Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
v e r s i o n 3.1.0
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AT310_UML_E0
Table of Contents
Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.1 1.1.1 1.1.2 1.2 1.2.1 1.2.2 1.2.3 1.3 1.3.1 1.3.1.1 1.3.1.2 1.3.1.3 1.3.2 1.3.2.1 1.3.2.2 1.3.2.3 1.3.2.4 1.3.2.5 1.3.3 1.3.3.1 1.3.3.2 1.4 1.4.1 1.4.1.1 1.4.1.2 1.4.1.3 1.4.1.4 1.4.2 1.4.3 1.4.4 1.4.5 1.4.6 1.4.7 1.4.8 1.4.9 1.4.10 1.4.10.1 1.4.10.2 1.4.10.3 1.4.10.4 1.4.10.5 1.4.10.6 1.4.11 1.4.11.1 1.4.11.2 1.4.11.3 1.4.11.4 1.4.11.5 1.4.11.6 1.4.12 1.4.12.1 1.4.12.2
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1.4.12.3 1.4.13 1.4.14 1.4.15 1.5 1.5.1 1.5.2 1.5.2.1 1.5.2.2 1.5.2.3 1.5.3 1.5.4 1.5.5 1.5.6 1.5.6.1 1.5.6.2 1.5.7 1.5.8 1.5.9 1.5.10 1.5.11 1.6 1.6.1 1.6.2 1.6.2.1 1.6.2.2 1.6.2.3 1.6.3 1.6.4 1.6.5 1.7 1.7.1 1.7.1.1 1.7.1.2 1.7.1.3 1.7.1.4 1.7.2 1.7.2.1 1.7.2.2 1.7.3 1.7.3.1 1.7.3.2 1.7.3.3 1.7.3.4 1.7.4 1.7.4.1 1.7.4.2 1.7.5 1.7.5.1 1.7.5.2 1.7.5.3 1.7.5.4 1.7.5.5 1.7.5.6 1.7.6 1.7.6.1 1.7.6.2 1.7.6.3 1.7.6.4 1.7.6.5 1.7.6.6 1.7.7 1.7.8
Exporting Multiple Coverage Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Saving a Map as a Graphic Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Copying a Map to Another Application. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Map Window Pointers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 Working with Data Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Opening a Data Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Adding, Deleting, and Editing Data Table Fields. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Accessing an Object Types Table Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Adding a Field to an Object Types Data Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 Deleting a Field from an Object Types Data Table. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Editing the Contents of a Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Opening an Objects Record Properties Dialogue from a Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Defining the Table Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Copying and Pasting in Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 Copying and Pasting a Table Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 Pasting the Same Data into Several Cells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 Viewing a Statistical Analysis of Table Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 Exporting Tables to Text Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 Importing Tables from Text Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58 Exporting Tables to XML Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59 Importing Tables from XML Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59 Printing in Atoll. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 Printing Data Tables and Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 Printing a Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 Printing Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 Defining the Printing Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 Defining the Print Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62 Previewing Your Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 Printing a Docking Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 Printing Antenna Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 Grouping, Sorting, and Filtering Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 Grouping Data Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 Grouping Data Objects by a Selected Property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 Configuring the Group By Submenu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66 Advanced Grouping. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66 Examples of Grouping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 Sorting Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 Sorting Data in Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 Advanced Sorting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70 Filtering Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 Filtering in Data Tables by Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 Advanced Data Filtering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 Restoring All Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 Advanced Filtering: Examples. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 User Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 Saving a User Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 Loading a User Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 Site and Transmitter Lists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 Creating a Site or Transmitter List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 Adding a Site or Transmitter to a List from the Explorer Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78 Adding a Site or Transmitter to a List from the Map Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78 Adding Sites or Transmitters to a List Using a Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79 Editing a Site or Transmitter List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79 Filtering on a Site or Transmitter List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79 Folder Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80 Creating a Folder Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80 Applying a Saved Folder Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80 Reapplying the Current Folder Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80 Saving a Folder Configuration in an External File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81 Loading a Folder Configuration from an External File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81 Deleting a Folder Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81 Creating and Comparing Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81 Filtering Data Using a Filtering Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
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Tips and Tricks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Undoing and Redoing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Refreshing Maps and Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Searching for Objects on the Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Searching for a Map Object by Its Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Searching for a Map Object using Any Text Property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Searching for a Point on the Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Using the Status Bar to Get Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Saving Information Displayed in the Event Viewer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Using Icons from the Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Using Shortcuts in Atoll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
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2.1 2.2 2.2.1 2.2.1.1 2.2.1.2 2.2.1.3 2.2.2 2.2.2.1 2.2.2.2 2.2.2.3 2.2.2.4 2.2.2.5 2.3 2.3.1 2.3.2 2.4
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3.9 3.9.1 3.9.2 3.10 3.10.1 3.10.2 3.10.3 3.10.4 3.10.5 3.11 3.11.1 3.11.2 3.11.2.1 3.11.2.2 3.11.2.3 3.12 3.13 3.13.1 3.13.2 3.14 3.14.1 3.14.1.1 3.14.1.2 3.14.1.3 3.14.1.4 3.14.2 3.15 3.15.1 3.15.1.1 3.15.1.2 3.15.2 3.15.3 3.15.4 3.15.5
Population Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 Managing the Display of Population Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 Displaying Population Statistics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 Custom Geo Data Maps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Creating a Custom Geo Data Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Adding a File to a Custom Geo Data Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Managing the Properties of a Custom Geo Data Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Displaying Statistics on Custom Geo Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Integrable Versus Non Integrable Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Setting the Priority of Geo Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Setting the Display Priority of Geo Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Setting the Priority of Geo Data in Calculations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Example 1: Two DTM Maps Representing Different Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Example 2: Clutter Classes and DTM Maps Representing the Same Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Example 3: Two Clutter Class Maps Representing a Common Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 126 127 128 128 129 129 129 130 130 131 131
Displaying Information About Geo Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 Geographic Data Sets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 Exporting a Geo Data Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 Loading a Geo Data Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 Editing Geographic Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Editing Clutter Class Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Creating a Clutter Polygon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Editing Clutter Polygons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Displaying the Coordinates of Clutter Polygons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Deleting Clutter Polygons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Editing Population or Custom Data Maps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Saving Geographic Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Saving Modifications to an External File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Exporting an Edited Clutter Class Map in a Raster-Format File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Exporting an Edited Vector Layer in Vector-Format File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Updating the Source File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Combining Several Raster Files into One File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Exporting an Embedded File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Creating a New File from a Larger File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 134 134 134 135 135 135 136 137 137 138 138 138 139 140
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4.1 4.1.1 4.1.2 4.1.3 4.1.4 4.1.5 4.2 4.2.1 4.2.2 4.2.3 4.2.4 4.2.5 4.2.6 4.2.7 4.2.8
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5.1.2.5 5.1.2.6 5.1.3 5.1.3.1 5.1.3.2 5.1.3.3 5.1.4 5.1.4.1 5.1.4.2 5.1.4.3 5.1.5 5.1.5.1 5.1.5.2 5.1.5.3 5.1.6 5.1.7 5.1.7.1 5.1.7.2 5.1.7.3 5.1.8 5.1.9 5.1.10 5.1.11 5.1.12 5.1.13 5.1.14 5.2 5.2.1 5.2.2 5.2.3 5.2.4 5.2.5 5.3 5.3.1 5.3.2 5.3.3 5.3.4 5.3.5 5.3.6 5.3.7 5.3.7.1 5.3.7.2 5.3.7.3 5.3.7.4 5.3.7.5 5.3.8 5.4 5.4.1 5.4.1.1 5.4.1.2 5.4.1.3 5.4.1.4 5.4.1.5 5.4.2 5.4.2.1 5.4.2.2 5.4.2.3 5.4.2.4 5.4.2.5 5.4.2.6
Modelling Fixed Receivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160 Defining the Parameters of the Standard Propagation Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160 The Okumura-Hata Propagation Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 Defining General Settings (Okumura-Hata) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 Selecting an Environment Formula (Okumura-Hata). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 Creating or Modifying Environment Formulas (Okumura-Hata) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 The Cost-Hata Propagation Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 Defining General Settings (Cost-Hata) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165 Selecting an Environment Formula (Cost-Hata) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165 Creating or Modifying Environment Formulas (Cost-Hata). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165 The ITU 529-3 Propagation Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166 Defining General Settings (ITU 529-3). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166 Selecting an Environment Formula (ITU 529-3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166 Creating or Modifying Environment Formulas (ITU 529-3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167 The ITU 370-7 Propagation Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167 The Erceg-Greenstein Propagation Model. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167 Defining General Settings (Erceg-Greenstein (SUI)). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168 Selecting an Environment Formula (Erceg-Greenstein (SUI)) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168 Creating or Modifying Environment Formulas (Erceg-Greenstein (SUI)) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168 The ITU 526-5 Propagation Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 The WLL Propagation Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 The Longley-Rice Propagation Model. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 The ITU 1546 Propagation Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 The Sakagami Extended Propagation Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171 CrossWave Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171 Managing Propagation Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 Defining Calculation Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 Defining Calculation Parameters for One Transmitter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 Defining the Same Calculation Parameters for a Group of Transmitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174 Defining the Same Calculation Parameters for All Transmitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174 Defining a Default Propagation Model. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 Defining a Default Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 Managing Path Loss Matrices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 Calculating Path Loss Matrices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176 Stopping Path Loss Matrix Calculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176 Setting the Storage Location of Path Loss Matrices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176 Using Centralised Path Loss Matrices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177 Checking the Validity of Path Loss Matrices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177 Optimising Path Loss Matrix Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178 Tuning Path Loss Matrices Using Measurement Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179 Defining the Area to be Tuned. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179 Defining Maximum Corrections and Thresholds on Path Loss Tuning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180 Tuning Path Loss Matrices Using CW Measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 Tuning Path Loss Matrices Using Drive Test Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182 Managing the Path Loss Tuning Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183 Exporting Path Loss Matrices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185 Predictions Available in Atoll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186 Making Point Predictions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186 Starting a Point Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186 The Views of the Point Analysis Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186 Moving the Receiver on the Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188 Taking Indoor Losses into Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188 Taking Shadowing into Account in Point Analyses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188 Making Coverage Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189 Creating Coverage Predictions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189 Defining the Storage Location of Coverage Prediction Results. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190 Calculating Coverage Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191 Saving Defined Coverage Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193 Calculating Indoor Coverage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194 Taking Shadowing into Account. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
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6.1 6.2 6.2.1 6.2.1.1 6.2.1.2 6.2.1.3 6.2.1.4 6.2.1.5 6.2.2 6.2.3 6.2.4 6.2.5 6.2.6 6.2.6.1 6.2.6.2 6.2.6.3 6.2.6.4 6.2.6.5 6.2.6.6 6.2.7 6.2.7.1 6.2.7.2 6.2.7.3 6.2.7.4 6.2.7.5 6.2.8 6.2.9 6.2.9.1 6.2.9.2 6.2.10 6.2.10.1 6.2.10.2 6.2.10.3 6.2.10.4 6.2.10.5 6.2.10.6 6.2.10.7 6.2.10.8 6.2.10.9 6.2.11 6.2.11.1 6.2.11.2 6.2.11.3 6.2.11.4 6.2.11.5 6.2.11.6 6.2.11.7 6.2.11.8 6.2.11.9 6.3 6.3.1 6.3.1.1 6.3.1.2 6.3.1.3 6.3.2 6.3.3 6.3.4 6.3.4.1 6.3.4.2 6.3.4.3 6.3.4.4 6.3.4.5 6.3.4.6
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6.4 6.4.1 6.4.2 6.4.2.1 6.4.2.2 6.4.2.3 6.4.2.4 6.4.2.5 6.4.3 6.4.4 6.4.4.1 6.4.4.2 6.4.5 6.4.5.1 6.4.5.2 6.4.5.3 6.4.5.4 6.4.5.5 6.4.5.6 6.4.5.7 6.4.6 6.5 6.5.1 6.5.1.1 6.5.1.2 6.5.1.3 6.5.1.4 6.5.1.5 6.5.2 6.5.2.1 6.5.2.2 6.5.2.3 6.5.2.4 6.5.3 6.5.3.1 6.5.3.2 6.5.4 6.5.5 6.5.6 6.5.6.1 6.5.6.2 6.5.6.3 6.6 6.6.1 6.6.2 6.6.3 6.6.4 6.6.4.1 6.6.4.2 6.6.4.3 6.6.4.4 6.6.4.5 6.6.5 6.6.6 6.6.7 6.7 6.7.1 6.7.2 6.7.2.1 6.7.2.2 6.7.3 6.7.3.1 6.7.3.2 6.7.3.3 6.7.3.4
Studying Network Capacity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285 Defining Multi-service Traffic Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286 Creating a Traffic Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286 Creating a Sector Traffic Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287 Creating a User Profile Traffic Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288 Creating User Density Traffic Maps (No. Users/km2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293 Converting 2G Network Traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295 Exporting Cumulated Traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295 Exporting a Traffic Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296 Working with a Subscriber Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296 Creating a Subscriber List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296 Performing Calculations on Subscriber lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300 Calculating and Displaying Traffic Simulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301 LTE Traffic Simulation Algorithm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301 Creating Simulations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303 Displaying the Traffic Distribution on the Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304 Displaying the Results of a Single Simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307 Displaying the Average Results of a Group of Simulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311 Updating Cell Load Values With Simulation Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314 Estimating a Traffic Increase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314 Making Coverage Predictions Using Simulation Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315 Optimising Network Parameters Using the ACP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315 The ACP Module and Atoll. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316 Using Zones with ACP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316 Using Traffic Maps with ACP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317 Shadowing Margin and Indoor Coverage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317 ACP and Antenna Masking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318 EMF Exposure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319 Configuring the ACP Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320 Defining the Storage Location of ACP Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320 Defining the Antenna Masking Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320 Configuring the Default Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322 Configuring Setup-specific Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322 Optimising Cell Planning with the ACP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323 Creating an Optimisation Setup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323 Defining Optimisation Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324 Running an Optimisation Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347 Working with Optimisations in the Explorer Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349 Viewing Optimisation Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350 Viewing Optimisation Results in the Properties Dialogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350 Viewing Optimisation Results in the Map Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357 Viewing Optimisation Results Using the Histogram. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363 Verifying Network Capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363 Importing a Drive Test Data Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363 Displaying Drive Test Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366 Defining the Display of a Drive Test Data Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366 Network Verification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367 Filtering Measurement Points Along Drive Test Data Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367 Creating Coverage Predictions on Drive Test Data Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368 Displaying Statistics Over a Drive Test Data Path. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368 Extracting a Field From a Drive Test Data Path for a Transmitter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369 Analysing Measurement Variations Along the Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369 Exporting a Drive Test Data Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371 Extracting CW Measurements from Drive Test Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371 Printing and Exporting the Drive Test Data Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371 Co-planning LTE Networks with Other Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372 Switching to Co-planning Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372 Working with Coverage Predictions in an Co-Planning Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374 Updating Coverage Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374 Analysing Coverage Predictions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375 Performing Inter-technology Neighbour Allocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377 Setting Inter-technology Exceptional Pairs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377 Configuring Importance Factors for Inter-technology Neighbours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379 Allocating Inter-technology Neighbours Automatically. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379 Displaying Inter-technology Neighbours on the Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382
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6.7.3.5 6.7.3.6 6.7.3.7 6.7.4 6.7.5 6.7.5.1 6.7.5.2 6.7.6 6.8 6.8.1 6.8.2 6.8.2.1 6.8.2.2 6.8.2.3 6.8.3 6.8.4 6.8.5 6.8.6 6.8.7 6.8.8 6.8.8.1 6.8.9 6.8.10 6.8.11 6.8.11.1 6.8.12 6.9 6.10
Allocating and Deleting Inter-technology Neighbours per Cell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Calculating the Importance of Existing Inter-technology Neighbours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Checking the Consistency of the Inter-technology Neighbour Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Creating an LTE Sector From a Sector in the Other Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using ACP in a Co-planning Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Creating a New Co-planning Optimisation Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Importing the Other Network into the Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ending Co-planning Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Advanced Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Defining Frequency Bands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Global Network Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Options on the Global Parameters Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Options on the Calculation Parameters Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Modifying Global Network Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Defining LTE Radio Bearers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Defining LTE Quality Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Defining LTE Reception Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Defining LTE Schedulers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Defining LTE UE Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Smart Antenna Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Defining Smart Antenna Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Multiple Input Multiple Output Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Defining ICIC Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Modelling Shadowing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Displaying the Shadowing Margins per Clutter Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Modelling Inter-technology Interference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
383 386 388 389 389 390 390 390 391 391 392 392 394 394 395 396 396 399 400 401 401 402 403 404 404 405
Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415
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Chapter 1
The Working Environment
This chapter presents the Atoll working environment and explains the tools and shortcuts available. In this chapter, the following are explained: "The Atoll Work Area" on page 15 "The Explorer Window" on page 17 "Working with Objects" on page 19 "Working with Maps" on page 29 "Working with Data Tables" on page 47 "Printing in Atoll" on page 60 "Grouping, Sorting, and Filtering Data" on page 65 "Tips and Tricks" on page 82
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Toolbar
To display a tool window: On the Tool menu, select the name of the window.
