Spectrum cartography techniques, challenges, opportunities, and applications: A survey

The spectrum cartography finds applications in several areas such as cognitive radios, spectrum aware communications, machine-type communications, Internet of Things, connected vehicles, wireless sensor networks, and radio frequency management systems, etc. This paper presents a survey on state-of-the-art of spectrum cartography techniques for the construction of various radio environment maps (REMs). Following a brief overview on spectrum cartography, various techniques considered to construct the REMs such as channel gain map, power spectral density map, power map, spectrum map, power propagation map, radio frequency map, and interference map are reviewed. In this paper, we compare the performance of the different spectrum cartography methods in terms of mean absolute error, mean square error, normalized mean square error, and root mean square error. The information presented in this paper aims to serve as a practical reference guide for various spectrum cartography methods for constructing different REMs. Finally, some of the open issues and challenges for future research and development are discussed.publishedVersio

User mobility prediction and management using machine learning

The next generation mobile networks (NGMNs) are envisioned to overcome current user mobility limitations while improving the network performance. Some of the limitations envisioned for mobility management in the future mobile networks are: addressing the massive traffic growth bottlenecks; providing better quality and experience to end users; supporting ultra high data rates; ensuring ultra low latency, seamless handover (HOs) from one base station (BS) to another, etc. Thus, in order for future networks to manage users mobility through all of the stringent limitations mentioned, artificial intelligence (AI) is deemed to play a key role automating end-to-end process through machine learning (ML). The objectives of this thesis are to explore user mobility predictions and management use-cases using ML. First, background and literature review is presented which covers, current mobile networks overview, and ML-driven applications to enable user’s mobility and management. Followed by the use-cases of mobility prediction in dense mobile networks are analysed and optimised with the use of ML algorithms. The overall framework test accuracy of 91.17% was obtained in comparison to all other mobility prediction algorithms through artificial neural network (ANN). Furthermore, a concept of mobility prediction-based energy consumption is discussed to automate and classify user’s mobility and reduce carbon emissions under smart city transportation achieving 98.82% with k-nearest neighbour (KNN) classifier as an optimal result along with 31.83% energy savings gain. Finally, context-aware handover (HO) skipping scenario is analysed in order to improve over all quality of service (QoS) as a framework of mobility management in next generation networks (NGNs). The framework relies on passenger mobility, trains trajectory, travelling time and frequency, network load and signal ratio data in cardinal directions i.e, North, East, West, and South (NEWS) achieving optimum result of 94.51% through support vector machine (SVM) classifier. These results were fed into HO skipping techniques to analyse, coverage probability, throughput, and HO cost. This work is extended by blockchain-enabled privacy preservation mechanism to provide end-to-end secure platform throughout train passengers mobility

Non-Stationarity Characterization and Geometry-Cluster-Based Stochastic Model for High-Speed Train Radio Channels

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI linkIn time-variant high-speed train (HST) radio channels, the scattering environment changes rapidly with the movement of terminals, leading to a serious deterioration in communication quality. In the system- and link-level simulation of HST channels, this non-stationarity should be characterized and modeled properly. In this paper, the sizes of the quasi-stationary regions are quantified to measure the significant changes in channel statistics, namely, the average power delay profile (APDP) and correlation matrix distance (CMD), based on a measurement campaign conducted at 2.4 GHz. Furthermore, parameters of the multi-path components (MPCs) are estimated and a novel clustering-tracking-identifying algorithm is designed to separate MPCs into line-of-sight (LOS), periodic reflecting clusters (PRCs) from power supply pillars along the railway, and random scattering clusters (RSCs). Then, a non-stationary geometry-cluster-based stochastic model is proposed for viaduct and hilly terrain scenarios. Furthermore, the proposed model is verified by measured channel statistics such as the Rician K factor and the root mean square delay spread. The temporal autocorrelation function and the spatial cross-correlation function are presented. Quasi-stationary regions of the model are analyzed and compared with the measured data, the standardized IMT-Advanced (IMT-A) channel model, and a published nonstationary IMT-A channel model. The good agreement between the proposed model and the measured data demonstrates the ability of the model to characterize the non-stationary features of propagation environments in HST scenarios

