Improving Wireless Networks Robustness via Weather-Sensitive Predictive Management

BSF 2018665 NSF 191075 NSF-BSF: CNS Core: Small: Improving Wireless Networks Robustness via Weather-Sensitive Predictive Management Gil Zussman (NSF PI)1, Hagit Messer Yaron (BSF PI)2 1 Electrical Engineering, Columbia University, 2Electrical Engineering, Tel Aviv University

Abstract Since Thomas Edison, communication systems are based on propagation of electromagnetic waves in the atmosphere. As technology advances, the need to communicate more information to more people increases, and consequently, wireless communication networks employ higher frequencies. However, electromagnetic waves of wavelength of micrometer or less (microwave frequencies) are highly affected by weather conditions, and in particular, are attenuated by rain. Such attenuation affects the performance of the data transmission, and in applications such as video streaming for surveillance, even short time performance degradation may not be acceptable. Existing networks technologies respond to the effect of rain on each microwave link separately, so only after attenuation is detected, local measures are taken to recover performance. In extreme rain events the local mechanisms are insufficient, and the transmission line can temporarily disconnect. Improving resilience to weather events, the rapid increase in wireless traffic, and the QoS demands of mission-critical as smart city applications all call for dynamic, weather-sensitive predictive network management schemes.

The main pillar of the proposed approach is the innovative work of Prof. Messer and her group in which they have proven that existing signal level measurements, routinely taken by network management systems, can be used for high resolution, accurate rainfall monitoring. In the proposed project we will use the network self-extracted rainfall estimates to accurately predict the links’ attenuation and to manage the network accordingly, so continuous high quality transmission of broadband data can be guaranteed.