Telecom Photo Documentation Software

OSP engineering services often require us here at Katapult to wear many hats. Workflow improvements, pole loading calculations, utility pole measurements, make ready engineering and joint use attachment portals are just a few of the ways we routinely support the industry. At its core, all of our services focus on one of three things: providing extremely accurate data, improving processes to scale efficiently, and gathering photo documentation for defensible data.

We've already discussed the accuracy of our software, as well as how to make good processes great. What we should not overlook, however, is the importance of photo documentation and defensible data.

Pole owners and attachers work with hundreds of thousands of poles each year. At these volumes, small mistakes can be costly--or even dangerous.

Photo documentation has a multitude of applications in our industry. Pole owners who need to audit their distribution system or document illegal attachments can benefit significantly from a system capable of storing this data in an organized way.

Similarly, photo documentation can help attachers dispute alleged pole conditions, excessive make ready, and help start a conversation about mutually beneficial relationships with the pole owners in their territories.

Documentation in this manner has significant implications for the future of one-touch make ready. Photos will allow agreed-upon contractors to present higher visibility of their work, as-built. Because multiple parties will be involved (power, telco, fiber, make ready construction), a platform that provides each party access to before-and-after photo documentation is crucial.

This type of documentation also helps our field crews stay efficient. When they come across something they have questions about, they can take a picture, type a quick note, and move on. Later, when the data is processed, office staff can help answer their questions.

Pole surveys demand both accuracy and organization. Both of these are attainable without sacrificing speed, safety, or your team's talent.

Check out the Katapult method article series to learn more about how we leverage our small size to survey and process hundreds of poles each week.