340 research outputs found
Competitive Assessments for HAP Delivery of Mobile Services in Emerging Countries
In recent years, network deployment based on High Altitude Platforms (HAPs)
has gained momentum through several initiatives where air vehicles and
telecommunications payloads have been adapted and refined, resulting in more
efficient and less expensive platforms. In this paper, we study HAP as an
alternative or complementary fast-evolving technology to provide mobile
services in rural areas of emerging countries, where business models need to be
carefully tailored to the reality of their related markets. In these large
areas with low user density, mobile services uptake is likely to be slowed by a
service profitability which is in turn limited by a relatively low average
revenue per user. Through three architectures enabling different business roles
and using different terrestrial, HAP and satellite backhaul solutions, we
devise how to use in an efficient and profitable fashion these multi-purpose
aerial platforms, in complement to existing access and backhauling satellite or
terrestrial technologies
Designing and Implementing Future Aerial Communication Networks
Providing "connectivity from the sky" is the new innovative trend in wireless
communications. High and low altitude platforms, drones, aircrafts and airships
are being considered as the candidates for deploying wireless communications
complementing the terrestrial communication infrastructure. In this article, we
report the detailed account of the design and implementation challenges of an
aerial network consisting of LTE Advanced (LTE-A) base stations. In particular,
we review achievements and innovations harnessed by an aerial network composed
of Helikite platforms. Helikites can be raised in the sky to bring Internet
access during special events and in the aftermath of an emergency. The trial
phase of the system mounting LTE-A technology onboard Helikites to serve users
on the ground showed not only to be very encouraging but that such a system
could offer even a longer lasting solution provided that inefficiency in
powering the radio frequency equipment in the Helikite can be overcome.Comment: IEEE Communications Magazine 201
Airships: A New Horizon for Science
The "Airships: A New Horizon for Science" study at the Keck Institute for
Space Studies investigated the potential of a variety of airships currently
operable or under development to serve as observatories and science
instrumentation platforms for a range of space, atmospheric, and Earth science.
The participants represent a diverse cross-section of the aerospace sector,
NASA, and academia. Over the last two decades, there has been wide interest in
developing a high altitude, stratospheric lighter-than-air (LTA) airship that
could maneuver and remain in a desired geographic position (i.e.,
"station-keeping") for weeks, months or even years. Our study found
considerable scientific value in both low altitude (< 40 kft) and high altitude
(> 60 kft) airships across a wide spectrum of space, atmospheric, and Earth
science programs. Over the course of the study period, we identified
stratospheric tethered aerostats as a viable alternative to airships where
station-keeping was valued over maneuverability. By opening up the sky and
Earth's stratospheric horizon in affordable ways with long-term flexibility,
airships allow us to push technology and science forward in a project-rich
environment that complements existing space observatories as well as aircraft
and high-altitude balloon missions.Comment: This low resolution version of the report is 8.6 MB. For the high
resolution version see: http://kiss.caltech.edu/study/airship
A Novel Airborne Self-organising Architecture for 5G+ Networks
Network Flying Platforms (NFPs) such as unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned
balloons or drones flying at low/medium/high altitude can be employed to
enhance network coverage and capacity by deploying a swarm of flying platforms
that implement novel radio resource management techniques. In this paper, we
propose a novel layered architecture where NFPs, of various types and flying at
low/medium/high layers in a swarm of flying platforms, are considered as an
integrated part of the future cellular networks to inject additional capacity
and expand the coverage for exceptional scenarios (sports events, concerts,
etc.) and hard-to-reach areas (rural or sparsely populated areas). Successful
roll-out of the proposed architecture depends on several factors including, but
are not limited to: network optimisation for NFP placement and association,
safety operations of NFP for network/equipment security, and reliability for
NFP transport and control/signaling mechanisms. In this work, we formulate the
optimum placement of NFP at a Lower Layer (LL) by exploiting the airborne
