Cell, Sector, Site, and Tower Record
Definitions that distinguish planning Cells, directional sectors, physical sites, tower dataset records, and candidate feasibility.
Use these terms to distinguish a planning object from a real telecom
installation. A.T.O.M keeps the established API names such as
towers[] for compatibility; those names do not certify that
a record is a physical tower or an operator-owned asset.
Planning Cell
A Cell is the planning record you select and
configure in Inventory. It carries the coordinates, technology, carrier,
antenna assumptions, and other per-cell inputs used by an analysis. The
UI calls these objects Cells; existing API requests may expose them
under names such as towers[]. A selected planning Cell is
not, by itself, proof of a distinct physical installation.
Sector
A sector is a directional planning view of radio coverage associated with a Cell, using settings such as azimuth and beam width. Several Cells or sectors may be planned at one location, for example to represent different directions. This describes the plan; it does not establish how many antennas or sectors are physically installed.
Physical Site and Co-location
A physical site is a real place or structure where telecommunications equipment is installed. Co-location means multiple planned Cells are assigned to the same planned location. Matching or nearby coordinates can help represent co-location in a plan, but the dataset does not verify that equipment shares a real site, building, rooftop, or support structure.
Tower Record and Candidate
A tower record is an input feature from the active tower dataset. It supplies a location and dataset identifier for planning; it is not an operator inventory. The current tower locations are derived from OpenCellID-oriented source processing, as described under Data Confidence.
A candidate is a record surfaced for consideration by the planning workflow. Candidate status is not evidence of ownership, site availability, permission or permitting, cost, power, fiber, backhaul, rooftop access, or construction feasibility. Those items require independent verification before any real-world decision.
Dataset Identity
Each active dataset pack has an identity and provenance. Saved scenarios stay bound to the dataset identity they used; switching packs can make results stale instead of silently reinterpreting them. See Validated Dataset Packs and Modeling Limits.
Quick distinction
| Term | In A.T.O.M | What it does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| Cell | Configurable planning record used by an analysis | A verified physical cell or site |
| Sector | Directional coverage settings associated with a planned Cell | Installed antenna count or orientation |
| Site | Real-world equipment location | Verified by a dataset point alone |
| Tower record | Location feature supplied by a dataset | Ownership, operational status, or a tower structure |
| Candidate | Dataset record suggested for further planning | Feasibility, permission, cost, or availability |
For the model's broader data and scientific boundaries, see Modeling Limits.