| NSF Org: |
CNS Division Of Computer and Network Systems |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | August 31, 2015 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | August 31, 2015 |
| Award Number: | 1555799 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Thyagarajan Nandagopal
CNS Division Of Computer and Network Systems CSE Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering |
| Start Date: | October 1, 2015 |
| End Date: | September 30, 2016 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $48,000.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $48,000.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
10 W 35TH ST CHICAGO IL US 60616-3717 (312)567-3035 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
10 West 35th St. Chicago IL US 60616-3732 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | Networking Technology and Syst |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.070 |
ABSTRACT
This project will support a workshop that aims to address the role of distributed spectrum measurements and associated management techniques in support of making significantly more spectrum available to the U.S. population. New spectrum management approaches and spectrum sharing regimes promise to provide greater broadband access, accelerate the pace of wireless innovation, and increase the competitiveness of the US telecommunication industry and U.S. commerce in general. This workshop will result in the promotion of research and educational efforts that enhance our ability to use spectrum sharing technologies in a manageable and enforceable manner. This work is supportive of the goals set out in the National Broadband Plan, the PCAST Report on Spectrum Policy and the two associated Presidential Memorandums on Spectrum issued in the past 8 years.
The workshop will assess the current state of spectrum measurement techniques, the datasets that have been collected and importantly the analysis and modeling tools available to make this data useful and actionable. This should in turn provide the basis for developing a roadmap for research leading to future spectrum management, monitoring, and enforcement techniques and policies that will enable greater and more efficient access to our increasingly scarce national spectrum resources.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
The NSF Spectrum Measurement Infrastructure Workshop was sponsored by the NSF and was hosted at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago on 6-7 April 2016.
Spectrum measurement and the understanding that comes from these efforts has become an increasing important topic as we seek to more efficiently and effectively utilize our nation’s increasingly precious spectral resources. Several government initiatives, including two Presidential Memorandums[1], and the PCAST (Presidential Council of Advisors on Science and Technology) Spectrum Policy report[2], have advocated collaborative research, development, and testing in the area of enhanced measurement capabilities to advance temporal spectrum sharing technology, and related regulatory rule-making. Currently there are spectrum measurement related efforts being pursued by advisory bodies for both the FCC (the Technological Advisory Council) and the NTIA (the Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee) that further underscore the importance of this area.
Understanding the spectrum sharing environment is complex. While spectrum measurements are performed today by industry, academia, and government, these efforts tend to be narrowly focused to align with their respective mission, and/or current business interests. Depending on the specific purpose and method of data acquisition, spectrum observations tend to be diverse and scattered among many sources. Observations also vary widely based on the methods used and the type of data requested. Although there are many approaches to measuring spectrum occupancy, no single method is applicable under all circumstances. Also, the data requirements themselves are highly variable and dependent on the intended use.
This Workshop was undertaken to bring together government, industry, and academia experts to discuss improvements in spectrum measurement techniques and infrastructure to better inform spectrum policy and management decisions, and to support more efficient and dynamic shared spectrum usage. The goals of the Workshop were to capitalize on the collective expertise of the spectrum measurement thought leaders to:
- Examine the current status of spectrum measurement efforts and related data capture and analysis efforts to improve spectrum utilization
- Establish meaningful and achievable national goals related to spectrum measurement
- Chart out a roadmap for scaling spectrum measurement efforts to a countrywide level.
There were a variety of important findings emanating from our two day session. Critical findings that were frequently mentioned and brought out in a variety of ways included that fact that “one size definitely does not fit all” when it comes to spectrum measurement systems. There are many different goals that are or will be pursued by various groups using spectrum measurement systems as a means of accomplishing their objectives. As Paul Kolodzy, one of our Keynote Speakers noted, there are at least four key phases of spectrum measurement applications, namely measurements to: 1) quantify opportunities and support regulatory action Prior to Sharing, 2) Operationally Support the sharing process once the spectrum has been designated for sharing, 3) Assess usage and interference trends and to assess further rule modifications after shared spectrum operations are in place, and finally 4) support Enforcement requirements.
Beyond these phases, there are many other dimensions of spectrum measurement requirements including the range of spectrum to be measured, the geographic area that the spectrum measurements are to cover, the duration for the measurement, the required resolution bandwidth, the measurement cycle requirements, the spatial consideration of the direction the signal is likely to be emanating from, and the power level of the signal to name but a few of the considerations. Given the numerous decisions that must be taken to properly design an appropriate spectrum measurement architecture, it is critical that the measurement objectives be carefully considered and documented. This will enable a proper system architecture and implementation to be established.
This plurality of needs also suggests that there are many different kinds of spectrum monitoring systems elements that need to be developed and deployed. A System of Systems hierarchy of at least three classes of sensors: 1) high-cost / high-trust sensors at fixed locations, 2) mid-cost / mid-trust sensors more widely deployed geographically between the first class of installations, and 3) crowd-sourced sensors occupying the bottom tier of the structure. Critical to this structure is the software to enable the data gathered from these different classes to be effectively “graded and integrated” to enable the over-all system to support the analysis needed to satisfy various spectrum information requirements. This diversity of elements and structures in the spectrum measurement architecture suggests the need for a wide variety of collaborative or at least synergistic research efforts to support these varied measurement needs. It also suggests significant business opportunities for vendors to produce the variety of instruments that will be needed to support these needs.
[1] Presidential Memorandum: Unleashing the Wireless Broadband Revolution, http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/presidential-memorandum-unleashing-wireless-broadband-revolution, June 2010; and Expanding America’s Leadership in Wireless Innovation, http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/06/14/presidential-memorandum-expanding-americas-leadership-wireless-innovatio, June 2013.
[2] Report to the President: Realizing the Full Potential of Government-Held Spectrum to Spur Economic Growth, at 49-50 (July 2012), http://go.usa.gov/k27R .
Last Modified: 01/07/2017
Modified by: Dennis A Roberson
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