ISART 2018 • Path Lost: Navigating propagation challenges for ultra-dense wireless systems

Network densification in response to the explosion in demand for wireless data presents technical, economic, and regulatory challenges. In the scramble to meet the demand for wireless data, coexistence, spectrum sharing, and infrastructureless communications are being introduced as alternatives and adjuncts to fixed frequency assignment and infrastructure-based networks. Network operators are looking to ultra-dense networks and ever-shrinking cell sizes to build capacity, but existing propagation models have an inadequate level of fidelity to represent these environments. Detailed knowledge of radiofrequency propagation in these ultra-dense network environments is key to not only building capacity but also regulating in ways that ensure minimal interference and offer appropriate economic incentives. Accurate, reliable, validated, and trusted propagation models that can predict signal strength across a wide variety of environments and conditions are key to navigating the challenges of deploying ultra-dense wireless systems in shared radio spectrum. ISART 2018 will bring together leading experts from government, academia, and industry to explore the current state of the art and map the path forward to the next generation of foundational propagation models.

Click on a title or speaker to access the presentation. Jump to links to posters.

Tuesday, July 24

• Keynote — It's Getting Crowded in Here! Understanding the Spectrum Implications of IoT and 5G
  David J. Redl, Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator
• Plenary Address — Ultra-dense Networks
  Scott Townley, Technology Fellow, Verizon Network Technology Strategy
• Panel—Mapping a Path Forward: Economics, Applications and Policy Implications
  Ongoing research into propagation modeling supported by academic, industry, and federal spectrum research funds and industry-government collaborations have set the stage for marked improvements in modeling. A forward looking approach requires preliminary analyses of future rulemakings to determine use case scenarios and propagation morphologies and a research effort that leads—not lags—upcoming rulemakings. This session will explore policy implications of improved propagation modeling, discuss economic valuations of improved models, and explore means of coordinating research at the national level.
  • Giulia McHenry, NTIA Chief Economist, Moderator
  • Julius P. Knapp, FCC, Office of Engineering and Technology
  • Marc Levesque, Communications Research Centre Canada
  • Peter Tenhula, NTIA Office of Spectrum Management
  • Bryan N. Tramont, Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP
  • Scott Wallsten, Technology Policy Institute

Wednesday, July 25

• Keynote — Spectrum and Connectivity in Supporting Transportation Safety
  Heidi King, Deputy Administrator, U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Technical Talk – Considerations for Mobile Urban Applications
  Keith Gremban, Director, Institute for Telecommunication Sciences, NTIA
• Technical Talk — Data and More Data: Inputs to Modern Propagation Prediction Tools
  Roger Skidmore, CEO, EDX Technologies, Inc.
• Panel—Preparing the Road: Recent Advances in Modeling infrastructure
  Vast improvements in terrain databases, computational power, and measurement data repositories have fostered a renaissance in propagation model development. Increased collaboration has led to improved measurement methods using narrowband and broadband channel sounders, more extensive measurement data sets, applications of common, high resolution terrain databases, precision geolocation, etc. However, more data does not necessarily mean better data or better results, thus the panel will also look at how to make sense of what tools are available and utilize what is available. The overall purpose of this panel is to promote a shared awareness of these new resources and their potential applications and value to different stakeholders.
  • William ("Billy") Kozma, NTIA/ITS, Moderator
  • Dan Breton, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL)
  • Ben Hilburn, DeepSig, Inc.
  • Kate Mulreany, Naval Surface Warfare Center
  • Frank Rotondo, Institute for Defense Analyses
  • Roger Skidmore, EDX Technologies, Inc.
• Roadside Chat — Visions of the Road Ahead
  Massive reductions in uncertainty and dramatic increases in modeling precision have transformational possibilities. Our distinguished guests will share and debate their visions of what could lie beyond next-generation wireless if technology, policy, and economics can be aligned.
  • Mark Gibson, Comsearch, Moderator
  • Paul A. Kolodzy, Kolodzy Consulting
  • Preston Marshall, Engineering Director and Principal Wireless Architect, Google LLC Communications
• Panel—Driving Forward: Advances in Propagation Modeling
  The availability of higher fidelity datasets and the desire for increased precision in modeling results has led to a re-visiting of how to handle modeling the radio environment. Features such as vegetation, building clutter, and 3D geometries had traditionally been either ignored by existing models or incorporated after-the-fact as a form of endpoint correction. This panel will look at ongoing research that strives to implicitly incorporate such features directly into the propagation model.
  • Kevin Sowerby, University of Auckland, Moderator
  • Evelyn Dohme, University of New Mexico
  • Katsuyuki Haneda, Aalto University
  • David Matolak, University of South Carolina
  • Paul McKenna, NTIA/ITS

