Area planning

Release number v1.0

1. Introduction

This document describes how to use the Area planning feature.

This feature will minimize the number of sites required to cover a target area and possibly optimize the
azimuth of each station.

Note that for 3G and 4G stations, on Pilot (RSCP) and Reference signal (RSRP) power is taken into
account.

2. Prerequisites

A project must be loaded with stations to be considered already present (with location and parameters).
The target area must be defined with vector polygon(s).

3. Coverage/Network planning/Area planning...

The candidate stations must be deactivated. Existing sites (if any) that will remain in the network must be
activated.
All selected stations will be activated at the end of the calculations. The stations that are not required to
achieved the coverage objectives will remain deactivated.

Coverage/Network planning/Area planning- 2/8

3.1. Parameters with "From station coverage" option checked

If the coverage of each station has already been performed, the following parameters and options are
available:

Coverage/Network planning/Area planning- 3/8

  Check overlapping - Order
If checked, this option will select the stations in order to have a minimum overlapping order (number of
stations simultaneously received) on each covered point.

Coverage/Network planning/Area planning- 4/8

  Macro diversity coverage...

If checked, this option will analyze network coverage based on overlapping achieved on every point. The
receiving threshold varies dynamically depending on the number of actual overlapping. A margin above the
"Minimum threshold" is applied according to the diversity order. A point will be considered as covered by a
station if that station is received with a field strength greater than "Minimum threshold" + "Losses (dB)."
The value of "Losses" is corresponding to the number of stations actually received above "Minimum
threshold" + Losses as defined in the table. Diversity orders are addressed in descending order.
More details about macro diversity coverage are provided in http://www.atdi-maps.com/DOC/638.pdf.

 Height of Rx antennas (m)

Not used in that case.

 Distance (km)
The coverage of each site will be limited to this distance for the analysis.

 Wanted threshold
This is the minimum value to be received for a point to be covered (coverage threshold).

 Coverage objective (%)

This is the percentage of the polygon area to be covered.

 Min add. Coverage/station (%)

A station will be selected (activated) if the additional coverage it provides to the whole network is greater
than this value. The idea is to not select stations that will just add a poor percentage of additional coverage.
Coverage/Network planning/Area planning- 5/8
  Global objective
If checked, the objective in percent will be related to the whole area of all activated polygons. If not, the
objective in percent will be related to the area of each activated polygon.
It has no effect if the area to cover is made of a single polygon.

3.2. Parameters with "From station coverage" option unchecked

If the coverage of the stations has not been performed yet or if the coverage needs to be performed again
(for example with different parameters or receiving antenna height), then uncheck the "From station
coverage" option and check the "Perform coverage(s)" option.

 Model

In that case, the coverage will be performed according to the current propagation model set.

 Check overlapping - Order

If checked, this option will select the stations in order to have a minimum overlapping order (number of
stations simultaneously received) on each covered point.

 Optimize azimuth
Useful only for stations using directional antennas. If checked, this option will assign to each selected
station the azimuth this is providing the best coverage.

 Height of Rx antennas (m)

This is the receiving antenna height used for the coverage calculations.

Coverage/Network planning/Area planning- 6/8

  Distance (km)
The coverage calculation and analysis of each site will be limited to this distance.

 Wanted threshold
This is the minimum value to be received for a point to be covered (coverage threshold).

 Min add. Coverage/station (%)

A station will be selected (activated) if the additional coverage it provides to the whole network is greater
than this value. The idea is to not select stations that will just add a poor percentage of additional coverage.

 Global objective
If checked, the objective in percent will be related to the whole area of all activated polygons. If not, the
objective in percent will be related to the area of each activated polygon.
It has no effect if the area to cover is made of a single polygon.

4. Options

 Clutter selection

The points to be covered inside each polygon will be considered only if they are above a selected clutter
class.

Coverage/Network planning/Area planning- 7/8

  DEM selection (m)

The points to be covered inside each polygon will be considered only if they are located on an DTM point
with an altitude belonging to the predefined range. By default, the minimum and the maximum elevations
present in the project are assigned to that filter.

Coverage/Network planning/Area planning- 8/8