DCS Technology Design was established to provide
professional level Communications Technology Design
and Engineering services as a specialized extension for the Architectural/Engineering industry. As Professional Services moved into the 21st century, telecommunications and low voltage technologies were still not recognized as a separate professional design discipline and were broadly classified under Electrical Engineering. The founders of DCS Technology Design were actively part of the movement to get these technologies recognized as needing specialized considerations, which led to a re-development of how professional design services were categorized and delivered.
We use that professional industry experience today to provide a depth in Rural Broadband Planning that others simply do not have. We do not add extra services just because we can, but having that broad knowledge of what it takes to build Rural Broadband Services in all situations, gives DCS a perspective that is unparalleled in the industry
Industry certified,
In fact, we have helped write many of the publications that are used to train and certify our industry.
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BICSI RCDD (Gold standard for Structured Cable Design)
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BICSI OSP Specialists (Everything Outside Plant)
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BICSI NTS Specialists (Network Electronic Design)
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AVIXA CTS-D (Gold standard for AV design)
Outside Plant Engineering
Specification Development
In the early 60's, the AE industry specifications were formally organized into 16 divisions, based on the different disciplines required to design a building. As telecommunications and information technology become more of an integral part of the building industry, there was a push for a 17th division to recognize and accurately address the broad array of emerging intelligent building and smart municipal technologies. The AE world finally accepted this revolution in building and community design, and with the ICT industry, collaboratively developed a set of standardized practices that now provide more than 50 divisions or design disciplines and specialties.
We were a part of the effort to create autonomy for telecommunications specifications, having developed our own formats early on, and then endorsing and adopting Division 17 to promote the need for more granularity. The eventual result was a Masterformat outline published by the Construction Services Institute (CSI), with various subgroups. The work we do within the building industry generally fall within the bolded Divisions below, with Division 27 being the key format for most telecommunications infrastructure specifications.
CSI Masterformat
Facility Services Subgroup:
Division 20 — RESERVED FOR FUTURE EXPANSION
Division 21 — Fire Suppression
Division 22 — Plumbing
Division 23 — Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC)
Division 24 — RESERVED FOR FUTURE EXPANSION
Division 25 — Integrated Automation
Division 26 — Electrical
Division 27 — Communications (e.g., data, voice, audio/visual systems)
Division 28 — Electronic Safety and Security
Division 29 — RESERVED FOR FUTURE EXPANSION
Technology Systems Design/Engineering
Technology systems tend to be Industry agnostic, and DCS offers extensive expertise in many areas of technology design/build, including:
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Structured Cabling Systems (ICT)
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Outside Plant (OSP)
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Audio Visual Systems
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Wireless Systems
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Data Center
The core expertise of our team is the ability to design any type of copper or fiber infrastructure to support any type communications for any type of facility, data center, campus, or entire cities and counties. All of our design work is led by licensed or certified engineers, depending on the technology requirements.
OSP Mapping & Permitting
When building Telecommunications networks following or crossing public right of ways and easements, there are usually municipal, highway and railroad authorities, waterway authorities, pipeline easements, and other public works easements. There can also be telephone, power and other utility pole attachment permits required if you are planning to construct your system attaching aerial pole lines. Each of these have a different set of requirements, and DCS Technology has decades of experience in all types of mapping and permitting.
Our OSP Specialists have been mapping and permitting since the days of mechanical measuring wheels and telescoping height sticks, and recording that information using Leroy lettering and Ink on Mylar/Vellum masters using a photographic process to create Blueprints. We have evolved much since then and our field engineers have access to a myriad of tools like GPS, GIS, 3D Point Cloud imagery, and other automated technologies that improve efficiency and accuracy.
Right of Way
Municipal, County and State Right of Way permitting is one of many requirements when planning and building telecommunication networks, especially if the plan is to construct your network underground. Requirements for permitting vary greatly between municipalities and authorities, even if the work seems similar. Our engineers can work with your permitting authorities to determine specific requirements and make sure your project is compliant with all local, state, and federal rules and regulations.
OSP Design and Construction Drawings
DCS OSP Designers have logged thousands of miles of OSP design different types of Coax Cable and Fiber networks, Aerial and Underground, using conventional standards and Air Blown Fiber microduct methods, with several projects spanning hundreds of miles of cable plant. We have also managed the construction of hundreds of miles of plant, for private owners, and public services.
Project Costing
Comprehensive and accurate project estimating is critical to budget forecasting and the overall project lifecycle. During planning and design, it is important to make sure all costs are identified to avoid overruns and change orders during construction which put the success of a project at risk. DCS Technology uses project estimating as a tool to manage the design process, assuring that the project can be achievable within budget constraints. We understand how decisions made during the design and planning phases about technologies, function, performance, and other considerations influence project costs, and will have less impact before procurement and construction starts. Changes made to the design after shovels have started digging can have devastating effects on the project.
