The Institute of Local Self Reliance has created a map of disguised telecom tower across the US. The are telecom towers that look like something else…

This map came about following a conversation in a Women in GIS – Communities of Practice meeting that was focused on infrastructure. After joking that mapping all the locations of disguised telecom towers would be a fun project, I started to wonder if such a dataset exists. One lengthy google search later, I was able to put together the dataset of these locations using  OpenStreetMap . OpenStreetMap is a free, open-source geographic dataset that includes roads, bridges, buildings, communication towers, and much more. As you read, keep in mind that this dataset may not capture all disguised towers, but it is the best we could find.

I had an image of what this meant in my mind. I have seen telecom tower disguised as trees, but I thought it was kind of funny and then I realized why once I saw the map…

It turns out disguised towers aren’t a big deal in Minnesota or North Dakota, South Dakota or Montana. I asked around and it turns out it’s up to the cities to decide what’s required and/or allowed in their communities. I have heard of few instances where folks were asked to make broadband look better. In 2008, Afton looked at using “pine” tower to appease local residents; in 2007, a St Lous Park project also looked at camouflaging equipment.