Photo By Airman 1st Class Jordaan Kvale | U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Caden Winget (left), 130th Engineering Installation...... read more read more
Airmen from the 130th Engineering Installation Squadron, Utah Air National Guard, are conducting a geo-based survey at the 194th Wing to enhance communication infrastructure on Camp Murray, Wash., Sept. 1-30, 2024.
“A geo-based survey is basically the ability to gather data of all the communication infrastructure on this base,” said Master Sgt. Wayne Vouvalis, 130th EIS Quality Assurance Evaluator.
The survey aims to identify and document existing conduit systems, which are underground pathways between manholes and buildings that provide a route for fiber-optic or copper cables.
“We're getting in the manholes, and the first thing that we do is draw out what we see,” said 130th EIS Airman 1st Class Caden Winget, Radar, Airfield, and Weather Systems technician. “We mark the conduits that are on each wall, and then we also mark how many cables are going through each conduit, and what the infrastructure of the conduit looks like.”
Each cable has a purpose, whether for radio, phone, computer, or camera. Each cable is tagged and labeled as such, enabling the team to effectively map out its entire path from source to end building.
“So we get down in the manhole, we draw, we write down the information, we check, make sure everything's accurate, and then move on to the next one,” said Winget.
All together, the team is tasked to map out the communication infrastructure data from approximately 24 buildings, 26 manholes, and 18 handholds (shallow manholes). Data collected from this process is uploaded to a centralized database, providing real-time visibility of the infrastructure.
According to Senior Master Sgt. Matthew Todd, 194th Wing Communications Squadron Plans and Programs Superintendent, the last geo-based survey conducted was 12 years ago. Since then, the Air Force has instituted an online database to replace inefficient and unreliable blueprint drawings.
“The database that the Air Force uses wasn't instituted in 2012 so nothing of our infrastructure has been input into the database that the Air Force uses for tracking and maintaining manholes, conduit and cable,” said Todd.
The work accomplished by the 130th EIS provides invaluable information and efficiency for future installations or any infrastructure questions that may arise.
“We'll be able to tell which conduits are running between manholes and handholes, which conduits are forming a path between buildings, and how many cables are currently running through those conduits,” said Todd. “So we'll be able to tell much more quickly and without actually going out to each manhole, whether or not there's an open path available.”
Their work not only saves time but also money.
“If we have, for example, a manhole that is underground and it has unused conduit systems, it's going to be a lot cheaper to know this in advance, instead of having to install an underground manhole system,” said Vouvalis. "So if we know these answers, we're able to plan accordingly and save a lot of money for the Air Force for increased communication needs.”
As the team wraps up their survey, they will present their findings to wing leadership, ensuring that the 194th Wing has a clear understanding of its communication infrastructure moving forward.
“This is a really good start for the 194th to be able to continue to improve and develop and increase all their communications abilities,” said Vouvalis.
| Date Taken: | 09.24.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.26.2024 11:33 |
| Story ID: | 481674 |
| Location: | CAMP MURRAY, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 125 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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