To close a window or tool: Click the Close button ( ) in the corner of the window. Depending on the position of the docking window, this button can be in the upper-left or upper-right corner.
You can change how much room a window takes if it shares a docking area with other windows by maximising or minimising the window.
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To maximise a window in its docking area: Click the Maximise button ( ) near the corner of the window. Depending on the position of the window, this button can be in the upper-left or upper-right corner.
To minimise a window in its docking area: Click the Minimise button ( ) near the corner of the window. Depending on the position of the window, this button can be in the upper-left or upper-right corner.
You can leave a window in its docking area, or you can have it float over the working environment, allowing you to maximise the amount of area for document windows or other windows. To float a window: Double-click the docking window title bar. The docking window leaves the docking area and floats over the working environment. You can move the docking window by clicking the title bar and dragging it. To prevent the window from docking as you move it, press CTRL as you drag the docking window.
To dock a window: To return the window to its previous docked location, double-click the docking window title bar. Or Click the title bar of the docking window and drag the window to a different docking area. The window positions for docking windows are not associated with the current document; they remain the same no matter which document you open.
You can open a folder on a tab to view its contents. Each folder containing at least one object has an Expand ( ) or Contract button ( ) to the left of its name. To expand a folder to display its contents: Click the Expand button ( ) to the left of its name.
The tabs in the Explorer window are: The Network tab: The Network tab allows you to manage radio data and calculations. Depending on the modules installed with Atoll, the Network tab has the following folders: Sites Transmitters Predictions UMTS Simulations, CDMA2000 Simulations , WiMAX 802.16e simulations, or LTE Simulations Traffic analysis (GSM/GPRS/EDGE projects only)
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Interference matrices (GSM/GPRS/EDGE, LTE, and WiMAX projects only) Subscriber lists (LTE and WiMAX projects only) Multi-point analyses ( Automatic cell planning results (GSM/GPRS/EDGE, UMTS, LTE, and WiMAX only) Hexagonal design Microwave links CW Measurements and drive test data
The Geo Tab: The Geo tab allows you to manage geographic data. The number of folders depends on the number and types of geographical data types (vector data, scanned images, etc.) you import or create: Clutter classes Clutter heights Digital terrain model Population data Geoclimatic parameters Any other geo data map Traffic maps (GSM/GPRS/EDGE/TDMA, UMTS HSPA, CDMA2000, LTE, and WiMAX)
The Parameters tab: The Parameters tab allows you to manage the propagation models and additional modules. It contains: Propagation Models: The Parameters tab has a Propagation Models folder with the following propagation models: - Cost-Hata - Erceg-Greenstein (SUI) - ITU 1546 - ITU 370-7 (Vienna 93) - ITU 526-5 - ITU 529 - Longley-Rice - Microwave ITU-R P.452 Model - Microwave Propagation Model - Okumura-Hata - Standard Propagation Model - WLL Radio Network Equipment: The Radio Network Equipment folder contains antenna models, transmitter models, repeater and smart antenna equipment, and waveguides, cables, and feeders. Traffic Parameters: The Traffic Parameters folder contains services, mobility types, terminals, user profiles, and environments. Network Settings: The Network Settings folder contains station templates, frequencies and frequency bands, bearers, reception equipment, quality indicators, etc. Microwave link network settings and equipment The AFP models available in your Atoll installation. Any additional module created using the API.
To hide an object on the map: 1. Select the tab of the Explorer window that contains that object. 2. Clear the check box ( ) immediately to the left of the object name. The check box appears cleared ( is no longer visible on the map. ) and the object
You can hide the contents of an entire folder by clearing the check box to the left of the folder name. When the check box of a folder appears greyed ( ), it indicates that the folder contains both visible and hidden objects.
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Figure 1.2: Moving a layer Before you print a map, you should pay attention to the arrangement of the layers. For more information, see "Printing Recommendations" on page 61.
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In Atoll, objects such as sites or transmitters are named with default prefixes. Individual objects are distinguished from each other by the number added automatically to the default prefix. You can change the default prefix for sites, transmitters, and cells by editing the atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
If you have made any changes to the properties of an item, Atoll prompts you to confirm these changes before switching to the next Properties dialogue. You can use this feature, for example, to access the properties of co-site transmitters without closing and reopening the Properties dialogue. Switching is performed within the folder or, if you have created a view, within the view. For example: If transmitters are grouped by site, you can switch only within one site (co-site transmitters). If transmitters are grouped by a flag, you can switch only within this group. If transmitters are grouped by activity and by a flag, you can switch only within transmitters having the same activity and the same flag.
The browse buttons are not available: When creating a new item. When opening an items Properties dialogue by double-clicking its record in a table. For repeater properties. For propagation model properties.
The Display tab of the Properties dialogue is explained in "Display Properties of Objects" on page 23.
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Figure 1.3: Selecting one transmitter 2. Select the transmitter from the context menu. When you select a transmitter, it appears with a green point at both ends of the icon ( ).
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3. In the Move to a Higher Location dialogue, enter the radius of the area in which Atoll should search and click OK. Atoll moves the site to the highest point within the specified radius.
To modify the azimuth of the antenna using the mouse: 1. On the map, click the antenna whose azimuth you want to modify. 2. Move the pointer to the end of the antenna with a green circle ( ). An arc with an arrow appears under the pointer. 3. Click the green circle and drag it to change the antennas azimuth. The current azimuth of the antenna is displayed in the far left of the status bar. 4. Release the mouse when you have set the azimuth to the desired angle. The antennas azimuth is modified on the Transmitter tab of the Transmitter Properties dialogue. You can also modify the azimuth on the map for all the antennas on a base station using the mouse. To modify the azimuth of all the antennas on a base station using the mouse: 1. On the map, click one of the antennas whose azimuth you want to modify. 2. Move the pointer to the end of the antenna with a green circle ( ). An arc with an arrow appears under the pointer. 3. Hold CTRL and, on the map, click the green circle and drag it to change the antennas azimuth. The current azimuth of the antenna is displayed in the far left of the status bar. 4. Release the mouse when you have set the azimuth of the selected antenna to the desired angle. The azimuth of the selected antenna is modified on the Transmitter tab of the Transmitter Properties dialogue. The azimuth of the other antennas on the base station is offset by the same amount as the azimuth of the selected antenna. If you make a mistake when changing the azimuth, you can undo your changes by using Undo (by selecting Edit > Undo, by pressing CTRL+Z, or by clicking undo the changes made. in the toolbar) to
1.3.2.5 Changing the Antenna Position Relative to the Site Using the Mouse
By default, antennas are placed on the site. However, antennas are occasionally not located directly on the site, but a short distance away. In Atoll, you can change the position of the antenna relative to the site either by adjusting the Dx and Dy parameters or by entering the coordinates of the antenna position on the General Tab of the Transmitter Property dialogue. Dx and Dy are the distance in metres of the antenna from the site position. You can also modify the position of the antenna on the map, using the mouse. To move a transmitter using the mouse: 1. On the map, click the transmitter you want to move. 2. Move the pointer to the end of the antenna with a green rectangle ( ). A cross appears under the pointer. 3. Click the green rectangle and drag it to change the antennas position relative to the site. The current coordinates (x and y) of the antenna are displayed in the far right of the status bar. 4. Release the mouse when you have moved the selected transmitter to the desired position. The position of the selected transmitter is modified on the General tab of the Transmitter Properties dialogue.
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If you make a mistake when changing the position of the transmitter, you can undo your changes by using Undo (by selecting Edit > Undo, by pressing CTRL+Z, or by clicking in the toolbar) to undo the changes made.
Figure 1.4: The Display tab for Sites When you access the Properties dialogue of an individual object, the Display tab will only show the options applicable to an individual object (see Figure 1.5).
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Figure 1.5: The Display tab for an individual site To define the display properties of an object type: 1. Right-click the object type folder in the Explorer window. The context menu appears. 2. Select Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialogue appears. 3. Select the Display tab. Depending on the object type, the following options are available: "Defining the Display Type" on page 24 "Defining the Transparency of Objects and Object Types" on page 25 "Defining the Visibility Scale" on page 25 "Defining the Object Type Label" on page 26 "Defining the Object Type Tip Text" on page 26 "Adding an Object Type to the Legend" on page 27
4. Set the display parameters. 5. Click OK. Defining the Display Type Depending on the object selected, you can choose from the following display types: unique, discrete values, value intervals, or automatic. To change the display type: 1. Access the Display tab of the Properties dialogue as explained in "Display Properties of Objects" on page 23. 2. Select the display type from the Display Type list: Unique: defines the same symbol for all objects of this type. By defining a unique symbol for an object type, objects of different types, for example, sites or transmitters, are immediately identifiable. i. To modify the appearance of the symbol, click the symbol in the table below. The Symbol Style dialogue appears.
ii. Modify the symbol as desired. iii. Click OK to close the Symbol Style dialogue. Discrete values: defines the display of each object according to the value of a selected field. This display type can be used to distinguish objects of the same type by one characteristic. For example, you could use this display type to distinguish transmitter by antenna type, or to distinguish inactive from active sites. i. Select the name of the Field by which you want to display the objects.
ii. You can click the Actions button to access the Actions menu. For information on the commands available, see "Using the Actions Button" on page 25. iii. To modify the appearance of a symbol, click the symbol in the table below. The Display Parameters dialogue appears. iv. Modify the symbol as desired. v. Click OK to close the Display Parameters dialogue. Value intervals: defines the display of each object according to set ranges of the value of a selected field. This display type can be used, for example, to distinguish population density, signal strength, or the altitude of sites. i. Select the name of the Field by which you want to display the objects.
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ii. Define the ranges directly in the table below. For an example, see Figure 1.7 on page 27. iii. You can click the Actions button to access the Actions menu. For information on the commands available, see "Using the Actions Button" on page 25. iv. To modify the appearance of a symbol, click the symbol in the table. The Display Parameters dialogue appears. v. Modify the symbol as desired. vi. Click OK to close the Display Parameters dialogue. Automatic: only available for transmitters; Atoll automatically assigns a colour to each transmitter, ensuring that each transmitter has a different colour than the transmitters surrounding it. i. Click the symbol in the table below. The Display Parameters dialogue appears.
ii. Modify the symbol as desired. iii. Click OK to close the Display Parameters dialogue. When you create a new map object, for example, a new site or a new transmitter, you must click the Refresh button ( ) for Atoll to assign a colour to newly created object according to the set display type. You can define the default symbol used for sites and how it is displayed by editing an option in the atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
Using the Actions Button The Actions button on the Display tab of the Properties dialogue allows you to modify the display type as defined in "Defining the Display Type" on page 24. To access the Actions menu: 1. Access the Display tab of the Properties dialogue as explained in "Display Properties of Objects" on page 23. 2. Click the Actions button. The Actions menu gives you access to the following commands: Properties: Atoll displays the Display Parameters dialogue, enabling you to define the appearance of the selected symbol in the table. Select all: Atoll selects all the values in the table. Delete: Atoll removes the selected value from the table. Insert before: When the selected display type is value intervals, Atoll inserts a new threshold in the table before the threshold selected in the table. Insert after: When the selected display type is value intervals, Atoll inserts a new threshold in the table after the threshold selected in the table. Shading: Atoll opens the Shading dialogue. When "Value Intervals" is the selected display type, you select Shading to define the number of value intervals and configure their colour. Enter the upper and lower limits of the value in the First Break and Last Break boxes respectively, and enter a value in the Interval box. Define the colour shading by choosing a Start Colour and an End Colour. The value intervals will be determined by the set values and coloured by a shade going from the set start colour to the set end colour. When "Discrete Values" is the selected display type, you select Shading to choose a Start Colour and an End Colour. Display Configuration: Select Load if you want to import an existing display configuration. Select Save if you want to save the display settings of the current object in a display configuration file, so that you can share them with other users or use them in other documents.
