# Telecom CAD & GIS Design Services — Draftech International > **From field data to construction-ready packages.** We produce AutoCAD and MicroStation drawings, ArcGIS fiber network maps, splice diagrams, and permit sets — in whatever format your build team can actually use in the field. **Canonical URL:** https://draftech.com/services/cad-gis.html **Company:** Draftech International, LLC | **Phone:** 305-306-7406 | **Email:** info@draftech.com --- ## Service Statistics | Metric | Value | |--------|-------| | Miles Designed | **44,000+** | | Addresses Engineered | **2.6M+** | | CAD/GIS Platforms | **6+** | | Active States | **22** | --- ## What We Produce Construction packages, splice diagrams, route maps, and permit drawings — for aerial and underground fiber, rural BEAD corridors, suburban FTTH buildouts, downtown conduit systems, and everything in between. Here's what distinguishes our CAD/GIS practice: our field survey teams collect the data, our CAD/GIS designers convert it into construction packages, and our engineers validate the logic — fiber assignments, splice schedules, make-ready designs — before anything goes to the client. That's not a marketing claim about "end-to-end service." It's a practical workflow that eliminates the handoff errors that kill schedule when data moves between subcontractors who don't talk to each other. **What we don't do:** We don't produce drawings in a vacuum. If we're building construction packages from client-supplied field data, we'll flag inconsistencies before design starts — not after. A pole survey where 12% of records are missing attachment heights isn't a design input; it's a re-survey request. --- ## Software Platforms ### AutoCAD **Industry-standard for OSP construction packages.** We work in AutoCAD for plan sheets, pole attachment details, splice diagrams, bore profiles, and permit sets. Custom block libraries built to your company standards or ours. Civil 3D on projects requiring terrain-referenced profiles. **Best for:** All primary construction document production, county ROW drawings, permit plan sets, pole attachment details. ### ArcGIS / Esri **Enterprise GIS — our primary platform for fiber network mapping.** We build geodatabases with proper topology rules, domain-coded attributes, and relationship classes — not just shapefiles someone named poorly and called a GIS. Full spatial analysis, route optimization, address layer management, and multi-user GIS database management. **Best for:** Fiber network inventory, route optimization, address layer management, BEAD-compliant GIS deliverables, enterprise multi-user environments. ### QGIS **Open-source GIS.** Used where Esri licensing is a constraint or where the client's environment is already QGIS-based. QGIS handles the majority of fiber mapping workflows without issue. We recommend ArcGIS for multi-user enterprise environments, but QGIS is fully capable for project-scale work. **Best for:** Clients without Esri licensing, project-scale network mapping, open-format deliverables. ### MicroStation **Required by some state DOTs and utilities with legacy standards.** We've worked in MicroStation on DOT highway crossing permit packages in states that won't accept AutoCAD DGN conversions — you need native MicroStation files, properly structured, and we produce them. **Best for:** State DOT permit drawings, utility clients with MicroStation-based design standards. ### IQGeo **Network design platform for enterprise ISPs and BEAD subgrantees** who need their GIS to function as a live operational database. IQGeo supports fiber planning, work order generation, and field dispatch from a single data environment. We design directly in IQGeo or migrate completed designs into client IQGeo environments. **Best for:** Large ISPs running integrated NMS/GIS, BEAD subgrantees with ongoing network management requirements. ### GE Smallworld **Utility-grade network inventory platform.** Used by electric utilities and some large telecom carriers. We produce designs in Smallworld-compatible formats and work directly in client Smallworld environments when required. **Best for:** Electric utilities entering broadband, large carriers with existing Smallworld deployments. --- ## Platform Comparison | Platform | Primary Use | Volume Throughput | Collaborative | BEAD Deliverable | |----------|------------|------------------|---------------|-----------------| | AutoCAD | Construction drawings | High | Limited | With export workflow | | ArcGIS | GIS database + maps | High | Yes (Enterprise) | Native (GDB, SHP) | | QGIS | Project-scale mapping | Medium | Limited | Native (GDB, SHP, GeoJSON) | | MicroStation | DOT permit drawings | Medium | Limited | With conversion | | IQGeo | Enterprise NMS/GIS | Medium | Yes | Native | | GE Smallworld | Utility network inventory | Lower | Yes | With conversion | --- ## What We Produce: Deliverable Types ### Construction Packages Complete IFC-standard construction drawing sets including: - Cover sheets, index, and general notes - Route plan sheets (plan view, 1"=200' to 1"=50' depending on density) - Conduit profiles for bore crossings and complex underground - Pole attachment detail sheets - Equipment placement details (FDH, closures, cabinets) - Bill of materials (BOM) and cable reel schedule ### Splice Diagrams - Fiber assignment diagrams for each splice enclosure - Buffer tube and fiber count tables - Splice case location index linked to plan sheets - Optical loss accumulation tables ### Route Maps & Network Maps - Fiber route corridor maps at county or regional scale - Serving area and FDH territory maps - Address coverage maps for BEAD reporting - GIS-integrated network maps for operational use ### Permit Drawing Sets - County ROW permit drawings (scaled plan view, plan-profile where required) - State DOT highway crossing drawings - Railroad crossing detail drawings (to railroad