A Technique for Evaluating the Uncertainties in Path Loss Predictions Caused by Sparsely Sampled Terrain Data

Radio propagation models provide an estimate of the power loss in a communication link caused by the surface of the ground, atmospheric refraction, foliage, and other environmental factors. Many of the models rely on digital topographic databases to provide information about the terrain, and generally the databases are sparsely sampled relative to the electromagnetic wavelengths used for communication systems. This work primarily develops a technique to evaluate the effects of that sparsity on the uncertainty of propagation models. That is accomplished by accurately solving the electromagnetic fields over many randomly rough surfaces which pass through the sparse topographic data points, many possible communication links, all of which fit the underlying data, are represented. The power variation caused by the different surface realizations is that due to the sparse sampling. Additionally, to verify that this solution technique is a good model, experimental propagation measurements were taken, and compared to the computations.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Electrical Engineering

Department dc:contributor.department

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

2013

Author dc:creator

• Davis, Daniel E.

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Brown, Gary S.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Davis, William A.
• Floyd, William J.

• Method of Ordered Multiple Interactions
• Rough Surface Scattering
• Propagation Loss
• Radio Propagation

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Dc Identifier Other

vt_gsexam:1401

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/23314