Defining the Transparency of Objects and Object Types You can change the transparency of some objects, such as predictions, and some object types, such as clutter classes, to allow objects on lower layers to be visible on the map. To change the transparency: 1. Access the Display tab of the Properties dialogue as explained in "Display Properties of Objects" on page 23. 2. Move the Transparency slider to the right to make the object or object type more transparent or to the left to make it less transparent. Defining the Visibility Scale You can define a visibility range for object types. An object is visible only if the scale, as displayed on the Map toolbar, is within this range. This can be used to, for example, prevent the map from being cluttered with symbols when you are at a certain scale.
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Visibility ranges are taken into account for screen display, and for printing and previewing printing. They do not affect which objects are considered during calculations. To define an object visibility range: 1. Access the Display tab of the Properties dialogue as explained in "Display Properties of Objects" on page 23. 2. Enter a Visibility Scale minimum in the between 1: text box. 3. Enter a Visibility Scale maximum in the and 1: text box. Defining the Object Type Label For most object types, such as sites and transmitters, you can display information about each object in the form of a label that is displayed with the object. You can display information from every field in that object types data table, including from fields that you add. To define a label for an object type: 1. Access the Display tab of the Properties dialogue as explained in "Display Properties of Objects" on page 23. 2. Click the Browse button ( ) beside the Label box. The Field Selection dialogue appears (see Figure 1.6).
Figure 1.6: Defining a label 3. Select the fields which you want to display in the label: a. To select a field to be displayed in the label for the object type, select the field in the Available Fields list and click to move it to the Selected Fields list. b. To remove a field from the Selected Fields list, select the field in the Selected Fields list and click it. to remove
c. To change the order of the fields, select a field and click or to move it up or down in the list. The objects will be grouped in the order of the fields in the Selected Fields list, from top to bottom. 4. Click OK to close the Field Selection dialogue and click OK to close the Properties dialogue. For most object types, you can also display object information in the form of tip text that is only visible when you move the pointer over the object. This option has the advantage of not filling the map window with text. For more information on tip text, see "Defining the Object Type Tip Text" on page 26. Defining the Object Type Tip Text For most object types, such as sites and transmitters, you can display information about each object in the form of tip text that is only visible when you move the pointer over the object. You can display information from every field in that object types data table, including from fields that you add. In the Explorer window, the tip text displays the total numbers of elements present in the Sites and Transmitters folders, and the view.
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To define tip text for an object type: 1. Access the Display tab of the Properties dialogue as explained in "Display Properties of Objects" on page 23. 2. Click the Browse button ( ) beside the Tip Text box. The Field Selection dialogue appears (see Figure 1.6).
3. Select the fields which you want to display in the tip text: a. To select a field to be displayed in the tip text for the object type, select the field in the Available Fields list and click to move it to the Selected Fields list. to
b. To remove a field from the the Selected Fields list, select the field in the Selected Fields list and click remove it. For most object types, you can also display object information in the form of a label that is displayed with the object. This option has the advantage of keep object-related information permanently visible. For more information on tip text, see "Defining the Object Type Label" on page 26. Once you have defined the tip text, you must activate the tip text function before it appears. To display tip text: Click the Display Tips button ( ) on the toolbar. Tip text will now appear when the pointer is over the object.
If you have more than one coverage prediction displayed on the map, the tip text displays the tip text for all the coverage predictions available on a pixel up to a maximum of 30 lines. You can change this default maximum using an option in the atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual. Adding an Object Type to the Legend You can display the information defined by the display type (see "Defining the Display Type" on page 24) in your Atoll documents legend. Only visible objects appear in the Legend window. For information on displaying or hiding objects, see "Displaying or Hiding Objects on the Map Using the Explorer" on page 18. In Figure 1.7, on the Display tab of a signal level prediction, the intervals defined are: Signal level >= -65 red -65 > Signal level >= -105 shading from red to blue (9 intervals) Signal level < -105 not shown in the coverage.
The entries in the Legend column will appear in the Legend window.
Figure 1.7: Defined thresholds as they will appear in the Legend With value intervals, you can enter information in the Legend column to be displayed on the legend. If there is no information entered in this column, the maximum and minimum values are displayed instead. 1. Access the Display tab of the Properties dialogue as explained in "Display Properties of Objects" on page 23. 2. Select the Add to legend check box. The defined display will appear on the legend. To display the Legend window: Select View > Legend Window. The Legend window appears.
You can also display the comments defined in the properties of a coverage prediction in the Legend window by setting an option in the atoll.ini file. For more information about setting options in the atoll.ini file, see the Administrator Manual.
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Automatic Display Type - Server Coverage Predictions When making a best server prediction, Atoll calculates, for each pixel on the map, which server is received the best. If the selected display type for transmitters is "Automatic," Atoll colours each pixel on the map according to the colour of the transmitter that is best received on that pixel. This way, you can identify immediately which transmitter is best received on each pixel. The following two figures show the results of the same best server area and handover margin coverage prediction. In Figure 1.8, the transmitter display type is "Discrete Values," with the site name as the chosen value. The difference in colour is insufficient to make clear which transmitter is best received on each pixel. In Figure 1.9, the transmitter display type is "Automatic." Because Atoll ensures that each transmitter has a different colour than the transmitters surrounding it, the prediction results are also immediately visible.
To display the results of a server coverage prediction with the transmitters set to the automatic display type: 1. Right-click the Transmitters folder in the Explorer window. The context menu appears. 2. Select Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialogue appears. 3. Select the Display tab. 4. Select "Automatic" as the Display Type. 5. Click OK. 6. Click the Refresh button ( ) to update the display of the prediction results.
Shading - Signal Level Coverage Prediction Atoll displays the results of a signal level prediction as value intervals. On the map, these value intervals appear as differences of shading. You can use the Shading command to define the appearance of these value intervals to make the results easier to read or more relevant to your needs. For example, you can change the range of data displayed, the interval between each break, or you can change the colours to make the intervals more visible. In this example, Figure 1.10 shows the results of the best signal level plot from -60 dBm to -105 dBm. However, if you are more interested in reception from -80 dBm to -105 dBm, you can change the shading to display only those values. The result is visible in Figure 1.11.
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To change how the results of a signal level coverage prediction are displayed: 1. Expand the Predictions folder in the Explorer window and right-click the signal level prediction. The context menu appears. 2. Select Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialogue appears. 3. Select the Display tab. 4. Click Actions to display the menu and select Shading. The Shading dialogue appears. 5. Change the value of the First Break to "-80". Leave the value of the Last Break at "-105." 6. Click OK to close the Shading dialogue. 7. Click OK to close the Properties dialogue and apply your changes.
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You can also zoom in by pressing CTRL++, by selecting Zoom > Zoom In from the View menu, or by holding down the CTRL key and rotating the mouse wheel button forward.
To zoom out on the map: 1. Click the Zoom icon ( ) on the Map toolbar (or press CTRL+Q).
2. Right-click the map where you want to zoom out. You can also zoom out by pressing CTRL+, by selecting Zoom > Zoom Out from the View menu, or holding down the CTRL key and rotating the mouse wheel button backward.
2. Click in the map on one of the four corners of the area you want to select. 3. Drag to the opposite corner. When you release the mouse button, Atoll zooms in on the selected area.
Once you have returned to a previous zoom level, click the Next Zoom button (
2. Move the pointer over the map and drag the map in the desired direction.
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To zoom in on a specific area of the map: 1. Click in the Panoramic window on one of the four corners of the area you want to zoom in on. 2. Drag to the opposite corner. When you release the mouse button, Atoll zooms in on the selected area. To resize the displayed map area: 1. Click in the Panoramic window on a corner or border of the zoom area (i.e., the dark rectangle). 2. Drag the border to its new position. To move around the map: 1. Click in the zoom area (i.e., the dark rectangle) in the Panoramic window. 2. Drag the rectangle to its new position.
When centring the Map window on an object the current scale is kept. To centre the map window on a table record: 1. Open the table. 2. Right-click the record. The context menu appears. 3. Select Centre in Map Window from the context menu.
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2. Click the first point on the map once. As you move the pointer away from the first point, Atoll marks the initial position and connects it to the pointer with a line. 3. Place the pointer over the second point on the map. The status bar displays the following (see Figure 1.12): The distance between the two points The azimuth between the two points.
To measure the total distance on the map on a line over a series of points: 1. Click the Distance Measurement button ( ) on the toolbar.
2. Click the first point on the map once. As you move the pointer away from the first point, Atoll marks the initial position and connects it to the pointer with a line. 3. Click once on the map at each point on the line between the first point and the final point, where you will have to change direction on the line. 4. When you reach the last point on the line, the status bar displays the following (see Figure 1.12): The total distance between the first point and the last point The distance between the second-last point and the last point The azimuth between the last two points.
Total distance between Azimuth between secondfirst and last point last and last point Distance between second-last and last point Figure 1.12: Measurement data in the status bar
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1.4.10.1.1
3. Right-click the Filtering Zone folder. 4. Select Draw from the context menu. 5. Draw the filtering zone: a. Click once on the map to start drawing the zone. b. Click once on the map to define each point on the map where the border of the zone changes direction. c. Click twice to finish drawing and close the zone. The filtering zone is delimited by a blue line. The data objects outside of the selected zone are filtered out. On the Network tab of the Explorer window, any folder whose content is affected by the filtering zone appears with a special icon ( ), to indicate that the folder contents have been filtered.
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You can also create a filtering zone as follows: Vector Editor toolbar: You can use the New Polygon ( ) and New Rectangle ( ) buttons available in the Vector Editor toolbar to draw the filtering zone. Existing polygon: You can use any existing polygon as a filtering zone by right-clicking it on the map or in the Explorer window and Use As > Filtering Zone from the context menu. You can also combine an existing filtering zone with any existing polygon by right-clicking it on the map or in the Explorer window and selecting Add To > Filtering Zone from the context menu. Importing a polygon: If you have a file with an existing polygon, for example, a polygon describing an administrative area, you can import it and use it as a filtering zone. You can import it by right-clicking the Filtering Zone folder on the Geo tab and selecting Import from the context menu. Fit to Map Window: You can create a filtering zone the size of the map window by right-clicking the Filtering Zone folder on the Geo tab and selecting Fit to Map Window from the context menu.
Once you have created a filtering zone, you can use Atolls polygon editing tools to edit it. For more information on the polygon editing tools, see "Using Polygon Zone Editing Tools" on page 36. You can save the filtering zone, so that you can use it in a different Atoll document, in the following ways: Saving the filtering zone in the user configuration: For information on saving the fiiltering zone in a user configuration, see "Saving a User Configuration" on page 76. Exporting the filtering zone: You can export the filtering zone by right-clicking the Filtering Zone on the Geo tab of the Explorer window and selecting Export from the context menu.
1.4.10.2.1
3. Right-click the Computation Zone. The context menu appears. 4. Select Draw from the context menu. 5. Draw the computation zone: a. Click once on the map to start drawing the zone. b. Click once on the map to define each point on the map where the border of the zone changes direction. c. Click twice to finish drawing and close the zone. The computation zone is delimited by a red line. You can also create a computation zone as follows: Vector Editor toolbar: You can use the New Polygon ( Editor toolbar to draw the computation zone. ) and New Rectangle ( ) buttons available in the Vector
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Existing polygon: You can use any existing polygon as a computation zone by right-clicking it on the map or in the Explorer window and selecting Use As > Computation Zone from the context menu. You can also combine an existing computation zone with any existing polygon by right-clicking it on the map or in the Explorer window and selecting Add To > Computation Zone from the context menu. Importing a polygon: If you have a file with an existing polygon, for example, a polygon describing an administrative area, you can import it and use it as a computation zone. You can import it by right-clicking the Computation Zone on the Geo tab and selecting Import from the context menu. Fit to Map Window: You can create a computation zone the size of the map window by right-clicking the Computation Zone on the Geo tab and selecting Fit to Map Window from the context menu.
Once you have created a computation zone, you can use Atolls polygon editing tools to edit it. For more information on the polygon editing tools, see"Using Polygon Zone Editing Tools" on page 36. You can save the computation zone, so that you can use it in a different Atoll document, in the following ways: Saving the computation zone in the user configuration: For information on saving the computation zone in a user configuration, see "Saving a User Configuration" on page 76. Exporting the computation zone: You can export the computation zone by rightclicking the Computation Zone on the Network tab of the Explorer window and selecting Export from the context menu.
1.4.10.3.1
3. Right-click the Focus Zone or Hot Spots folder, depending on whether you want to create a focus zone or a hot spot. The context menu appears. 4. Select Draw from the context menu. 5. Draw the focus zone or hot spot: a. Click once on the map to start drawing the zone. b. Click once on the map to define each point on the map where the border of the zone changes direction. c. Click twice to finish drawing and close the zone. A focus zone is delimited by a green line; a hot spot is delimited by a heavy black line. If you clear the zones visibility check box in the Zones folder of the Geo tab in the Explorer window, it will no longer be displayed but will still be taken into account. You can also create a focus zone or hot spot in one of the following ways: Vector Editor toolbar: You can use the New Polygon ( Editor toolbar to draw the focus zone or hot spot. ) and New Rectangle ( ) buttons available in the Vector
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Existing polygon: You can use any existing polygon as a focus zone or hot spot by right-clicking it on the map or in the Explorer window and selecting Use As > Focus Zone or Use As > Hot Spot from the context menu. You can also combine an existing focus zone or hot spot with any existing polygon by right-clicking it on the map or in the Explorer window and selecting Add To > Hot Spot or Add To > Hot Spot from the context menu. Importing a polygon: If you have a file with an existing polygon, for example, a polygon describing an administrative area, you can import it and use it as a focus zone or hot spot. You can import it by right-clicking the Focus Zone or Hot Spots folder on the Geo tab and selecting Import from the context menu. When you import hot spots, you can import the name (in text format) given to each zone as well. Additionally, because you can have several hot spots, you can import more than one polygon into the Hot Spot folder, with each as a separate hot spot. Fit to Map Window: You can create a focus zone or hot spot the size of the map window by right-clicking the Focus Zone or Hot Spots folder on the Geo tab and selecting Fit to Map Window from the context menu. You can save the focus zone or hot spot, so that you can use it in a different Atoll document, in the following ways: Saving the focus zone in the user configuration: For information on saving the focus zone in a user configuration, see "Saving a User Configuration" on page 76. Exporting the focus zone or hot spots: You can export the focus zone or hot spots by right-clicking the Focus Zone or the Hot Spots folder on the Geo tab of the Explorer window and selecting Export from the context menu.