Développement d'une méthode de géolocalisation à l'intérieur de bâtiments par classification des fingerprints GSM et fusion de données de capteurs embarqués

GPS has long been used for accurate and reliable outdoor localization, but it cannot operate in indoor environments, which suggests developing indoor localization methods that can provide seamless and ubiquitous services for mobile users.In this thesis, indoor localization is realized making use of received signal strength fingerprinting technique based on the existing GSM networks. A room is defined as the minimum location unit, and support vector machine are used as a mean to discriminate the rooms by classifying received signal strengths from very large number of GSM carriers. At the same time, multiple sensors, such as accelerometer and gyroscope, are widely available for modern mobile devices, which provide additional information that helps location determination. The hybrid approach that combines the GSM fingerprinting results with mobile sensor and building layout information using a particle filter provides a more accurate and fine-grained localization result.The results of experiments under realistic conditions demonstrate that correct room number can be obtained 94% of the time provided the derived model is used before significant received signal strength drift sets in. Furthermore, if the training data is sampled over a few days, the performance can remain stable exceeding 80% over a period of months, and can be further improved with various post-processing techniques. Moreover, including the mobile sensors allows the system to localize the mobile trajectory coordinates with high accuracy and reliability.L’objet de cette thèse est l’étude de la localisation et de la navigation à l’intérieur de bâtiments à l’aide des signaux disponibles dans les systèmes mobiles cellulaires et, en particulier, les signaux GSM.Le système GPS est aujourd’hui couramment utilisé en extérieur pour déterminer la position d’un objet, mais les signaux GPS ne sont pas adaptés à la localisation en intérieurIci, la localisation en intérieur est obtenue à partir de la technique des «empreintes» de puissance des signaux reçus sur les canaux utilisés par les réseaux GSM. Elle est réalisée à l’échelle de la pièce. Une classification est effectuée à partir de machines à vecteurs supports et les descripteurs utilisés sont les puissances de toutes les porteuses GSM. D’autres capteurs physiques disponibles dans les téléphones portables fournissent des informations utiles pour déterminer la position ou le déplacement de l’utilisateur. Celles-ci, ainsi que la cartographie de l’environnement, sont associées aux résultats obtenus à partir des «empreintes» GSM au sein de filtres particulaires afin d’obtenir une localisation plus précise, et sous forme de coordonnées continues.Les résultats obtenus montrent que l’utilisation des seules empreintes GSM permet de déterminer la pièce correcte dans 94% des cas sur une durée courte et que les performances restent stables pendant plusieurs mois, de l’ordre de 80%, si les données d’apprentissage sont enregistrées sur quelques jours. L’association de la cartographie du lieu et des informations issues des autres capteurs aux données de classification permettent d’obtenir les coordonnées de la trajectoire du système mobile avec une bonne précision et une bonne fiabilité

Performance Enhancing of Heterogeneous Network through Optimisation and Machine Learning Techniques

