Utilities commission pursues provider-level cellular coverage maps, data access for modeling improvements

The New Canaan Utilities Commission agreed Feb. 27 to move forward on creating provider-level cellular coverage maps and to pursue analytic modeling of coverage improvements using drive-test data from Ookla.

Commission leaders said the commission has acquired raw data files and arranged a consultation with Ookla staff to advise how best to use the data. The immediate objective is to produce a town map that shows coverage by individual providers at the road and residence level; a second phase would model how coverage would change if infrastructure — for example, changes to towers or small-cell deployments — were added.

The work is intended to produce two deliverables the commission said will be useful to residents and town decision-makers: an interactive map residents can consult for provider coverage at their address and a set of modeled “what-if” scenarios showing likely coverage gains from infrastructure changes.

"The first phase is to try and take the data and get it to be a coverage map by provider, by roads and residences," the utilities commission chair said during the meeting. "The intent is to have a computer-access map where you can look up residents, see what the coverage is by each provider and zoom out to the whole town."

Commission members said the mapping work will be done in two phases. The commission cited $4,000 of programming to build an initial map and an additional programming effort to support scenario modeling. The commission also noted that the town already holds an Esri ArcGIS license used by municipal departments and that using ArcGIS for display may require a desktop license for a public interactive display.

Members warned that the aggregate coverage maps previously supplied to the siting council were of limited use because those maps combined all providers and did not show provider-by-provider differences in coverage. "You couldn't tell that Verizon has nothing in the northeast corner," the chair said of the siting-council aggregate map. Commission members said provider-level maps would be more actionable for residents and planners.

Commissioners described outstanding data-access tasks: confirming whether a contract programmer (referred to as "JB") has received the Ookla files, obtaining any modelled coverage plans that a carrier may have submitted with a tower expansion application, and confirming where the town's archived data are held. The commission reported a call with an Ookla representative named Alex and with a secondary industry contact who expressed interest in highlighting New Canaan's project in a coverage-organization publication.

Commissioners discussed display options. The preferred public-facing display would likely be an ArcGIS-based web or in-town kiosk view, but ArcGIS licensing and per-user license models may limit direct public accounts. The commission said a town-hosted display — where the town runs the licensed software and presents results publicly — is the likely solution.

Commissioners also underscored the difference between signal strength heat maps and operational experience: residents care about whether calls and data sessions stay connected and whether capacity meets modern (non-voice) traffic needs. The planned modeling work is intended to test low-cost, short-term interventions as well as longer-term infrastructure changes.

The commission noted that the town budget contains $27,500 earmarked for cellular coverage work and outreach; commissioners said that allocation remains available to support programming, modeling, or consulting.

Next steps identified during the meeting included confirming file custody for the Ookla data, completing the $4,000 programming contract for the two phases, clarifying display/licensing costs with the town GIS manager, and developing a public-facing plan for the ArcGIS display and any web access.

Commissioners said they will report back as the programming contract progresses and when the first provider-level maps are available to show at a public meeting or on the town website.

Ending: The commission set technical and procurement follow-ups rather than a formal vote on the mapping work. The mapping and modeling effort is intended to produce information that residents and town planners can use while carriers and regulatory bodies continue to process site applications and other siting requests.