1.4.10.4.1
Once you have selected the polygon zone, you can edit it as explained in the following sections: "Editing the Points of a Polygon Zone" on page 36 "Editing Polygon Zones Using the Toolbar" on page 37 "Editing Polygon Zones Using the Context Menu" on page 37.
Editing the Points of a Polygon Zone To edit a point of a polygon zone: 1. Put the polygon zone in editing mode as explained in "Editing Polygon Zones" on page 36. 2. Select the polygon zone. You can now edit it by: Moving a point: i. Position the pointer over the point you want to move. The pointer changes ( ).
ii. Drag the point to its new position. Adding a point to the polygon zone: i. Position the pointer over the polygon zone border where you want to add a point. The pointer changes ( ).
ii. Right-click and select Insert Point from the context menu. A point is added to the polygon zone border at the position of the pointer. Deleting a point from a polygon zone:
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i.
Position the pointer over the point you want to delete. The pointer changes (
).
ii. Right-click and select Delete Point from the context menu. The point is deleted. Editing Polygon Zones Using the Toolbar In Atoll, you can create complex polygon zones by using the tools on the Vector Editor toolbar. The filtering, computation, and focus zone polygons can contain holes. The holes within polygonal areas are differentiated from overlaying polygons by the order of the coordinates of their vertices. The coordinates of the vertices of polygonal areas are in clockwise order, whereas the coordinates of the vertices of holes within polygonal areas are in counter-clockwise order. To edit a polygon zone using the icons on the Vector Editor toolbar: 1. Put the polygon zone in editing mode as explained in "Editing Polygon Zones" on page 36. 2. Click the contour to edit. The Vector Editor toolbar has the following buttons: i. : To combine several polygon zones: In the Vector Editor toolbar, click the Combine button ( ).
ii. Click once on the map where you want to begin drawing the new polygon zone. iii. Click each time you change angles on the border defining the outside of the polygon zone. iv. Double-click to close the polygon zone. v. Draw more polygon zones if desired. Atoll creates a group of polygons of the selected and new contours. If polygon zones overlap, Atoll merges them. i. : To delete part of the selected polygon zone: In the Vector Editor toolbar, click the Delete button ( ).
ii. Draw the area you want to delete from the selected polygon zone by clicking once on the map where you want to begin drawing the area to delete. iii. Click each time you change angles on the border defining the outside of the area. iv. Double-click to close the area. Atoll deletes the area from the selected contour. i. : To create a polygon out of the overlapping area of two polygons: In the Vector Editor toolbar, click the Intersection button ( ).
ii. Click once on the map where you want to begin drawing the polygon that will overlap the selected one. iii. Click each time you change angles on the border defining the outside of the polygon. iv. Double-click to close the polygon. Atoll creates a new polygon of the overlapping area of the two polygons and deletes the parts of the polygons that do not overlap. i. : To split the selected polygon into several polygons: In the Vector Editor toolbar, click the Split button ( ).
ii. Click once on the map where you want to begin drawing the polygon that will split the selected one. iii. Click each time you change angles on the border defining the outside of the polygon. iv. Double-click to close the polygon. Atoll separates the area covered by the polygon from the selected polygon and creates a new polygon. Editing Polygon Zones Using the Context Menu When you are editing polygon zones, you can access certain commands using the context menu. To edit a polygon zone using the context menu: 1. Click the polygon zone you want to edit. 2. Right-click the polygon zone to display the context menu and select one of the following: Properties: Select Properties to open the Properties dialogue of the selected polygon zone. The Properties dialogue gives the coordinates of each point that defines the position and shape of the polygon zone. Insert Point: Select Insert Point to add a point to the border of the contour at the position of the pointer. Move: i. Select Move from the context menu to move the contour, line, or point on the map.
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ii. Move the contour, line, or point. iii. Click to place the contour, line, or point. Quit edition: Select Quit Edition to exit editing mode. Delete: Select Delete to remove the selected contour, line, or point from the map.
1.4.10.4.2
3. Right-click the folder containing the zone you want to remove. 4. From the context menu, select Delete Zone. The polygon zone is removed and all document data are now displayed. You can also delete it by right-clicking its border on the map and selecting Delete from the context menu.
3. Right-click the Geographic Export Zone folder. The context menu appears. 4. Select Draw from the context menu. 5. Draw the geographic export zone: a. Click the point on the map that will be one corner of the rectangle that will define the geographic export zone. b. Drag to the opposite corner of the rectangle that will define the geographic export zone. When you release the mouse, the geographic export zone will be created from the rectangle defined by the two corners. The geographic export zone is delimited by a light purple line . If you clear the geographic export zones visibility check box in the Zones folder of the Geo tab in the Explorer window, it will no longer be displayed but will still be taken into account. You can also create a geographic export zone as follows: Vector Editor toolbar: You can use the New Polygon ( ) and New Rectangle ( ) buttons available in the Vector Editor toolbar to draw the geogaphic export zone. Existing polygon: You can use any existing polygon as a geographic export zone by right-clicking it on the map or in the Explorer window and selecting Use As > Geographic Export Zone from the context menu. You can also combine an existing geographic export zone with any existing polygon by right-clicking it on the map or in the Explorer window and selecting Add To > Geographic Export Zone from the context menu. The "effective" geographic export zone will be the rectangle encompassing the several polygons composing the geographic export zone. Importing a polygon: If you have a file with an existing polygon, you can import it and use it as a geographic export zone. You can import it by right-clicking the Geographic Export Zone folder on the Geo tab and selecting Import from the context menu. Fit to Map Window: You can create a geographic export zone the size of the map window by right-clicking it on the map or in the Explorer window and selecting Fit to Map Window from the context menu.
Once you have created a geographic export zone, you can use Atolls polygon editing tools to edit it. For more information on the polygon editing tools, see "Using Polygon Zone Editing Tools" on page 36.
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You can save the geographic export zone, so that you can use it in a different Atoll document, in the following ways: Saving the geographic export zone in the user configuration: For information on saving the geographic export zone in a user configuration, see "Saving a User Configuration" on page 76. Exporting the geographic export zone: You can export the geographic export zone by right-clicking the Geographic Export Zone on the Geo tab of the Explorer window and selecting Export from the context menu.
The geographic export zone can only export in raster format. You can not export in raster format if the coverage prediction was made per transmitter (for example, coverage predictions with the display type set by transmitter, by a transmitter attribute, by signal level, by path loss, or by total losses). Only the coverage area of a single transmitter can be exported in raster format.
Atoll creates a folder called "Vectors" on the Geo tab of the Explorer window. For information on adding vector objects such as contours, lines, and points to the vector layer, see "Creating Polygons, Lines, and Points" on page 39.
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You can also make the vector tools available by selecting the vector layer to edit from the Vector Editor toolbar list. Because Atoll names all new vector layers "Vectors" by default, it might be difficult to know which Vectors folder you are selecting. By renaming each vectors folder, you can ensure that you select the correct folder. For information on renaming objects, see "Renaming an Object" on page 19. If the Vector Editor toolbar is not visible, select View > Toolbars > Vector Editor. 3. Click one of the following buttons on the Vector Editor toolbar: New Polygon: a. Click once on the map where you want to begin drawing the contour. b. Click each time you change angles on the border defining the outside of the contour. c. Double-click to close the contour. New Rectangle: a. Click the point on the map that will be one corner of the rectangle. b. Drag to the opposite corner of the rectangle. c. Release the mouse to create the rectangle defined by the two corners. If the polygon or rectangle is on the vector layer of a population map, or custom data, you must define the value the polygon or rectangle represents and map the vector layer. For more information, see "Editing Population or Custom Data Maps" on page 135. New Line: a. Click once on the map where you want to begin the line. b. Click each time you change angles on the line. c. Double-click to end the line. New Point: Click once on the map where you want to place the point. 4. Press ESC to deselect the currently selected button on the Vector Editor toolbar.
3. Select the contour or line. You can now edit by: Moving a point: i. Position the pointer over the point you want to move. The pointer changes ( ).
ii. Drag the point to its new position. If you are editing a rectangle, the adjacent points on the rectangle change position as well, in order for the rectangle to retain its shape. Adding a point to a contour or a line: i. Position the pointer over the contour border or line where you want to add a point. The pointer changes ( ).
ii. Right-click and select Insert Point from the context menu. A point is added to the contour border or line at the position of the pointer.
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Deleting a point from a contour or a line: i. Position the pointer over the point you want to delete. The pointer changes ( ).
ii. Right-click and select Delete Point from the context menu. The point is deleted.
3. Click the contour to edit. The Vector Editor toolbar has the following buttons: i. : To combine several contours: In the Vector Editor toolbar, click the Combine button ( ).
ii. Click once on the map where you want to begin drawing the new contour. iii. Click each time you change angles on the border defining the outside of the contour. iv. Double-click to close the contour. v. Draw more contours if desired. Atoll creates a group of polygons of the selected and new contours. If contours overlap, Atoll merges them. i. : To delete part of the selected contour: In the Vector Editor toolbar, click the Delete button ( ).
ii. Draw the area you want to delete from the selected contour by clicking once on the map where you want to begin drawing the area to delete. iii. Click each time you change angles on the border defining the outside of the area. iv. Double-click to close the area. Atoll deletes the area from the selected contour. i. : To create a contour out of the overlapping area of two contours: In the Vector Editor toolbar, click the Intersection button ( ).
ii. Click once on the map where you want to begin drawing the contour that will overlap the selected one. iii. Click each time you change angles on the border defining the outside of the contour. iv. Double-click to close the contour. Atoll creates a new contour of the overlapping area of the two contours and deletes the parts of the contours that do not overlap. i. : To split the selected contour into several contours: In the Vector Editor toolbar, click the Split button ( ).
ii. Click once on the map where you want to begin drawing the contour that will split the selected one. iii. Click each time you change angles on the border defining the outside of the contour. iv. Double-click to close the contour. Atoll separates the area covered by the contour from the selected contour and creates a new contour.
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You can also activate the vector tools by selecting the vector layer to edit from the Vector Editor toolbar list.
3. Select the point. You can now edit by: Moving: i. Click the point you want to move. The pointer changes ( ).
ii. Drag the point to its new position. Deleting a point: i. Click the point you want to delete. The pointer changes ( ).
ii. Right-click and select Delete from the context menu. The point is deleted.
1.4.11.6 Editing Contours, Lines, and Points Using the Context Menu
When you are editing contours, lines, and points, you can access certain commands using the context menu. To edit a vector object using the context menu: 1. Click the vector object you want to edit. 2. Right-click the vector object to display the context menu and select one of the following: Delete: Select Delete to remove the selected contour, line, or point from the map. Convert to Line: Select Convert to Line to convert the selected contour to a line. Convert to Polygon: Select Convert to Polygon to convert the selected line to a contour. Open Line: Select Open Line to remove the segment between the last and the first point. Close Line: Select Close Line to add a segment between the last and the first point of the line. Insert Point: Select Insert Point to add a point to the border of the contour at the position of the pointer. Move: i. Select Move from the context menu to move the contour, line, or point on the map.
ii. Move the contour, line, or point. iii. Click to place the contour, line, or point. Quit edition: Select Quit Edition to exit editing mode. Properties: Select Properties to open the Properties dialogue of the selected contour, line, or point. The Properties dialogue has two tabs: General: The General tab gives the name of the vector Layer, the Surface of the object, and any Properties of the contour, line, or point. Geometry: This tab gives the coordinates of each point that defines the position and shape of the contour, line, or point. Only the commands relevant to the selected contour, line, or point are displayed in the context menu.
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You can export coverage predictions separately or you can export several coverage predictions at the same time. When you export more than one coverage prediction, Atoll suggests the formats that can be used for all the coverage predictions to be exported. In this section, the following are explained: "Exporting an Individual Coverage Prediction in Vector Format" on page 43 "Exporting an Individual Coverage Prediction in Raster Format" on page 43 "Exporting Multiple Coverage Predictions" on page 44.
The coverage prediction must be displayed in the map window before it can be exported. For information on displaying objects in the map window, see "Displaying or Hiding Objects on the Map Using the Explorer" on page 18. 3. Select Export the Coverage from the context menu. The Save As dialogue appears. 4. In the Save As dialogue, enter the File name and select the vector format from the Save as type list. If you have chosen to export the prediction coverage in a vector format other than in AGD format, you can modify the coverage prediction export: a. Coordinate Systems: You can change the reference coordinate system for the file being exported. b. Resolution: You can change the Resolution of the exported coverage. The default resolution is the resolution of the coverage prediction results (as set in the coverage prediction Properties dialogue). c. Filtering: You can apply a filter to the coverage prediction export to fill empty pixels with a value averaged from surrounding pixels. Define the level of filtering by moving the Filtering slider, or entering the percentage in the text box. d. Smoothing: You can smooth the vectors exported by a set percentage by moving the Smoothing slider, or entering the percentage in the text box. 5. Click Save to export the coverage prediction results.
The coverage prediction must be displayed in the map window before it can be exported. For information on displaying objects in the map window, see "Displaying or Hiding Objects on the Map Using the Explorer" on page 18. 3. You can export the entire coverage prediction, the geographic export zone, or part of the coverage prediction: To export the entire coverage prediction: Right-click the coverage prediction you want to export.