In the last two decades, by the benefit of advanced wireless technology, growing data service cause the explosive traffic demand, and it brings many new challenges to the network operators. In order to match the growing traffic demand, operators shall deploy new base stations to increase the total cellular network capacity. Meanwhile, a new type of low-power base stations are frequently deployed within the network, providing extra access points to subscribers. However, even the new base station can be operated in low power, the total network energy consumption is still increased proportional to the total number of base station, and considerable network energy consumption will become one of the main issues to the network operators. The way of reducing network energy consumption become crucial, especially in 5G when multiple antennas are deployed within one site. However, the base station cannot be always operated in low power because it will damage the network performance, and power can be only reduced in light-traffic period. Therefore, the way of balancing traffic demand and energy consumption will be come the main investigation direction in this thesis, and how to link the operated power of base station to the current traffic demand is investigated. In this thesis, algorithms and optimisations are utilised to reduce the network energy consumption and improve the network performance. To reduce the energy consumption in light-traffic period, base stations switch-off strategy is proposed in the first chapter. However, the network performance should be carefully estimated before the switch-off strategy is applied. The NP-hard energy efficiency optimisation problem is summarised, and it proposes the method that some of the base stations can be grouped together due to the limited interference from other Pico cells, reducing the complexity of the optimisation problem. Meanwhile, simulated annealing is proposed to obtain the optimal base stations combination to achieve optimal energy efficiency. By the optimisation algorithm, it can obtain the optimal PCs combination without scarifying the overall network throughput. The simulation results show that not only the energy consumption can be reduced but also the significant energy efficiency improvement can achieve by the switched-off strategy. The average energy efficiency improvement over thirty simulation is 17.06%. The second chapter will tackle the issue of how to raise the power of base stations after they are switched off. These base stations shall back to regular power level to prepare the incoming traffic. However, not all base stations shall be back to normal power due to the uneven traffic distribution. By analysing the information within the collected subscriber data, such as moving speed, direction, downlink and time, Naive Bayesian classifier will be utilised to obtain the user movement pattern and predict the future traffic distribution, and the system can know which base station will become the user's destination. The load adaptive power control is utilised to inform the corresponding base stations to increased the transmission power, base stations can prepare for the incoming traffic, avoiding the performance degradation. The simulation results show that the machine learning can accurately predict the destination of the subscriber, achieving average 90.8% accuracy among thirty simulation. The network energy can be saved without damage the network performance after the load adaptive function is applied, the average energy efficiency improvement among three scenarios is 4.3%, the improvement is significant. The significant improvement prove that the proposed machine learning and load adaptive power modification method can help the network reduce the energy consumption. In the last chapter, it will utilise cell range expansion to tackle the resources issue in cooperative base station in joint transmission, improving downlink performance and tackle the cell-edge problem. Due to the uneven traffic distribution, it will cause the insufficient resources problem in cooperative base station in joint transmission, and the system throughput will be influenced if cooperative base station executes joint transmission in high load. Therefore, the cell range expansion is utilised to solve the problem of unbalanced traffic between base station tier, and flow water algorithm is utilised to tackle the resources distribution issue during the traffic offloading. The simulation shows the NP-hard problem can be sufficiently solved by the flow water algorithm, and the downlink throughput gain can be obtained, it can obtain 26% gain in the M-P scenario, and the gain in P-M scenario is 24%. The result prove that the proposed method can provide significant gain to the subscriber without losing any total network throughput

Resource Management and Backhaul Routing in Millimeter-Wave IAB Networks Using Deep Reinforcement Learning

Thesis (PhD (Electronic Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2023..The increased densification of wireless networks has led to the development of integrated access and backhaul (IAB) networks. In this thesis, deep reinforcement learning was applied to solve resource management and backhaul routing problems in millimeter-wave IAB networks. In the research work, a resource management solution that aims to avoid congestion for access users in an IAB network was proposed and implemented. The proposed solution applies deep reinforcement learning to learn an optimized policy that aims to achieve effective resource allocation whilst minimizing congestion and satisfying the user requirements. In addition, a deep reinforcement learning-based backhaul adaptation strategy that leverages a recursive discrete choice model was implemented in simulation. Simulation results where the proposed algorithms were compared with two baseline methods showed that the proposed scheme provides better throughput and delay performance.Sentech Chair in Broadband Wireless Multimedia Communications.Electrical, Electronic and Computer EngineeringPhD (Electronic Engineering)Unrestricte

Automated network optimisation using data mining as support for economic decision systems

