The FCC Speed Test mobile app is a crowdsource project on mobile network performance, collecting millions of samples per month. In order to make the collected information valuable to consumers, a new approach was needed to present this rich resource in timely and intuitive manner. The Visualizing Mobile Broadband project is a web application that presents mobile network information using maps and interactive metrics. Our small team of developers turned to MongoDB for a solution that is flexible and scalable as volume increases and needs evolve. We present our project from conceptual framework to working prototype and highlight organizational obstacles, geospatial and technical issues encountered along the way.

1. Visualizing Mobile
Broadband
Federal Communications Commission
Eric Spry, Acting Geographic Information Officer

2. Measuring Broadband America
Fixed: 12,000 participants
Mobile: nearly 100,000 installs
for Android, and 50,000 for iOS
www.fcc.gov/measuring-broadband-america

3. Download This App
available in Google Play and iTunes App Store

4. "I like the idea of this app but it's not that useful
when I can only see my data. I'm waiting to see if
they release their heat maps & infographics of
carrier performance in Nov 2014 like they
promised... "
-- Google Play Store Comment

5. Visualizing
Mobile
Broadband

6. How the Gov't
normally
releases info

7. There is a better way

8. Feeling Spatial

10. xkcd on Heat
Maps

11. Hex Binning

12. Some early examples

13. Later Versions
(based on early draft data)

14. SQL approach was good for early
investigation, but not for delivering
a useful product to consumers.
Enter MongoDB

15. Architecting the System

16. MongoDB
"tests" : [
{
"type" : "JHTTPGETMT",
"timestamp" : "1398965279",
"warmup_time" : "5323371",
"target_ipaddress" : "4.71.185.62",
"success" : "true",
"number_of_threads" : "3",
"transfer_bytes" : "6813952",
"bytes_sec" : "453803",
"datetime" : "2014-05-01T17:27:59+0000",
"target" : "samknows1.nyc2.level3.net",
"warmup_bytes" : "2627029",
"transfer_time" : "15015192"
},
{
"type" : "JHTTPPOSTMT",
"timestamp" : "1398965305",
"warmup_time" : "5569560",
"target_ipaddress" : "4.71.185.62",
"success" : "true",
"number_of_threads" : "3",
"transfer_bytes" : "3569696",
"bytes_sec" : "227745",
"datetime" : "2014-05-01T17:28:25+0000",
"target" : "samknows1.nyc2.level3.net",
"warmup_bytes" : "1313376",
"transfer_time" : "15674058"
},

17. Importing the Speed Test Files

18. Aggregation
Validated Mobile tests are stored in a collection for
aggregation.
$geoIntersects operator is used to determine the geographies that
each test is contained by.

19. Aggregation

20. Now, Let's Make a Map!

21. Actually, let's make 36 maps!

22. Developing the API
/api/mmba/carrier/verizon.json?
lat=34&lon=-118.2
json, jsonp, geojson, and xml
are supported
if (validLatLon(lat, lon)) {
console.log('lon ' + lon);
console.log('lat ' + lat);
lat = Number(lat);
lon = Number(lon);
geo_find = {geometry: { $geoIntersects: { $geometry: { type: 'Point', coordinates: [lon, lat] }}}};
}

23. Developing the UI
Some inspiration from the
Yahoo Weather App

24. Iterate the Design

25. Finish with
something
everyone is
proud of

26. Putting it all together
Planned Release in August 2014:
Web application, API, Developer
Resources, Data Download, and all
source code released on GitHub.

27. Next Steps:
Deploy the web
application
Start the next cycle.
Get more data!

28. With Heartfelt Thanks
—Computech Team
—FCC staffers
—Sam and team at SamKnows, UK
—MongoDB Support

29. Download the FCC
Speed Test App from the
Google Play or iTunes
App Store and help us
put the CROWD in
crowdsouce.
www.fcc.gov/measuring-broadband-america