Technology Infrastructure Foundation

Overview

UC Santa Cruz developed a ten-year telecommunications master plan to guide investments in communications infrastructure over the next decade in support of campus instruction, research, and administration. This plan is in alignment with the 2005 Long Range Development, Coastal Long Range Development, and 10-year Campus Capital Plans. It known as the Telecommunications Infrastructure Upgrade Project (TIU) and is being implemented through a series of projects described below.

Aastra Phone System Upgrade and Voice Over IP

Distributed Antenna System (DAS)

This project is intended to develop building specifications, a general equipment design, and business model for the provisioning of cellular service inside facilities (as compared to the exterior distributed antenna system and design which provides outside coverage and some level of building penetration.  It does not provide for the actual installation of equipment or activation of carrier services but sets the stage for this to be done in new buildings if desired or by retrofitting existing buildings should the campus deem it appropriate to fund the service.

Project Manager:Geoff Smith

Status: The interior DAS prototype was successfully installed in the Merrill Apartments and has been running well for a year, providing interior cell coverage in building areas where signals were otherwise too weak.  A similar installation has been proposed for McHenry Library, however it appears that neither AT&T nor Verizon can move forward this year and discussions are being pursued for the 2016.  A small cell tower was proposed by AT&T for BioMed, but this effort has also been put on hold while AT&T reorganizes itself regarding how it provides these services.  

Cable Plant Documentation

The campus telecommunications inside and outside cable plant has not been well documented and was inherited from AT&T many years ago after deregulation. This project attempts to rectify this situation by accurately mapping the outside plant onto geographically accurate campus maps and documenting inside cable plant, equipment racks, patch panels, and interconnects. This will enable much better management of the cable plant, will provide information critical to contractors and will enable the campus to leverage the as-built documentation coming from the TIU project.

Project Manager: Gina Quolas

Status: Several Phase A buildings have been surveyed in preparation for Mapcom data entry.  These buildings include, Thimann-Labs/Lecture/Receiving, Visual Arts Research Facility, Sinsheimer, Kerr Hall, Kresge Classroom building, College 8 BL & Academic, Porter Dining/K/Academic and PSB.  As each building is completed during Phase A, a final audit will be completed to capture new equipment placed during Phase A, and those buildings will be completely built in Mapcom.  We are currently surveying pathways for the new outside plant (OSP) cable design, and documenting underground supporting structures for Kresge and Porter Colleges.  This verification will be ongoing for the next few weeks.  

Building Plan Updates

Not all campus buildings have plans with the accuracy and detail required for the TIU project. This internal project is developing small scale floor plans from building surveys and compilations of drawings which reflect building construction and renovations over the years. The intent of this project is to accurately depict building and room size, room numbers, etc. as a base layer for the construction bid documents and to import this into the PP&C database of record for future campus use.

Status: Phase B and C building backgrounds have been completed and are in the process of being evaluated and submitted onto Facilities Link.  Currently, we are in the process of surveying Phase A buildings. Once this is completed, we will begin surveying Phase D buildings.

Oakes Academic Building

Early telecommunications closet renovation, Cat 6 wiring, deployment of network electronics and wireless services for Oakes Academic Building in preparation for EPC relocation.  VoIP deployment has been delayed until the Phase A project.

Project Manager: Vic Rempillo

Status: Project completed.

IP Television

IPTV is being provided to residential areas, and the first complex to receive this service was Merrill A/B which was renovated this summer.  Basic cable television services have been provided to areas already served, via Campus Televideo.

Project Manager: Jeff Wagner

Status: Project completed