To export the geographic export zone, define the geographic export zone: a. Click the Geo tab in the Explorer window. b. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Zones folder.
c. Right-click the Geographic Export Zone folder. The context menu appears. d. Select Draw from the context menu. e. Draw the geographic export zone by clicking the point on the map that will be one corner of the rectangle that will define the geographic export zone and dragging to the opposite corner of the rectangle that will define the geographic export zone. When you release the mouse, the geographic export zone will be created from the rectangle defined by the two corners.
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The geographic export zone is delimited by a light purple line. If you clear the geographic export zones visibility check box in the Zones folder of the Geo tab in the Explorer window, it will no longer be displayed but will still be taken into account. f. Right-click the coverage prediction you want to export. To export part of the coverage prediction: a. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the coverage prediction.
b. Right-click the part of the coverage prediction you want to export. 4. Select Export the Coverage from the context menu. The Save As dialogue appears. 5. In the Save As dialogue, enter the File name and select the raster format from the Save as type list. 6. Enter the file name and select the type and the path of the file to be exported. 7. Click Save to export the coverage prediction results. The Raster Export dialogue appears. a. Under Region, select the area to export: Entire covered area: to export a rectangle containing only the area covered by the study, Computation zone: to export a rectangle containing the entire computation zone, or Geographic export zone: to export the rectangle defined by the geographic export zone.
b. If desired, you can apply a filter to the coverage prediction export to fill empty pixels with a value averaged from surrounding pixels. Define the level of filtering by moving the Filtering slider, or entering the percentage in the text box. c. Filtering: d. Click OK to finish exporting the coverage prediction results. You can not export in raster format if the coverage prediction was made per transmitter (for example, coverage predictions with the display type set by transmitter, by a transmitter attribute, by signal level, by path loss, or by total losses). Only the coverage area of a single transmitter can be exported in raster format.
6. Click Export to export the selected coverage predictions. The selected coverage predictions are saved in the selected folder. When you export several coverage predictions at the same time, Atoll does not take the geographic export zone into consideration. The geographic export zone is only taken into consideration for raster file formats.
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4. Click Export. The Save As dialogue appears. 5. In the Save as dialogue, select a destination folder, enter a File name, and select a file type from the Save as type list. The following file formats are supported: TIF, BIL, BMP, and ArcView Grid (TXT). If you want to use the saved file as a digital terrain model, you should select the TIF, BIL, or TXT format. When saving in BIL format, Atoll allows you to save files larger than 2 Gb. 6. Click Save. The Exported Image Size dialogue appears. 7. You can define the size of the exported image in one of two ways: Scale: If you want to define the size by scale, select Scale, enter a scale in the text box and a resolution. If you want to export the image with rulers, select Include Rulers. Pixel size: If you want to define the size by pixel size, select Pixel size, and enter a pixel size in the text box. If you want to use the exported file as a digital terrain model, you must define the size of the exported image by pixel size. Atoll then creates a geo-reference file for the exported image. 8. Click OK.
5. Click OK. 6. Open the application into which you want to paste the image. 7. In the new application, select Edit > Paste Special. 8. In the Paste Special dialogue, select Picture (Enhanced Metafile). You can also select Bitmap to paste the selection without rulers, or Text to paste the upper left and lower right coordinates of the selection.
9. Click OK. The area of the map, including the rulers, is pasted as an image into the new document.
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The rectangle drawing pointer indicates you can draw computation/focus/hot spot/ Rectangle drawing filtering/printing/geographic export zones, or draw vector or raster rectangles on pointer the map. To define a zone, click and drag diagonally. Hand Zoom tool Zoom area The hand pointer indicates you can move the visible part of the displayed map. The zoom pointer indicates you can click to zoom in and right-click to zoom out at the location of the mouse pointer The zoom area pointer indicates you can zoom in on an area of the by clicking and dragging to define the area. The transmitter pointer indicates you can place a transmitter on the map where you click. You can place more than one station by pressing CTRL as you click on the map. The point analysis pointer indicates that you have selected the Point Analysis tool and have not yet chosen the first point. The point placed pointer indicates the position of the receiver on the map that is used for the point-to-point analysis. The results are displayed in the CW Measurements or Point Analysis window. The pencil pointer indicates you can create a polygonal clutter zone, by clicking once to start the polygon, once to create each corner, and by double-clicking to close the polygon. The deletion pointer indicates that you can delete a newly created polygonal clutter zone by clicking its border. The position indicator pointer indicates you can select the border of a polygon. Right-clicking the polygon border opens a context menu allowing you to add a point, delete the polygon, or centre the map on the polygon. The select/create points pointer indicates you can modify the polygon in the map window. You can add a new point and modify the polygon contour by clicking on one of the edges and dragging. You can move an existing point by clicking and dragging an existing point. You can right-click to open a context menu to delete a point, delete the polygon, or centre the map on the polygon. The first CW measurement point pointer indicates you can click a point on the map to create the first point of a CW measurement path.
Pencil
Deletion
Position indicator
Select/create points
Placing points in a The next CW measurement point pointer indicates the first CW measurement point CW measurement has been set and you can now click other points on the map. Double-click to end the path CW measurement path. The measurement pointer indicates you can click on the map to set the start point of Measurements on your measurement. As you move the pointer, the distance between the first point the map and the pointer is displayed in the status bar.
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Appearance
Description
Meaning The terrain section pointer indicates that you can create a terrain section by clicking once on the map to create the first point and once more to create the second point. The terrain profile between the two points is displayed in the Point Analysis window and stored under Terrain Sections in the Geo tab.
Terrain section
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The maximum Size of the field. The Default value of the field. The Group to which the field belongs. When opening an Atoll document from a database, you can select a group of custom fields to be loaded from the database, instead of loading all custom fields.
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1. Access the object types table fields as explained in "Accessing an Object Types Table Fields" on page 47. 2. Select the custom field that you want to delete. Some fields can not be deleted. If you select a field and the Delete button remains unavailable, the selected field is not a custom field and can not be deleted.
3. Click Delete. The field is deleted from the object types data table.
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"Formatting Table Cells" on page 51 "Changing Column Width or Row Height" on page 51 "Displaying or Hiding a Column" on page 52 "Freezing or Unfreezing a Column" on page 53 "Moving Columns" on page 53
Formatting the Column Headers To define the format of the column headers: 1. Open the data table as explained in "Opening a Data Table" on page 47. 2. Right-click the table. The context menu appears. 3. Select Format > Header Format from the context menu. The Format dialogue appears. 4. The Format dialogue has the following tabs: Font: You can select the Font, Outline (the font style), font Size, Effects, and Text colour. Colour: You can select the colour of the column headers by selecting a Foreground colour, a Background colour, and a pattern from the list box. You can also select a 3D Effect for the header. Borders: You can select the Border, the Type, and the Colour for each column header. Alignment: You can select both the Horizontal and Vertical alignment of the column header text. The Alignment tab has additional options as well, allowing you to enable Wrap text, Auto-size, and Allow enter.
5. Click OK. Formatting Table Cells To define the format of the table cells: 1. Open the data table as explained in "Opening a Data Table" on page 47. 2. Right-click the table. The context menu appears. 3. Select Format > Cell Format from the context menu. The Format dialogue appears. 4. The Format dialogue has the following tabs: Font: You can select the Font, Outline (the font style), font Size, Effects, and Text Colour. Colour: You can select the background colour (Interior) of the column headers, by selecting a Foreground colour, a Background colour, and a pattern from the list box. You can also select a 3D Effect for the header. Borders: You can select the Border, the Type, and the Colour for each column header. Alignment: You can select both the Horizontal and Vertical alignment of the column header text. The Alignment tab has additional options as well, allowing you to enable Wrap text, Auto-size, and Allow enter.
5. Click OK. Changing Column Width or Row Height You can change the column width and row height in a data table. When you change the column width, you change the width only for the selected column. When you change the row height, however, you change the row height for every row in the table. To change the column width: 1. Open the data table as explained in "Opening a Data Table" on page 47. 2. Click the border separating two column headers and drag to change the column width (see Figure 1.17). To change the row height: 1. Open the data table as explained in "Opening a Data Table" on page 47. 2. Click the border separating two rows and drag to change the row height (see Figure 1.18). The width or height of the columns or rows change once you release the mouse.
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Figure 1.18: Changing row height Displaying or Hiding a Column You can choose which columns in data tables to display or hide. To display or hide a column: 1. Open the data table as explained in "Opening a Data Table" on page 47. 2. Right-click the table. The context menu appears. 3. Select Display Columns from the context menu or click the Display Columns button ( Columns to Be Displayed dialogue appears (see Figure 1.19). 4. To display a column, select its check box. 5. To hide a column, clear its check box. You can also hide a column by right-clicking on its header and selecting Hide Columns from the context menu or by clicking the Hide Columns button ( ) in the Table toolbar. You can hide more than one column by pressing CTRL while selecting the columns and then clicking the Hide Columns button ( 6. Click Close. ). ) in the Table toolbar. The
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Figure 1.19: The Columns to Be Displayed dialogue Freezing or Unfreezing a Column In Atoll, you can freeze one or more columns of a data table so that they always remain visible as you scroll horizontally through the table. For example, while scrolling through the Sites table, you might want to have the Name column always visible. You can keep this column, or any other column visible, by freezing it. To freeze a column: 1. Open the data table as explained in "Opening a Data Table" on page 47. 2. Select the header of the column you want to freeze. Click and drag over several headers to select more than one column to freeze. You can only freeze adjacent columns.
3. Right-click the selected header or headers and select Freeze Columns from the context menu or click the Freeze Columns button ( ) in the Table toolbar. You can not freeze a column in a report table.
To unfreeze columns: Right-click the table and select Unfreeze All Columns from the context menu or click the Unfreeze All Columns button ( ) in the Table toolbar.
Moving Columns In Atoll, you can change the column order so that you can group similar columns or present data in a determined order. To move a column: 1. Open the data table as explained in "Opening a Data Table" on page 47. 2. Select the header of the column you want to move. Click and drag over several headers to select more than one column to move. You can only move several columns at the same time when they are adjacent.
3. Click again on the selected column and drag to the desired area. As you drag the column, the position the column will occupy is indicated by a red line (see Figure 1.20).
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Figure 1.20: Moving columns 4. Release the mouse column to place the column.
To create a new element by copying and pasting: 1. Open the data table as explained in "Opening a Data Table" on page 47. 2. Click in the left margin of the table row containing the element to select the entire row. 3. Select Edit > Copy to copy the table row. 4. Click in the left margin of the table row marked with the New Row icon ( ) to select the entire row.
5. Select Edit > Paste to paste the copied data into the new row. Atoll, creates a new element from the copied data. The name of the new element is the same as that of the copied element, preceded by "Copy of." You can edit this name.
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Figure 1.21: Selecting the cells 3. Copy into the selected cells: To copy the contents of the top cell of the selection into the other cells, right-click the selection and select Edit > Fill Down from the context menu or click the Fill Down button ( ) in the Table toolbar (see Figure 1.22).
Figure 1.22: Copying the contents of the top cell To copy the contents of the bottom cell of the selection into the other cells, right-click the selection and select Edit > Fill Up from the context menu or click the Fill Up button ( ) in the Table toolbar (see Figure 1.23).
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To view a statistical analysis of a selection of cells in one column: Select the cells you want to analyse. You can select contiguous cells by clicking the first cell and dragging to the last cell of the selection you want to analyse, or by clicking the first cell, pressing SHIFT and clicking the last cell. You can select non-contiguous cells by pressing CTRL and clicking each cell in the column separately. In Atoll you can organise data in several different ways, allowing you to select only certain data. For more information, see "Grouping, Sorting, and Filtering Data" on page 65. 3. Right-click the selection of cells. The context menu appears. 4. Select Statistics from the context menu. The Statistics dialogue appears (see Figure 1.24).
Figure 1.24: The Statistics dialogue The statistics displayed depend on the type of numerical data selected. If you leave the Statistics dialogue open, you can view the statistical analysis of other cells by selecting them in the table. The contents of the Statistics dialogue are updated automatically.
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Figure 1.25: Exporting a data table 4. Select the Header check box if you want to export the names of the columns with the data. 5. Select a Decimal Symbol from the list. 6. Select a Field Separator from the list. 7. Select the fields (displayed as columns in the table) you want to export. You can display all the fields belonging to a table by clicking the Expand button ( ) to the left of the table name. You can select contiguous fields by clicking the first field, pressing SHIFT and clicking the last field. You can select non-contiguous fields by pressing CTRL and clicking each fields separately. a. To select a field to be exported, select the field in the Available Fields box and click ported Fields list. All fields in the Exported Fields list will be exported. to move it to the Exto re-
b. To remove a field from the list of Exported Fields, select the field in the Exported Fields list and click move it.
c. To change the order of the fields, select a field and click or to move it up or down in the list. The fields at the top of the Exported Fields appear at the left of the exported table.
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You can save the choices you have made in the Export dialogue as a configuration file by clicking the Save button at the top of the dialogue and entering a name for the file in the Save As dialogue that appears. The next time you export a data table, you can click Load in the Export dialogue to open your configuration file with the same settings you used this time. 8. Click Export. The Save As dialogue appears. 9. In the Save As dialogue, enter the File name and select the format from the Save as type list. 10. Click Save to export the table. You can export the Sites and Transmitters tables to text files by selecting the folder or view in the Explorer window and pressing CTRL+E. For information on importing data into a data table, see "Importing Tables from Text Files" on page 58.
Figure 1.26: Importing information into a data table 5. If the file you was creating using a different Coordinate system, click the Browse button ( ) to select the coordinate system the file was created with. Atoll will covert the coordinates in the imported file to correspond to the coordinate system used in the Atoll document. 6. Enter the number of the first line of data in the 1st Data Line box. 7. Select a Decimal Symbol from the list. 8. Select a Field Separator from the list. 9. Select the Update Records check box if you want to replace the data of records already existing in the table.
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Atoll compares the values in the left-most column of the data to be imported with the values in the same column of the data table to see if records already exist. The values of these records are replaced when the Update Records check box is selected. If the Update Records check box is not selected, these records are not imported. 10. Under Field Mapping, there are two header rows: Source: The column headers from the text file you are importing. Destination: The column headers from the Atoll data table.
