White Paper February 2013 Route planning functions

Route planning functions Network design dedicated to track coverage

ATDI recently implanted new automated planning functions dedicated to track coverage.

This new feature is especially useful for the following network design projects:

• Rail track coverage: GSM-R

• Highway coverage (FM radio…)

• Railway/highway worksites VHF coverage

• Secured Logistics Convoys / Military deployment

• Public transport lines TETRA coverage

• Pipeline security control systems

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1 Scope of work

This paper will detail the above mentioned functions considering an example of a GSM-R network

deployment project.

Let’s consider the following objectives:

- Cover 100% of a rail track with a GSM-R network

- Receive at least two signals at every position on the track

- Perform a site selection to fulfill the above mentioned goals among a list of potential sites

- Perform an azimuth optimization of the selected sites

- Study the handover performance along the track according to the train’s speed

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2 Project setup

2.1 Cartographic data

In order to perform such study, a high resolution cartographic dataset is required.

In this example, we considered:

A 10 meters resolution Digital Terrain Model including the rail track recess:

A 20 classes Clutter layer, including the rail track (displayed in red):

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The Bing map images (both roads & satellite maps are available) associated to the rail track vector line for

optimized analysis and reporting:

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2.2 Base stations

A list of potential sites including all the required technical parameters has been easily imported.

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3 Automated site selection & azimuth optimization

The route planning function is available in the menu ‘Coverage � Network planning’

This function will select best stations to cover the entire track line, thus the calculation is performed along the

track which is materialized by a vector line.

Remark: Track’s vector files can be imported in ICS telecom under ESRI shape (SHP) format, Mapinfo MIF

format, Autocad DXF format or KML Google earth format.

The function can also orient the antennas. The azimuth optimization is done every degree.

Remark: If a station is made of several sectors, the function will consider all the sectors together, meaning that

if the site is selected all sectors will be.

The user can define:

- The receiving antenna height above the track

- The receiver’s sensitivity (coverage threshold)

- A limit distance of calculation

- Whether an overlapping is required or not

- Whether an azimuth optimization is required or not

Selected station’s coverage calculation can be automatically performed.

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At the end of the optimization process, a report is given. This report indicates the percentage of the track

covered by the selected network, the percentage covered in overlapping (at least two signals received along

the track) and the number of selected base station:

The non-selected stations are deactivated on map:

Once the selection in finalized, the coverage computation can be performed and the user can display an

overlapping map in order to analyze the problematic areas.

Of course, it is also possible to display composite coverage or best server maps.

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Case of an overlapping map with a problematic area (pink indicates overlapping):

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4 Handover margin along vector lines

The second function related to track coverage network design is made for the study the handover

performance along the track according to the train’s speed.

The function is available in the menu ‘Maps � Vector layer’

The user can define:

- The receiving antenna height above the track

- The handover effective time

- The mobile (e.g. a train) speed

- The handover margin required

- Whether the function should check the neighbors or not

This function provides a graph and a report.

The following graph gives for each position along the track the station’s ‘ident’ on which the mobile will be

connected:

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The Excel report list at each position:

- The name of the connected base station

- The field strength level received

- The location’s coordinates

The Excel report list for every station:

- The handover distance

- The effective distance needed

- If the handover is successful or not

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Software solutions in radiocommunications

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