Web Tech Used To Build Spatial Data Warehouse
Formida Software (Europe) Ltd has announced an agreement reached with Vodafone Ltd, the UK's leading mobile phone network, to develop and supply specialised database and visualisation software to optimise the frequency planning, design and services offered by the Vodafone cellular network in the UK.
The web technology will be used to build a spatial data warehouse solution allowing Vodafone to offer enhanced services to over 6.8 million customers. The agreement also encompassed supply to various Vodafone operating companies throughout the world. The value of the initial contract is in excess of 1M pounds.
"All cellular operators have multiple systems that store different types of data, which are often only accessible by the 'author' application," said Barry Skuse, Radio Planning Technical Manager, Vodafone. "Until the Formida Cellular Network Cartridge solution, the industry has seen little or no open, enterprise-wide integration of network coverage, infrastructure, engineering, marketing and customer information."
"This project represents a breakthrough in the acceptance of object relational databases and data visualization components in the telecommunications vertical," said Juan Rada VP Oracle Service Industries, EMEA, Oracle Corporation.
"The application, being developed by Formida Software utilizing Oracle8i and Oracle8i Spatial, reinforces the Oracle belief that server-centric applications represent the future of Internet spatial computing. This application will provide Vodafone with a significant competitive advantage in the global cellular marketplace."
"We're seeing a growing demand for organisations to provide access to multiple data sources and deploy them to the enterprise via the web," said Bruce Goldsmith, Managing Director of Formida Software's European office.
"Applications like the Vodafone Optimisation 1 data warehouse solution are prime examples of how the Internet is becoming an information delivery mechanism for the enterprise. The Cellular Network Cartridge provides the first open platform not only for network optimisation but for enhanced location based services such as emergency calls and the `where can I find...' type queries."
Formida Software introduced the first cellular telecommunications solution based on Oracle8i and Formida's Java technologies, the Formida Cellular Network Cartridge. Formida also produces Formida Fire and the Enterprise Spatial Product Suite, the dominant suite of tools and components for Web-enabling enterprise spatial database applications.
Formida products are used by developers to create or extend applications to utilize complex data such as spatial, image, CAD or GPS signaling. Formida's open architecture integrates mapping and image data into text-based applications that can be deployed via the Web, extending the functionality of object-relational databases and resulting in better decision support.
Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., Formida Software Corporation is an international company, with offices in the United States, Europe, and Asia Pacific. More information about Formida and its software products is available via the World Wide Web at http://www.formida.com.
Vodafone is the UK's most popular mobile phone operator and is part of the Vodafone AirTouch Group Plc. The largest wireless carrier in the world, Vodafone AirTouch has operations in 23 countries and serves over 31 million customers worldwide.