Thursday, July 26

• Technical Talk — Current DoD Propagation Challenges
  Howard McDonald, Defense Spectrum Organization, Defense Information Systems Agency
• Technical Talk — Modeling Interference Risk: Propagation and Other Uncertainties
  Pierre de Vries, Silicon Flatirons Center
• Technical Talk – Overview of 5G Channel Models in 3GPP
  Jean-Aicard Fabien, NTIA/ITS
• Panel—Tuning for Precision: Best Practices for Measurements and Models
  Once models have been developed they need to be verified and validated. Verification is the process of establishing the truth, accuracy, or soundness  of something. Validation, on the other hand, demonstrates that a product or product component fulfills its intended use when placed in its intended environment. This panel will discuss techniques for accomplishing this and address typical timelines, roadblocks, risks, and challenges.
• Lorne Liechty, EDX Wireless, Inc., Moderator
• Chriss Hammerschmidt, NTIA-ITS
• Jim Linehan, Alion Science and Technology
• Mark Poletti, CableLabs
• Jeanne Quimby, NIST/CTL
• Workshop—Benchmarking Measurements and Modeling
  Highly accurate propagation measurements are key to both model development and model validation. This two-part workshop will focus on precision propagation measurements and best practices. The first part will include a series of talks on precision propagation measurement systems, best practices for doing accurate propagation measurements, and ways to assess measurement uncertainty of a measurement system. The second part of this session will consist of live demos with actual propagation measurement systems. Experts will demonstrate best measurement practices with these systems, what is needed to get the best out of a propagation measurement system, and problems that can occur if best practices are not followed.
• Introduction & Overview
  Robert Johnk, NTIA/ITS
• Three Propagation Measurement Systems
  PN Sliding Correlator, Erik Hill, NTIA/ITS
  CWSounder, Robert Johnk, NTIA/ITS
  Jeanne Quimby, NIST/CTL
• Best Measurement Practices
  Chriss Hammerschmidt, NTIA/ITS
  Anna Paulson, NTIA/ITS
• Channel Sounder Intercomparisons
  Jeanne Quimby, NIST/CTL
• Screening Experiments in Mobile Channel Measurements
  Mark McFarland, NTIA/ITS
• Propagation Measurement Pathologies
  Robert Johnk, NTIA/ITS

Posters

• Advanced Wireless Services-3 (AWS-3) Spectrum Sharing Test & Demonstration (SSTD) Program: Improve Propagation 
  Poster • Handout
  Defense Information Systems Agency, Defense Spectrum Organization
• Balancing the Spectrum with Network Densification: Achieving Economic and Public Mission Objectives 
  Carolyn A. Kahn, The MITRE Corporation
• Characterizing Power Emissions Behavior Across LTE’s Physical Uplink Channels
  J. Kartheek Devineni, Virginia Tech
• Forecasting Short-Term Cellular Traffic Evolution During a Spectrum Transition 
  Thaddeus Czauski, Virginia Tech
• Measurement-Based Outdoor-to-Indoor Coverage Study at 14 GHz
  Aki Karttunen, Aalto University, Finland
• Propagation Measurements in Support of Clutter Model Simulation
  Nadia Yoza-Mitsuishi, University of Colorado Boulder
• Reconfigurable Switched Array Channel Sounder using Software Defined Radios
  Robert D. Jones, Colorado School of Mines