Align the content of the source file with the content of the destination file by clicking the column header in the Destination row and selecting the corresponding column from the Atoll data file (see Figure 1.26). Select <Ignore> for source file columns that you do not want to import. You can change the width of the columns to make the contents easier to work with. See "Changing Column Width or Row Height" on page 51.
You can save the choices you have made in the Import dialogue as a configuration file by clicking the Save button at the top of the dialogue and entering a name for the file in the Save As dialogue that appears. The next time you export a data table, you can click Load in the Import dialogue to open your configuration file with the same settings you used this time. 11. Click Import. The contents are imported in the current Atoll data table. You can import data from text files into the Sites and Transmitters tables by selecting the folder or view in the Explorer window and pressing CTRL+I. For information on exporting the information in a data table into a text file, see "Exporting Tables to Text Files" on page 57.
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Tables are imported in the same order they appear in the index.xml file. Do not modify the order of tables in the index.xml file because the order in which the data is imported is very important; some data must be imported before other data. For example, antennas used by transmitters must be imported before the transmitters themselves. During the import procedure, existing data in the tables are overwritten by the data from the XML files. Once the import is complete, Atoll performs a database integrity check, and a duplicate records check to ensure that the import did not create database problems. For information on exporting the data tables in your document to XML files, see "Exporting Tables to XML Files" on page 59.
You can accept the default layout or you can modify the print layout (see "Defining the Print Layout" on page 62). You can see how the map will appear once printed (see "Previewing Your Printing" on page 64). Printing graphics is a memory-intensive operation and can make heavy demands on your printer. Before printing for the first time, you should review the "Printing Recommendations" on page 61 to avoid any memory-related problems.
To print a map: 1. Select the document window containing the map. 2. You now have the following options before printing the map: You can select a print area ("Defining the Printing Zone" on page 61) or create a focus zone ("Drawing a Focus Zone or a Hot Spot" on page 35). You can modify the print layout ("Defining the Print Layout" on page 62). You can see how the map will appear once printed (see "Previewing Your Printing" on page 64).
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4. Click OK.
Sites and transmitters must be above all the other layers. For this reason, visible objects on the Network tab, for example, sites, transmitters, and predictions, are displayed above objects on the Geo tab. For performance reasons, however, it is strongly recommended to put vector layers, such as roads, over predictions. This will ensure that these vector layers are visible when you print the map. To put vector layers from the Geo tab over predictions: 1. In the Explorer window, click the Geo tab. 2. Right-click the vector layer you want to move to the Network tab. The context menu appears. 3. Select Move to Network Tab from the context menu. 4. Click the Network tab. 5. Drag the vector layer to a position above Predictions but below Sites, Antennas, and Transmitters.
3. Right-click the Printing Zone folder. The context menu appears. 4. Select Draw from the context menu. 5. Draw the printing zone: a. Click the point on the map that will be one corner of the rectangle that will define the printing zone. b. Drag to the opposite corner of the rectangle that will define the printing zone. When you release the mouse, the printing zone will be created from the rectangle defined by the two corners. The printing zone is delimited by a light green line (see Figure 1.27). If you clear the printing zones visibility check box in the Zones folder of the Geo tab in the Explorer window, it will no longer be displayed but will still be taken into account.
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Figure 1.27: Printing zone You can also create a printing zone as follows: Vector Editor toolbar: You can use the New Polygon ( ) and New Rectangle ( ) buttons available in the Vector Editor toolbar to draw the printing zone. Existing polygon: You can use any existing polygon as a printing zone by right-clicking it on the map or in the Explorer window and selecting Use As > Printing Zone from the context menu. You can also combine an existing printing zone with any existing polygon by right-clicking it on the map or in the Explorer window and selecting Add To > Printing Zone from the context menu. The "effective" resulting printing zone will be the rectangle encompassing the several polygons composing the printing zone. Importing a polygon: If you have a file with an existing polygon, you can import it and use it as a printing zone. You can import it by right-clicking the Printing Zone folder on the Geo tab and selecting Import from the context menu. Fit to Map Window: You can create a printing zone the size of the map window right-clicking the Printing Zone folder and selecting Fit to Map Window from the context menu.
Once you have created a printing zone, you can change its size by dragging the edges of the zone displayed on the rulers of the map window. You can also use Atolls polygon editing tools to edit the printing zone. For more information on the polygon editing tools, see "Using Polygon Zone Editing Tools" on page 36. You can save the printing zone, so that you can use it in a different Atoll document, in the following ways: Saving the printing zone in the user configuration: For information on saving the printing zone in a user configuration, see "Saving a User Configuration" on page 76. Exporting the printing zone: You can export the geographic export zone by rightclicking the Printing Zone on the Geo tab of the Explorer window and selecting Export from the context menu.
These settings can be saved as a configuration, allowing you to define a standard appearance which you can then load and use the next time you print a similar document.
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To define the appearance of the map when it is printed: 1. Select File > Print Setup. The Print Setup dialogue appears. You define the print setup on the Page tab, the Components tab, and the Header/Footer tab. You can see any changes you make in the schematic preview on the right side of the Print Setup dialogue. If you have previously defined a configuration file containing all the necessary settings, you can click the Load button under Configuration to import those settings.
2. Click the Page tab. On the Page tab, you can define the page size, margins, and orientation and the scale of the printed map: a. Under Orientation, select whether the page should be printed in Portrait or Landscape. b. Under Paper, select the Size of the paper and, optionally, the Source of the paper. c. Under Scaling, define the scale of the printed image either by selecting Fit to page, or by selecting Scale and defining the scale. d. Under Margins, set the margins of the page in millimetres. 3. Click the Components tab. a. Under Map, you can define the appearance of the printed map: Select the Rulers check box if you want to print the map with a scale around it. Select the Area inside focus zone only check box if you only want to print the part of the map inside the focus zone.
b. Under Legend, you can define the placement of the legend. Select the Legend check box if you want to print a legend with the map. Click a button to set the Position of the legend. The buttons inside the square will place the legend on top of the map. The buttons outside of the square will place the legend outside of the map.
Click the Font button to open the Font dialogue to define the font of the legend.
c. Select the Comments check box if you want to print a comment with the map and set its Position. Clicking the Properties button opens a dialogue where you can enter text and set variables such as the current time and date. If you want the comment to appear on the map (and not outside of it), select the On the map check box. 4. Click the Header/Footer tab. On the Header/Footer tab, you can set the position of graphic elements. a. Select the Map Title check box if you want to define a title for the map and set its Position. Clicking the Properties button opens a dialogue where you can enter text and set variables such as the current time and date. If you want the title to appear on the map (and not outside of it), select the On the map check box. b. Under Logo 1 and Logo 2, you can define graphics that appear for the map. The graphics can be a company logo or other information, such as copyright information, in the form of a BMP graphic. i. For the selected logo check box, click the Properties button. The Logo dialogue appears. By default, Atoll searches for the logo files in the Atolls installation folder. If a file named logo.bmp is present in this folder, it is considered as the default header logo. However, you can select a different file. ii. Click File. The Open dialogue appears. iii. Select the your graphic in BMP format and click Open. Only BMP graphics can be used as logos. If your logo is in a different format, you must first convert it using a graphics programme to the BMP format.
iv. Select the correct Width and Height (in pixels). v. Click OK.
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c. Select the Header/Footer Note check box if you want to define a header or footer for the map and set its Position. Clicking the Properties button opens a dialogue where you can enter text and set variables such as the current time and date. If you want the header or footer to appear on the map (and not outside of it), select the On the map check box. 5. Once you have made your settings, click OK to close the Print Setup dialogue, or click Print to print the document. You can save the current settings as a configuration file by clicking the Save button under Configuration. This enables you to re-use the same settings the next time by loading them.
Click the Previous Page button ( Click the Zoom In button ( Click the Zoom Out button (
) to zoom in on the print preview. ) to zoom out on the print preview. ) to switch display from one to two pages side by side
Click the Toggle One/Two Pages Display button ( Click Close to close the print preview.
To print the content of a docking window: 1. Open the docking window you want to print. If you want to print a Point Analysis window, click the tab you want to print.
2. Right-click the window you want to print. 3. Select Print from the context menu. The Print dialogue appears. 4. Click OK to print.
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c. Select Open Table from the context menu. 3. Right-click the antenna whose pattern you want to print. 4. Select Record Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialogue appears. 5. Select the Horizontal Pattern tab or the Vertical Pattern tab. 6. Right-click the antenna pattern and select Linear or Logarithmic from the context menu. 7. Right-click the antenna pattern and select Print from the context menu.
For examples of grouping data objects, see "Examples of Grouping" on page 67.
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Figure 1.28: The Menu Configuration dialogue 6. Select the fields you want to appear in the Group By submenu. You can display all the fields belonging to a table by clicking the Expand button ( ) to the left of the table name. You can select contiguous fields by clicking the first field, pressing SHIFT and clicking the last field. You can select non-contiguous fields by pressing CTRL and clicking each fields separately. To select a field to appear in the Group By submenu, select the field in the Available fields list and click move it to the Grouping Fields list. To remove a field from the list of Grouping Fields, select the field in the Grouping fields list and click remove it. to to
To change the order of the fields, select a field and click or to move it up or down in the list. The objects will be grouped in the order of the fields in the Grouping fields list, from top to bottom.
7. Click OK to close the Menu Configuration dialogue and click OK to close the Properties dialogue. The Group By submenu will now contain only the fields you selected.
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Figure 1.29: The Group dialogue 6. Select the fields by which you want to group the objects. You can select contiguous fields by clicking the first field, pressing SHIFT and clicking the last field. You can select non-contiguous fields by pressing CTRL and clicking each fields separately. To select a field to be used to group the objects, select the field in the Available Fields list and click it to the Grouping Fields list. To remove a field from the list of Grouping Fields, select the field in the Grouping Fields list and click remove it. to move to
To change the order of the fields, select a field and click or to move it up or down in the list. The objects will be grouped in the order of the fields in the Grouping Fields list, from top to bottom.
7. Click OK to close the Group dialogue and click OK to close the Properties dialogue and group the objects. To undo the grouping: 1. Click the Network tab in the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the folder or view whose objects you have grouped. 3. From the context menu, select from the Group By > None.
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Figure 1.30: Grouping transmitters by site The result of grouping can be seen in Figure 1.31.
Figure 1.31: Transmitters grouped by site You can also group objects by the computation or focus zone. You normally create a computation or focus zone when you want to concentrate on a given subset of transmitters, for example, when you are working on a certain area of the network. By grouping them by computation or focus zone, the transmitters you are working on are immediately visible under the Transmitter folder. By right-clicking the Transmitter folder and selecting Group By > Polygon > Focus Zone (Figure 1.30), you can group the transmitters in the focus zone together.
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Figure 1.32: Grouping transmitters by zone The result of grouping can be seen in Figure 1.31. The transmitters are now in two groups: those inside the focus zone and those outside the focus zone.
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Sorting by One Column To sort data in a table by one column: 1. Open the data table as explained in "Opening a Data Table" on page 47. 2. Select the header of the column that you want to sort on. The entire column is selected. 3. Right-click the column header. The context menu appears. 4. From the context menu, select how you want to sort: Sort Ascending: sort the data table records from the lowest value in the reference column to the highest value. Sort Descending: sort the data table records from the highest value in the reference column to the lowest value. You can also sort data in a table by selecting the column as described and then clicking either the Sort Ascending ( Sorting by Several Columns You can only sort in a table by adjacent columns. If you want to sort by columns that are not adjacent, you can move the columns first as explained in "Moving Columns" on page 53. If you want to sort data by several columns without moving the columns, you can use the Sort function on the Properties dialogue. For information, see "Advanced Sorting" on page 70. To sort data in a table by several columns: 1. Open the data table as explained in "Opening a Data Table" on page 47. 2. Click the header of the first column and drag over the adjacent columns that will be your sort references. The entire column is selected. 3. Right-click the column headers. The context menu appears. 4. From the context menu, select how you want to sort: Sort Ascending: sort the data table records from the lowest value in the first reference column to the highest value. Sort Descending: sort the data table records from the highest value in the first reference column to the lowest value. You can also sort data in a table by selecting the column as described and then clicking either the Sort Ascending ( ) or Sort Descending ( ) buttons in the Table toolbar. ) or Sort Descending ( ) buttons in the Table toolbar.
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8. Click OK.
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Figure 1.36: Filtering excluding selection (Antenna AO9209) You can also filter data in a table by selecting the values as described and then clicking either the Filter by Selection ( toolbar. ) or Filter Excluding Selection ( ) buttons in the Table
You can also access the Filter dialogue by clicking the Filter button of the tables Properties dialogue.
3. Click the Filter tab: a. Select a Field from the list. b. Under Values to Include, you will find all the values represented in the selected field. Select the check boxes next to the values you want to include in the filter. Click Clear All to clear all check boxes.
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Making selections on the Filter tab of the Filter dialogue is the equivalent of filtering by selection as explained in "Filtering in Data Tables by Selection" on page 71.
4. Click the Advanced tab: a. In the Column row, select the name of the column to be filtered on from the list. Select as many columns as you want (see Figure 1.37).
Figure 1.37: The Filter dialogue - Advanced tab b. Underneath each column name, enter the criteria on which the column will be filtered as explained in the following table: Formula =X <> X <X >X <=X >=X *X* X* Data are kept in the table only if value equal to X (X may be a number or characters) value not equal to X (X may be a number or characters) numerical value is less than X numerical value is greater than X numerical value is less than or equal to X numerical value is greater than or equal to X text objects which contain X text objects which start with X
5. Click OK to filter the data according to the criteria you have defined. Filters are combined first horizontally, then vertically. See "Advanced Filtering: Examples" on page 73.
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1.7.3.4.1
Figure 1.38: Initial table The objective of this example is to use filter criteria to find antennas manufactured by Kathrein with a beamwidth between 50 and 100. To do this, the following filter syntax is entered on the Advanced tab of the Filter dialogue (for information on the Advanced tab, see "Advanced Data Filtering" on page 72): The first criterion, as shown in Figure 1.39, is all antennas made by a manufacturer with a name beginning with a "K" ("=K*"). While you could write in the entire name ("=Kathrein"), it is not necessary because there is only one manufacturer with a "K." The second criterion is all antennas with a beamwidth under 100. The third criterion is all antennas with a beamwidth over 50.
