PROGIRA plan Version 7 Coming Soon
PROGIRA plan users will soon receive a major upgrade mid-year from Version 6.2 to Version 7. Although it was just a little more than a year ago when the Version 6.2 was launched; PROGIRA’s team of dedicated developers sped ahead with the development of Version 7 right after launch. All PROGIRA plan users will be kept up-to-date with not just the latest technology, but also with an enhanced design in the UI. Whilst version 7 boasts several enhancements, perhaps one of the more exciting capability to be introduced in version 7 is its compatibility with Esri’s next-generation desktop GIS – ArcGIS Pro. In other words, PROGIRA plan users get to benefit from dozens of improvements within PROGIRA plan Version 7 alone, plus en route to enjoy dozens more from an upgrade to ArcGIS Pro in the future.
What to look out for in the latest ArcGIS Pro?
While there are a list of changes from ArcGIS Desktop to Pro, we picked 3 which may make broadcast network planners out there jump on the ArcGIS Pro bandwagon:
Smart UI
ArcGIS Pro presents its functionalities as a horizontal ribbon located on top of the application window. These functionalities are systematically arranged into tabs where users can easily access the tools associated to each tab such as View, Edit Analysis and Appearance. The modern ribbon-based UI is highly intuitive and a major advancement, as the clear display enable users to find their tools quickly and easily. No more getting stuck finding the the right toolbar so as to access a particular function hidden somewhere in the application. The ribbon is also customizable so users can add their favourite tools, tabs and commands. Last but not least, ArcGIS Pro features a smart, context-based UI. Based on the context, the tabs located in the ribbon on the top changes to highlight commands that are applicable. The picture below presents the interface after selecting a field strength layer in the Contents window. Functions you can apply on the selected layer is highlighted in the ribbon, and in this case Appearance and Data.
Many new users are going to love this ultra intuitive UI, it makes navigating around ArcGIS so much easier. Long-time ArcGIS users on the contrary may resist the massive change seen in the UI design and thus an upgrade.
Multiple Layouts
ArcGIS Pro supports multiple maps and layouts in one project. The advantage of this flexibility is a more efficient workflow, and an enhanced organization and display of data. Views are dockable and they can be synched. In the picture below a 3D view of a field strength prediction has been created. The 3D view is synched with the 2D view.
3D integration
The 3D capabilities are perhaps one of the greatest advantage and a strong drive for users to migrate to the latest ArcGIS Pro. 3D enable users to view and analyze data in various angles, and ArcGIS Pro makes it easy for one to do so. With a single click, users can convert 2D to 3D. As seen above, 2D view can be displayed right next to the 3D view in sync. Watch a short video to see the possibilities of 3D coverage map here. Perhaps you may want to present your network’s coverage as a 3D video during your next board meeting 😉
Support for ArcGIS Pro version 2.3 will be available in Version 7, but in the beta version right now.
What’s New in Version 7?
Besides possibilities for major upgrades with ArcGIS Pro, users get an improved broadcast network planning experience within PROGIRA plan Version 7 itself. With all field strength propagation models multithreaded, users can expect to run their analysis even faster than before. Moreover, templates for system parameters will be introduced to help users organize their data efficiently. Up to 10 templates with various sets of system parameters can be set up, saved and named separately. Users who may be running multiple analysis on same sites, to compare results from different sets of parameters will welcome this capability to use templates. Below is a diagram displaying how template is applied in a ISDB-T summation.
Upgrade to fcc Coordination
Users from the US will receive a major upgrade which enhances the US FCC coordination procedure. These changes will help users conduct their analyses more efficiently in PROGIRA plan. For instance, it is now possible to apply a geographical search window when filtering FCC database. The function is found in the PROGIRA® plan Data overview, Set area filter in map. The search window may be set as a rectangle or a polygon. See location of feature in the screenshot below.
Furthermore, US TV repack information can now be displayed in the FCC Data Overview tab. The Repack phase, date when Phase ends and the Repack state (Pre-pack or Post-pack) are displayed. This information may now be used in the Frequency planning module (for example the FCC wizard) to limit the analysis. Users can easily identify data related to specific repack status, for example, analysis can be performed only to Pre-pack stations by activating the filtering condition.
As part of an effort to keep ourselves and our users in the forefront of broadcast transmission technology, FeMBMS or LTE network planning is now available as an add-on in Version 7. With the FeMBMS module, user can conduct field strength predictions as well as SFN summations. Read more about FeMBMS here.
Here’s a quick summary on what to anticipate from Version 7. Stay tune to the official release notes!