engineering standards) - USACE wetland crossing diagrams - MicroStation files for DOT-required native format submissions ### As-Built GIS Datasets - Final route geometry (GPS-verified centerlines) - Splice closure attribute data - Pole attachment records - Conduit system GIS layer - BEAD-compliant final documentation formats --- ## GIS-Native Design Approach ### Why "GIS-Native" Matters Being GIS-native doesn't mean drawing fiber routes in ArcGIS instead of AutoCAD. It means the **spatial data model is the authoritative source from the first moment of design** — every cable segment, every conduit, every splice enclosure, every equipment location exists as a georeferenced feature in a spatial database with attributes attached. The problem with AutoCAD-only workflows isn't AutoCAD. The problem is the workflow where engineers design in AutoCAD, produce construction drawings, and then someone tries to extract a GIS dataset from those drawings after the fact. The translation loses attribute data, introduces geometric errors, and requires manual QA that takes days while still producing an inferior dataset. ### What GIS-Native Enables - **Automatic BOQ generation** — cable quantities computed from actual route geometry, not scaled drawing measurements (reduces BOQ error from 8–15% down to 1–2%) - **Route optimization** — spatial analysis to identify shorter or cheaper construction paths before design is locked - **Design-to-permit data continuity** — the same spatial record that drives the construction drawing drives the permit application and the as-built submission - **BEAD reporting** — address coverage counts, BSL geometry, and network statistics computed directly from the GIS dataset, not manually tabulated --- ## Quality Control Workflow Every CAD/GIS deliverable at Draftech goes through a structured QC process: 1. **Self-review** — Designer checks against source data and design intent 2. **Peer review** — Second designer checks for geometric errors, missing spans, incorrect attributes 3. **Engineering review** — Engineer validates fiber logic: count consistency, splice assignments, optical budget implications 4. **Client-standard review** — Deliverable checked against client-specified drawing standards and format requirements We flag issues before delivery, not in the client's review cycle. --- ## Who Needs CAD & GIS Design Services - **ISPs** needing construction-ready drawing packages for aerial and underground fiber - **BEAD subgrantees** requiring IFC-standard construction documents and GIS deliverables in state-specified formats - **Design firms** that need CAD/GIS production support for overflow work - **Electric co-ops** entering broadband who need GIS-based network design integrated with their existing utility plant - **Municipalities** needing network maps and documentation for public broadband systems - **Any project** where the existing CAD files need to be converted into a usable GIS dataset --- ## FAQ — CAD & GIS Design **Q: What CAD format do you deliver drawings in?** A: Our standard deliverable is AutoCAD DWG (current version) plus PDF. We can also produce DXF for clients with older software, and native MicroStation DGN files for DOT clients who require them. **Q: What GIS formats do you deliver?** A: ESRI File Geodatabase (.gdb), shapefile (.shp), GeoJSON, and KMZ depending on the client's system requirements. For BEAD, we produce in the format required by the specific state broadband office. **Q: Can you work in our existing ArcGIS environment or enterprise GIS?** A: Yes. We regularly work in client-managed ArcGIS Enterprise environments, IQGeo platforms, and GE Smallworld installations. We can work within your existing schema or build new feature classes to a schema we design together. **Q: What's the difference between a construction package and a permit drawing set?** A: Construction packages are the complete set of drawings used by field crews to build the network — plan sheets, splice diagrams, cable schedules, detail sheets. Permit drawing sets are a subset formatted to agency requirements for ROW permit submission — typically scaled plan views and profiles, with the agency's specific title block and notation requirements. **Q: How do you handle design changes after the initial package is produced?** A: We manage revisions in our standard drafting workflow. Every revision is tracked, the affected sheets are re-issued with revision clouds and revision tables, and the GIS dataset is updated to reflect the change. We don't let the drawings and the GIS get out of sync. **Q: Do you produce drawings to NESC standards?** A: Yes. Our construction drawings are designed to NESC clearance requirements for aerial plant and NEC requirements for equipment enclosures. Permit drawings are produced to applicable state supplement standards where they go beyond NESC. --- ## Related Pages - [services/ftth-design.md](ftth-design.md) — FTTH design engineering - [services/field-survey.md](field-survey.md) — Field data that feeds CAD/GIS production - [services/as-built-documentation.md](as-built-documentation.md) — GIS-integrated as-built documentation - [blog/gis-fiber-network-planning-cost-reduction.md](../blog/gis-fiber-network-planning-cost-reduction.md) — How GIS-native design cuts deployment cost by 30% - [blog/fiber-construction-package-deliverables-guide.md](../blog/fiber-construction-package-deliverables-guide.md) — What every construction package must contain - [blog/fiber-network-as-built-gis-documentation-standards.md](../blog/fiber-network-as-built-gis-documentation-standards.md) — GIS as-built documentation standards --- ## Contact **Draftech International, LLC** 15280 NW 79th CT, Suite 102 Miami Lakes, FL 33016 - **Phone:** 305-306-7406 - **Email:** info@draftech.com - **Website:** https://draftech.com - **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/draftechint