The combination of these criteria is all antennas from manufacturers with a name beginning with "K" and with a beamwidth under 100 but over 50. The result of this advanced filter can be seen in the second pane of Figure 1.39.
1.7.3.4.2
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The second criterion is all antennas with a beamwidth under 100 and over 50.
The result of this advanced filter can be seen in the second pane of Figure 1.39.
Figure 1.40: Errors in filtering As previously stated, the objective of this example was to use filter criteria to find antennas manufactured by Kathrein with a beamwidth between 50 and 100. However, because the second criterion (beamwidth under 100 and over 50) is malformed, with "> 50" placed under "< 100", it functioned as an OR condition and not as an AND condition. The resulting filter searched for all antennas manufactured by Kathrein with a beamwidth under 100, or all antennas over 50; all antennas are displayed.
1.7.3.4.3
The result of this advanced filter can be seen in the second pane of Figure 1.39.
Figure 1.41: Errors in filtering As previously stated, the objective of this example was to use filter criteria to find antennas manufactured by Kathrein with a beamwidth between 50 and 100. However, because the second criterion is malformed, the filter only generates an error message and no antennas are filtered out.
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For a detailed description of the user configuration file, see the Administrator Manual. In this section, the following are explained: "Saving a User Configuration" on page 76 "Loading a User Configuration" on page 77.
Figure 1.42: Saving a user configuration 2. Select the check boxes of the information you want to export as part of the user configuration.
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3. Click OK. The Save As dialogue appears. 4. Enter a File name for the user configuration file and click Save. The folder configuration has been saved.
Figure 1.43: Loading a user configuration 4. Select the check boxes of the information you want to load. 5. Click OK. The user configuration is loaded into your current document.
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Site list: if you want to create a site list: a. Right-click the Sites folder. The context menu appears. b. Select Site Lists > Open Table from the context menu. The Site Lists table appears. Transmitter list: if you want to create a transmitter list: a. Right-click the Transmitters folder. The context menu appears. b. Select Transmitter Lists > Open Table from the context menu. The Transmitter Lists table appears. 3. Enter the name of the new list in the row marked with the New Row icon ( ).
3. Right-click the site or transmitter you want to add to the list. The context menu appears. Site list: if you want to add a site to a list: Select Add Site to a List from the context menu. A dialogue appears.
Transmitter list: if you want to add a transmitter to a list. Select Add Transmitter to a List from the context menu. A dialogue appears.
4. Select the name of the list from the dialogue. You can create a new list by entering a name in the list instead of selecting the name from the list. The selected site or transmitter will be added to the new list.
5. Click OK. The site or transmitter is added to the selected list. You can quickly create a complete list by first filtering the contents of the Sites or Transmitters folder as explained in "Filtering Data" on page 71. Then, by right-clicking the Sites or Transmitters folder and selecting Site Lists > Add Sites to a List or Transmitter Lists > Add Transmitters to a List from the context menu, you can add the filtered contents of folder to the list you select.
Transmitter list: if you want to add a transmitter to a list. Select Add Transmitter to a List from the context menu. A dialogue appears.
2. Select the name of the list from the dialogue. You can create a new list by entering a name in the list instead of selecting the name from the list. The selected site or transmitter will be added to the new list.
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3. Select the name of the list from the dialogue. You can create a new list by entering a name in the list instead of selecting the name from the list. The selected site or transmitter will be added to the new list.
4. Click OK. The sites or transmitters contained in the zone are added to the selected list.
To delete a site or transmitter from the list: a. Click in the left margin of the row containing the site or transmitter to select it. b. Press DEL to delete the site or transmitter from the list. 5. Click OK when you have finished editing the site or transmitter list.
6. Select the check box of the list or lists that you want to display.
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7. Click OK to close the Filter dialogue. 8. Click OK to close the Properties dialogue. Only sites or transmitters that belong to the selected list are now displayed on the Network tab of the Explorer window and in the map window.
6. Under Folder configuration, click Save. 7. Enter the name of the configuration in the Save Configuration dialogue. 8. Click OK to save the configuration and click OK to close the Properties dialogue. The saved folder configuration is only available for the current folder and can be reapplied to the folder by selecting it from the Folder Configuration submenu on the folders context menu.
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To reapply the folder configuration: 1. Click the Network tab in the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the folder whose folder configuration you want to reapply. 3. Select Update Folder Configuration from the context menu. The previously configured folder configuration is reapplied to the data.
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You can now perform the following actions on the view: Grouping (see "Grouping Data Objects" on page 65) Sorting (see "Sorting Data" on page 69) Filtering (see "Filtering Data" on page 71). If you have created several views, you can rename each one to give it a more descriptive name. For information on renaming an object, see "Renaming an Object" on page 19.
Once you have performed the actions on each view, you can compare the differences, by displaying in turn each view, with its grouping, sorting, or filtering settings, on the map. For more information on display properties, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 23. To compare views: 1. On the Network tab of the Explorer window, clear the check boxes to the left of each view. The data objects are not displayed on the map. 2. Select the check box of one of the views, leaving the check boxes of the other views cleared. The data objects of the selected view, with its associated grouping, sorting, or filtering settings, are displayed on the map. 3. Clear this check box and select the check box of a different view. How the objects are displayed on the map will change, depending on the different grouping, sorting, or filtering settings of the selected view. You can remove views by deleting them. When you delete a view, the data contained are not deleted. When you delete the last view, the data reappear under the initial folder. To delete a view: Select the view to be deleted and press DEL. If, after deleting the last view, the data do not reappear under the initial folder, you can refresh the display by right-clicking the folder and selecting Group By > None from the context menu.
When you have applied a polygon filter, you can perform the following actions on the filtered data: Grouping (see "Grouping Data Objects" on page 65) Sorting (see "Sorting Data" on page 69) Filtering (see "Filtering Data" on page 71).
For more information on creating and editing a filtering zone, see "Using a Filtering Zone" on page 33.
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To redo an action that you have undone: Select Edit > Redo.
To search for a map object by name using the Find on Map tool: 1. Select Tools > Find on Map. The Find on Map window appears. 2. From the Find list, choose the map object you are searching for: Vector Site Transmitter Repeater/Rem. Antenna
The map object you select appears in the Field box. 3. Enter the name of the object in the text box marked with an equal sign ("="). You can use an asterisk ("*") as a wild card by entering it as the first character. For example, entering "*X*" will find all names which contain "X". Atoll automatically begins searching and displays the results in the Find on Map window. 4. Select the object from the list. Atoll centres it in the map window.
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To search for a map object by a text property using the Find on Map tool: 1. Select Tools > Find on Map. The Find on Map window appears. 2. From the Find list, choose the map object you are searching for: Site Transmitter Repeater/Rem. Antenna Vector
3. From the Field list, select the text property on which you want to search, for example, "Antenna," or "Main Propagation Model." 4. Enter the name of the object in the text box marked with an equal sign ("="). You can use an asterisk ("*") as a wild card by entering it as the first character. For example, entering "*X*" will find all names which contain "X". Atoll automatically begins searching and displays the results in the Find on Map window. 5. Select the object from the list. Atoll centres it in the map window.
X-Y coordinates
Altitude
Clutter class
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Create a new group of hexagons based on the currently selected station template A new hexagon group is created in the Hexagonal Design folder if the check box to the left of this folder is selected when you create a new station or a group of stations. If the check box is not selected, you can create a new station without creating a corresponding hexagon group. Create a new repeater or remote antenna for the currently selected transmitter Graphically manage neighbours for the selected transmitter Open the Point Analysis window Calculate only invalid matrices, unlocked coverages, and pending simulations (F7) Force the calculation of all matrices, unlocked coverages, and pending simulations (CTRL+F7) Stop the calculation of all matrices, unlocked coverages, and pending simulations (ESC) In the Map toolbar Refresh display of map and folders (F5) Select an object and disable zooming and panning tools. Move the map (CTRL+D) Map scale currently used Previous view (zoom and location) (Alt+left arrow) Next view (zoom and location) (Alt+right arrow) Zoom in or out on the map and centre on the cursor location (CTRL+Q) Define a zoom area on the map (CTRL+W) Display a height profile Measure distances on the map Turn on tip text Find on the map In the Vector Editor toolbar Create a new vector layer (in either the Geo or the Network tab) Select the vector layer to edit Draw a new polygon Draw a new rectangle Draw a new line Draw points Combine several vector polygons Cut out areas in polygons Create new polygon from overlapping areas Split one polygon along the drawn lines.
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In the Windows toolbar Display the Network tab of the Explorer window Display the Geo tab of the Explorer window Display the Parameters tab of the Explorer window Display the Event Viewer Display the Legend Window Display the Panoramic Window
In the Table toolbar Import data from a file into the table Export data from the table to a file Display the properties of the current record Centre the current record on the map Define which columns should be displayed Hide the selected columns Freeze the selected columns Unfreeze all frozen columns Filter by the selected fields Filter excluding all records with the selected values Define an advanced filter Remove the filter Sort the selected columns in ascending order Sort the selected columns in descending order Display statistics Copy the contents of the top selected row into the rows below Copy the contents of the bottom selected row into the rows above Select the entire table Align the contents of the selected columns to the left Centre the contents of the selected columns Align the contents of the selected columns to the right Display the selected columns in bold Display the selected columns in italics When you place the cursor over an icon, tip text appears, giving a short description.
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CTRL+E: Export the table of the selected Sites or Transmitters folder or view to a text file. For more information, see "Exporting Tables to Text Files" on page 57. CTRL+F: Open the Find on Map tool CTRL+I: Import the table of the selected Sites or Transmitters folder or view from a text file. For more information, see "Importing Tables from Text Files" on page 58. CTRL+N: Open the Project Templates dialogue (in the toolbar, click CTRL+SHIFT+N: Create a new document from an existing database CTRL+O: Open the Open dialogue (in the toolbar, click CTRL+P: Print the current window (in the toolbar, click CTRL+Q: Select Zoom In/Out tool (in the toolbar, click ) ) ) ) )
CTRL+S: Save the current active document (in the toolbar, click CTRL+U: Copy the last cell of a selection up into all selected cells CTRL+V: Paste the content of the clipboard (in the toolbar, click CTRL+W: Define a zoom area on the map (in the toolbar, click CTRL+X: Cut the selected data (in the toolbar, click ) )
CTRL+Y: Redo the previous undone modification (in the toolbar, click CTRL+Z: Undo the last modification (in the toolbar, click )
Using the ALT key: ALT+: Previous zoom and location on the map (in the toolbar, click ALT+: Next zoom and location on the map (in the toolbar, click ALT+F8: Open the Add-ins and Macros dialogue ) )
Using the Function Keys F5: Refresh display of map and folders (toolbar: select ) )
F7: Calculate only invalid matrices, unlocked coverages, and pending simulations (in the toolbar, click ) You can also access menus and commands by pressing the ALT key and typing the underlined letter in the menu or command name.
CTRL+F7: Force the calculation of all matrices, unlocked coverages, and pending simulations (in the toolbar, click
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Chapter 2
Starting a Project
This chapter explains how to start a new Atoll project. In this chapter, the following are explained: "Before Starting a Radio-Planning Project" on page 91 "Creating an Atoll Document" on page 91 "Making a Backup of Your Document" on page 103 "Making and Sharing Portable Atoll Projects" on page 105
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Once the necessary data have been assembled, you can create the Atoll document.
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CDMA2000 1xRTT 1xEV-DO: This template can be used to model third generation (3G) mobile telecommunications based on CDMA2000 technology. CDMA2000 is an evolution of CDMA, or code division multiple access. This template can be used to model the following technologies: 1xRTT (1 Radio Transmission Technology): 1xRTT is sometimes considered not as 3G but as 2.5G in terms of mobile telecommunications. It offers increased voice capacity as compared to 2G technologies, but not as much as pure 3G solutions. 1xEV-DO (1x Evolution - Data Only): 1xEV-DO is an evolution of CDMA2000 that provides data transfer rates of over 10 times those of 1xRTT. It is considered a 3G solution and addresses, as its name suggests, data only.
UMTS HSPA: UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) and HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) and HSUPA (High Speed Uplink Packet Access), collectively referred to as HSPA, are third generation (3G) mobile telecommunication systems based on WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) technology. Although WCDMA is similar in implementation to CDMA, the two technologies are incompatible. UMTS and HSPA are usually implemented in place and over GSM networks. TD-SCDMA: TD-SCDMA (Time Division Synchronous CDMA) is a 3G mobile telecommunication system based on Time Division Duplex (TDD) mode. TD-SCDMA transmits uplink and downlink traffic in the same frame in different time slots. WiMAX: Atoll WiMAX is a state-of-the-art WiMAX and Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) network planning tool developed in cooperation with world-leading WiMAX equipment suppliers. Atoll WiMAX supports IEEE 802.16e. LTE: This template can be used to model the new fourth generation (4G) networks based on the UTRAN LTE (UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Networks Long Term Evolution) specifications proposed by the 3GPP. Atoll LTE is strictly follows the latest 3GPP LTE specifications, and has been developed in collaboration with the market-leading equipment manufacturers. Atoll LTE is the first and most comprehensive LTE network planning tool available on the market. 3GPP Multi-RAT: This template can be used to model the most common multi-technology multiple technology projects. When starting a new 3GPP multi-RAT project, Atoll allows you to select which radio technologies will be modelled in the same project: GSM, UMTS, and LTE. The multi-RAT template can also be used to create a GSM, UMTS, or LTE single-RAT document. By using the multi-RAT template to create a single-RAT document, you will have the flexibility of being able to add additional technologies to the document in the future.
Figure 2.1 shows a new Atoll document based on the UMTS HSPA template. The Network tab of the Explorer window now has a folder structure suitable for a UMTS HSPA radio-planning project, with, among other UMTS-specific elements, UMTS HSPA HSPA simulations. Figure 2.2 shows the contents of the Geo tab of the new document. Figure 2.3 shows the contents of the Parameters tab, with other UMTS HSPA parameters. The Antennas folder is expanded to show the UMTS-compatible antennas suggested by Atoll. These can be modified or replaced.