Self-organising Network (SON) features. Our initial simulations show the NFP-LL
can serve more User Equipment (UE)s using this placement technique.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, conference paper in IEEE VTC-Fall 2017, in
Proceedings IEEE Vehicular Technology Conference (VTC-Fall 2017), Toronto,
Canada, Sep. 201
An Unmanned Lighter-Than-Air Platform for Large Scale Land Monitoring
The concept and preliminary design of an unmanned lighter-than-air (LTA) platform instrumented with different remote sensing technologies is presented. The aim is to assess the feasibility of using a remotely controlled airship for the land monitoring of medium sized (up to 107 m2) urban or rural areas at relatively low altitudes (below 1000 m) and its potential convenience with respect to other standard remote and in-situ sensing systems. The proposal includes equipment for high-definition visual, thermal, and hyperspectral imaging as well as LiDAR scanning. The data collected from these different sources can be then combined to obtain geo-referenced products such as land use land cover (LULC), soil water content (SWC), land surface temperature (LSC), and leaf area index (LAI) maps, among others. The potential uses for diffuse structural health monitoring over built-up areas are discussed as well. Several mission typologies are considere
ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES: COST EFFECTIVENESS OF THE AIRLANDER 10 IN THE ARCTIC
Melting ice in the Arctic Circle is opening international shipping lanes and exposing new resources. The 2022 National Strategy for the Arctic Region, Department of the Navy Strategic Blueprint for the Arctic, and U.S. Navy Arctic Roadmap 2014–2030 call for an increase in maritime presence. The region has the same operational requirements as any maritime environment, but the difficult climate makes systems less effective or incapable. A reliable system with exceptional endurance is required to patrol the vast region and conduct multiple missions. The Airlander 10, a hybrid aircraft manufactured by Hybrid Air Vehicles in the United Kingdom, is a promising platform that could meet the regional demand. This thesis utilizes Office of Management and Budget guidelines to conduct an analysis of alternatives by developing a trade space analysis and Evaluation of Alternatives for the Airlander 10. The analysis investigates multiple Department of Defense systems that are currently in use and compares them to the Airlander 10. The results confirm the utility of the Airlander 10 in the Arctic and conclude there is a cost-to-benefit ratio surpassing its alternatives. The outcome is a baseline for Title 10 milestone decision authority requirements for Milestone A acquisition of the Airlander 10.Outstanding ThesisCaptain, United States Marine CorpsApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited
A Vision and Framework for the High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) Networks of the Future
A High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) is a network node that operates in
the stratosphere at an of altitude around 20 km and is instrumental for
providing communication services. Precipitated by technological innovations in
the areas of autonomous avionics, array antennas, solar panel efficiency
levels, and battery energy densities, and fueled by flourishing industry
ecosystems, the HAPS has emerged as an indispensable component of
next-generations of wireless networks. In this article, we provide a vision and
framework for the HAPS networks of the future supported by a comprehensive and
state-of-the-art literature review. We highlight the unrealized potential of
HAPS systems and elaborate on their unique ability to serve metropolitan areas.
The latest advancements and promising technologies in the HAPS energy and
payload systems are discussed. The integration of the emerging Reconfigurable
Smart Surface (RSS) technology in the communications payload of HAPS systems
for providing a cost-effective deployment is proposed. A detailed overview of
the radio resource management in HAPS systems is presented along with
synergistic physical layer techniques, including Faster-Than-Nyquist (FTN)
signaling. Numerous aspects of handoff management in HAPS systems are
described. The notable contributions of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in HAPS,
including machine learning in the design, topology management, handoff, and
resource allocation aspects are emphasized. The extensive overview of the
literature we provide is crucial for substantiating our vision that depicts the
expected deployment opportunities and challenges in the next 10 years
(next-generation networks), as well as in the subsequent 10 years
(next-next-generation networks).Comment: To appear in IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorial
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