Network speed testing tool introduced for Virginia

Published July 30, 2015 by Robert Powell, III

In partnership with the Center for Geospatial Information Technology (CGIT) at Virginia Tech, the Herndon-based Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) has announced the release of a network speed testing tool called Data Cardinal.

CIT said DataCardinal will enable Virginia citizens and businesses to measure the quality and speed of their mobile-data connections.

The tool is available for Android devices as a free download from the Google Play Store. DataCardinal also includes several survey questions to better understand end-users' access and demand for mobile broadband services across the commonwealth.

The introduction of the tool is part of CIT’s ongoing effort to assist Virginia localities in improving broadband access and utilization.

The tool provides a two-phase test that includes initial testing and results validation in order to ensure statistically significant measurements. 

DataCardinal allows you to test upload and download speeds to measure your internet usage experience. Your voice quality over IP technologies is evaluated by measuring message delay (latency), and message delay variation (jitter).  Results are uploaded to a public repository at CGIT to provide you with the ability to compare broadband coverage at your location with other areas in Virginia.

DataCardinal combines the speed test function with a provider lookup tool (named “Map View”) where users can find broadband providers at a point on a map. The broadband providers' data displayed represents the situation as being served by the Virginia Geographic Information Network's (VGIN) online mapping server.

This tool is based on the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) speed test known as CalSPEED. While CalSPEED works for California citizens, DataCardinal is specifically developed for Virginia. CGIT is currently developing a desktop version of the tool that will be released in the near future.