The evolution from wired voice communications to wireless and cloud computing services has led to the rapid growth of wireless communication companies attempting to meet consumer needs. While these companies have generally been able to achieve quality of service (QoS) high enough to meet most consumer demands, the recent growth in data hungry services in addition to wireless voice communication, has placed significant stress on the infrastructure and begun to translate into increased QoS issues. As a result, wireless providers are finding difficulty to meet demand and dealing with an overwhelming volume of mobile data. Many telecommunication service providers have turned to data analytics techniques to discover hidden insights for fraud detection, customer churn detection and credit risk analysis. However, most are illequipped to prioritise expansion decisions and optimise network faults and costs to ensure customer satisfaction and optimal profitability. The contribution of this thesis in the decision-making process is significant as it initially proposes a network optimisation scheme using data mining algorithms to develop a monitoring framework capable of troubleshooting network faults while optimising costs based on financial evaluations. All the data mining experiments contribute to the development of a super–framework that has been tested using real-data to demonstrate that data mining techniques play a crucial role in the prediction of network optimisation actions. Finally, the insights extracted from the super-framework demonstrate that machine learning mechanisms can draw out promising solutions for network optimisation decisions, customer segmentation, customers churn prediction and also in revenue management. The outputs of the thesis seek to help wireless providers to determine the QoS factors that should be addressed for an efficient network optimisation plan and also presents the academic contribution of this research

Robust, Resilient Networked Communication in Challenged Environments

In challenged environments, digital communication infrastructure may be difficult or even impossible to access. This is especially true in rural and developing regions, as well as in any region during a time of political or environmental crisis. We advance the state of the art in wireless networking and security to design networks and applications that rapidly assess changing networking conditions to restore communication and provide local situational awareness. This dissertation examines new systems for responding to current and emerging needs for wireless networks. This work looks across the wireless ecosystem of widely deployed standards. We develop new tools to improve network assessment and to provide robust and reliable network communication. By incorporating new technological breakthroughs, such as the wide commercial success of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), we introduce novel methods and systems for existing wireless standards for these challenged networks. We assess how existing technologies and standards function in difficult environments: lacking end-end Internet connectivity, experiencing overload or other resource constraints, and operating in three dimensional space. Through this lens, we demonstrate how to optimize networks to serve marginalized communities outside of first world urban cities and make our networks resilient to natural and political crisis that threaten communication

Digital twins: a survey on enabling technologies, challenges, trends and future prospects

Digital Twin (DT) is an emerging technology surrounded by many promises, and potentials to reshape the future of industries and society overall. A DT is a system-of-systems which goes far beyond the traditional computer-based simulations and analysis. It is a replication of all the elements, processes, dynamics, and firmware of a physical system into a digital counterpart. The two systems (physical and digital) exist side by side, sharing all the inputs and operations using real-time data communications and information transfer. With the incorporation of Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), 3D models, next generation mobile communications (5G/6G), Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), distributed computing, Transfer Learning (TL), and electronic sensors, the digital/virtual counterpart of the real-world system is able to provide seamless monitoring, analysis, evaluation and predictions. The DT offers a platform for the testing and analysing of complex systems, which would be impossible in traditional simulations and modular evaluations. However, the development of this technology faces many challenges including the complexities in effective communication and data accumulation, data unavailability to train Machine Learning (ML) models, lack of processing power to support high fidelity twins, the high need for interdisciplinary collaboration, and the absence of standardized development methodologies and validation measures. Being in the early stages of development, DTs lack sufficient documentation. In this context, this survey paper aims to cover the important aspects in realization of the technology. The key enabling technologies, challenges and prospects of DTs are highlighted. The paper provides a deep insight into the technology, lists design goals and objectives, highlights design challenges and limitations across industries, discusses research and commercial developments, provides its applications and use cases, offers case studies in industry, infrastructure and healthcare, lists main service providers and stakeholders, and covers developments to date, as well as viable research dimensions for future developments in DTs