Add multiple geometries to a feature – Super users can now add geometries to any feature without command line access. 

Comsof Fiber 22.2 
Comsof Fiber provides fully automated fiber network design capability, resulting in a cost-optimized design. Based on a highly-configurable rules base Comsof Fiber can generate designs based on a wide variety of fiber deployment architectures. The 22.2 release added the following capabilities: 

• Improved aerial designs – Aerial designs now support mid-span junctions and better control over cable selections.
• Improvements to rules user interface – The web-based rules user interface now displays all settings and has been re-structured to improve usability.
• Performance – Overall calculation performance has been enhanced.   

OSPIinsight Web 9.20 
OSPInsight provides regional ISPs and private fiber operators with an optimized and cost-effective network management solution, replacing manual processes, paper maps and spreadsheets.​ 

• Bulk port data updating – Provides a significant productivity boost for users.
• Plan layers are editable with View license – Provides increased flexibility for view-only uses.
• Active Themes can be exported to KMZ  - Simplifies data sharing options to allow users to share themes via KMZ.
• Improved configuration options – Greater control on how attribute data is displayed, making it easier for users to focus on their specific tasks. 

What’s next on the IQGeo product roadmap? 

With more major product releases to be announced soon, 2023 remains a busy and exciting time ahead for IQGeo, customers, and partners.

The Comsof Fiber integration and new Path Finder capabilities represent two very significant extensions to Network Manager Telecom and illustrate the mission of IQGeo’s Integrated Lifecycle solution. Check out our blog Maximizing fiber network revenue and capacity allocation to learn more about this next advancement to our fier network management software.