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When you create an Atoll document from a template, the document is not connected to a database. To verify whether the document is connected to a database: Select Document > Database > Connection Properties. The dialogue in Figure 2.4 appears.
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2.2.1.3.1
A geographic system is not a projection, but a representation of a location on the earth's surface from geographic coordinates (degree-minute-second or grade) giving the latitude and longitude in relation to the origin meridian (Paris for the NTF system and Greenwich for the ED50 system). The locations in the geographic system can be converted into other projections. Atoll has databases including more than 980 international coordinate system references, a database based on the European Petroleum Survey Group and another one regrouping only France's coordinate systems. Atoll uses the cartographic coordinate systems for projection and either cartographic or geographic coordinate systems for display. The maps displayed in the workspace are referenced with the same projection system as the imported geographic data files; thus, the projection system depends on the imported geographic file. By choosing a specific display system, you can see (using the rulers or status bars) the location of sites on the map in a coordinate system different from the projection coordinate system. You can also position on the map sites referenced in the display system: the coordinates are automatically converted from the projection system to the display system and the site is displayed on the map. In Figure 2.5, the Brussels geographic data file has been imported. The map shows Brussels projected using the cartographic UTM system (coordinates in metres). On the other hand, site coordinates are stated in the geographic WGS 84 system (coordinates in degrees-minutes-seconds).
1. Snyder, John. P., Map Projections Used by the US Geological Survey, 2nd Edition, United States Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 313 pages, 1982.
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Figure 2.5: UTM system used with WGS 84 system All imported raster geographic files must be use the same cartographic system. If not, you must convert them to a single cartographic system.
2.2.1.3.2
3. In the Coordinate Systems dialogue, select a catalogue from the Find in list. For the projection system, only cartographic systems ( ) are available. 4. Select a coordinate system from the list. If you frequently use a particular coordinate system you can add it to a catalogue of favourites by clicking Add to Favourites.
5. Click OK. The selected coordinate system appears in the Projection field and, by default, in the Display field as well. 6. If you wish to set a different coordinate system for the display, click the Browse button ( symbol) and geographic systems ( ) are available. ) to the right of the
Display field and repeat step 3. to step 5. For the display system, both cartographic systems (identified by the
2.2.1.3.3
To change the degree display format: 1. Select Document > Properties. The Properties dialogue appears. 2. On the Coordinates tab, select the format from the Degree Format list. 3. Click OK.
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The degree format options apply only to the geographic coordinate systems.
2.2.1.3.4
3. Click OK.
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Path loss matrices: The path loss matrices are calculated through the central Atoll project by the administrator and can be updated only by the administrator. Each user can read these path loss data but cannot modify them. If users modify their Atoll documents in such a way that the path loss data becomes invalid for their document, any path loss matrices calculated by these users are stored locally, either embedded in the ATL file or linked to an external file. The shared path loss data are not modified. Shared path loss matrices are updated when the calculation administrator performs an update, taking into account the modifications made by other users which have been stored and updated in the central database. Shared path loss matrices enable a number of users to work with a centralised path loss matrices folder, containing path loss matrices corresponding to the central Atoll project.
User Documents: Individual user documents are initialised by the administrator but are later worked upon and managed by each user. User documents are Atoll files which are connected to the central database, load only the required part of the geographic data (as defined by the CFG file, for example), and have access to the shared path loss matrices folder.
Figure 2.6: Components of Multi-user Environments For information on creating and maintaining the database, see the Administrator Manual.
The following sections give examples of connecting to two different databases and loading data: "Connecting to a Database" on page 98. "Selecting the Data to Load From the Database" on page 98.
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An example of a new Atoll document created from a database is shown in: "Working With a Document on a Database" on page 98
2.2.2.2.1
Connecting to a Database
To create a new document from a database: 1. Select File > New > From an Existing Database. The Open from a Database dialogue appears. 2. In the Files of type list, select the option corresponding to the type of your database. Depending on the type of the database, a dialogue may appear where you can enter your User Name, Password, and Server. Additional dialogues may open asking you to choose which project in the database to load or which site list to load.
3. Click OK. The Data to Load dialogue appears, allowing you to select the data to load into Atoll as a new document (see "Selecting the Data to Load From the Database" on page 98).
2.2.2.2.2
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Figure 2.8: New Atoll document opened from a database The new document might open with no site displayed in the map window. This is because the north-west point of the project is by default the axis origin. You can re-centre the document on the data displayed in the Network tab by expanding the Sites folder, right-clicking any site, and selecting Centre in Map Window from the context menu.
When you create an Atoll document from a database, you can view the characteristics of the database connection. To view the characteristics of the database connection: 1. Select Document > Database > Connection Properties. The Database Connection dialogue appears (see Figure 2.11). 2. You can now: Disconnect your document from the database. If you disconnect your document from the database, it will be become a stand-alone document and you will not be able to reconnect it to the database.
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3. Under Take into account, you can select the neighbour lists, Intra-technology Neighbours and Inter-technology Neighbours, to refresh. 4. Under Modifications Since the Last Refresh, you can select the Generate Report check box to create a report for the refresh process. 5. Click OK. The document is refreshed according to the selected options. If you selected to generate a report, Atoll creates a text file in CSV (Comma Separated Values) format in the temporary files system folder, and opens it. You can then rename the file and save it where you want. The report lists all the modifications (deletions, additions, and updates) that were stored in the database since the last time you refreshed or opened your document.
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2.2.2.5.1
Figure 2.12: The Archive dialogue 3. If some of the data has been modified on the database since you last refreshed, Atoll stops the archiving process and asks you to resolve the conflict. For information on managing conflicts, see "Resolving Data Conflicts" on page 101. 4. When you are finished archiving, click Close.
2.2.2.5.2
5. If some of the data has been modified on the database since you last refreshed, Atoll stops the archiving process and asks you to resolve the conflict. For information on managing conflicts, see "Resolving Data Conflicts" on page 101. 6. When you are finished archiving, click Close.
2.2.2.5.3
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Atoll allows you to resolve data conflicts. When Atoll finds a conflict, it displays the warning shown in Figure 2.13.
Figure 2.13: Conflict warning You have three options: Ignore: If you click Ignore, Atoll ignores items causing conflicts in the table being archived, archives all other modifications in the table, and continues with the next table. You can resolve the conflicts after the archiving process has ended. However, if conflicts are found in other tables, Atoll will warn you with the Database Transfer Error dialogue again. Ignore All: If you click Ignore All, Atoll ignores all items causing conflicts in all tables being archived, and archives all other modifications. You can resolve the conflicts after the archiving process has ended. Abort: If you click Abort, the archiving process stops. You can attempt to resolve conflicts before restarting the archiving process.
Whether you abort the archive process to resolve the conflict immediately, or wait until the end of the archive process, the procedure to resolve the conflict is the same. To resolve data conflicts one by one: 1. In the Pending Changes pane of the Archive dialogue, select the conflict you want to resolve and click Resolve. There are two different types of data conflicts: On a modified record: You are in the process of archiving your modifications on the database and another user has modified the same data since you last archived or refreshed your data. A conflict is caused only by differences in the same field of the same record between the database and the current Atoll document. The Conflict in Changes dialogue appears, with the fields in conflict highlighted (see Figure 2.14). In the Conflict in Changes dialogue, you can see the value of the field in the database in the Database values column, as well as the value of the same field in your document in the Current values column.
Figure 2.14: The Conflict in Changes dialogue If you want to overwrite the database value with the value of the same field in your document, select the check box next to the highlighted change and click Okay. Your modification will be written to the database, overwriting the value there. If you want to accept the value of the field in the database, clear the check box next to the highlighted change and click Okay. Your modification will be lost and the value in the database will remain unchanged.
On a deleted record: You are in the process of archiving your modifications on the database and another user has deleted a record since you last archived or refreshed your data. For information, see "Resolving Data Conflicts" on page 101. Atoll displays a message explaining that the record you are trying to update has been deleted from the database (see Figure 2.15). Select one of the following:
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Figure 2.15: Conflict on a deleted record Yes: Select Yes to store your modifications in the database, thereby recreating the deleted record. No: Select No to abandon your modifications to this record and delete this record from your document. Cancel: Select Cancel to cancel.
2. Click Close to close the Archive dialogue. To resolve all the data conflicts: 1. In the Pending Changes pane of the Archive dialogue, select any conflict and click Resolve All. Atoll displays a message explaining how Resolve All works (see Figure 2.16). Select one of the following:
Figure 2.16: Resolving all the data conflicts simultaneously Yes: Select Yes to accept all the modifications made by other users in the database and update your document with values from the database. No: Select No to overwrite the modifications made by other users in the database with the values from your document. Cancel: Select Cancel to cancel.
2. Click Close to close the Archive dialogue. You should only resolve all the data conflicts when you are certain about the modifications.
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In this section, the following are explained: "Configuring Automatic Backup" on page 104 "Recovering a Backup" on page 104.
Figure 2.17: Auto Backup Configuration dialogue 2. Select the Activate Auto Backup check box. 3. Select the Prompt before starting Auto Backup check box if you want Atoll to ask you before saving the backup of your file every time (see Figure 2.18). 4. Enter a time interval, in minutes, between consecutive backups in the Automatically save backups every text box. It can take a long time to back up large documents. Therefore, you should set a correspondingly longer interval between backups when working with large documents in order to optimise the process. 5. Click OK. If you selected the Prompt before starting automatic backup check box, Atoll prompts you each time before backing up the document. If you click OK, Atoll proceeds to back up all open documents. If you click Cancel, Atoll skips the backup once.
Figure 2.18: Automatic backup prompt The automatic backup timer is stopped while the prompt is displayed. Atoll displays a message in the Event Viewer every time a backup file is updated. If you are performing calculations, i.e., coverage predictions or simulations, the automatic backup is delayed until the calculations have ended. The timer starts again once the calculations are over. If you save the original document manually, the timer is reset to 0.
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If you just remove the BAK extension, your backup file will have the same file name as the original file and Windows will not allow you to rename the file. Therefore, it is safer to give a new name to the backup file and keep the original file until you are sure which version is most recent. 3. Open the renamed backup document in Atoll. You will be able to recover all the work up to the last time the backup was saved.
In most working environments, geographic data files are stored on a common file server and are linked to the ATL documents of different users over a network. Often these geographic data files are quite large, and it is not feasible to embed these files in an ATL file for reasons related to file size, memory consumption, and performance. It is, therefore, more useful to make a project portable by creating an archive that contains the ATL and all geographic data files. Atoll lets you make an archive containing the ATL file and all geographic data directly from the File menu. To make an archive containing the ATL file and all linked geographic data files: 1. Select File > Save to Zip. The Save As dialogue appears. 2. Select the folder where the created archive is to be stored, enter a File name for the archive to be created, and select "Zip Files (*.zip)" from the Save as type list. Atoll creates a ZIP file containing: A copy of the ATL file with the same name as the name of the archive (ZIP file). The ATL file added to the archive contains all the data that might be embedded in it (path loss matrices, geographic data, coverage predictions, simulation results, measurement data, etc.). A ".losses" folder containing a pathloss.dbf file and a LowRes subfolder which contains the pathloss.dbf file corresponding to the extended path loss matrices. Externally stored path loss matrices are not added to the archive because they are not necessary for making a portable document; they can be recalculated based on the network and geographic data in the ATL file. The pathloss.dbf files are stored in the archive because they are needed when reopening the archive in Atoll. A "Geo" folder with all the linked geographic data available on the Geo tab of the Explorer window for the Atoll document. This folder contains subfolders with the same names as the folders on the Geo tab. Geographic data that are found outside folders on the Geo tab are stored in files under the Geo folder, and data present within folders on the Geo tab are stored inside their respective folders. If the geographic data files linked to the document are located on a remote computer, such as a file server over a network, they are first copied to the local computer in the Windows temporary files folder and then added to the archive. Once the portable archive is created, you can open it directly from Atoll without first having to extract it using another tool. To open an archive containing an ATL file and all linked geographic data files: 1. Select File > Open from Zip. The Open dialogue appears. 2. Select the ZIP file that contains the ATL file and linked geographic data files. 3. Click Open. The Browse For Folder dialogue appears. 4. Select the folder where you want to extract the contents of the ZIP file. 5. Click OK. Atoll extracts all the files from the archive to the selected folder. If necessary, it creates the subfolders required for extracting the contents of the Geo folder. Once Atoll has finished extracting files from the archive, it opens the extracted ATL file. Geographic data extracted from the archive are linked to the ATL file. You do not need to have a compression utility, such as WinZip or WinRAR, installed on the computer for this feature. The highest compression level is used when creating the archive.
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Chapter 3
Geographic Data
This chapter provides information on working with geographic data in an Atoll project. In this chapter, the following are explained: "Geographic Data Types" on page 109 "Supported Geographic Data Formats" on page 111 "Importing Geo Data Files" on page 111 "Digital Terrain Models" on page 118 "Clutter Classes" on page 118 "Clutter Heights" on page 122 "Contours, Lines, and Points" on page 122 "Scanned Images" on page 124 "Population Maps" on page 125 "Custom Geo Data Maps" on page 126 "Setting the Priority of Geo Data" on page 129 "Displaying Information About Geo Data" on page 132 "Geographic Data Sets" on page 132 "Editing Geographic Data" on page 134 "Saving Geographic Data" on page 136
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3 Geographic Data
Several different geographic data types are used in an Atoll document. For example: the digital terrain model (DTM), clutter classes, clutter heights, scanned images, population maps, and traffic data maps are types of the geographic data that you can import or create. Some data types, such as clutter classes, can be used to give more realistic calculations. Other types such as scanned images, are used to create a more realistic display of the region under study. You can import a wide variety of both vector and raster-format geo data files. When you import a geo data file into Atoll, you can decide in which folder it goes. The Geo tab of the Atoll Explorer window has folders for the commonly used data types. Therefore, choosing a folder is choosing what the file will be used for. You can also create your own data type by importing a file and defining what data is to be used. Once you have imported a file into the Atoll document, you can edit the data, define how the geo data will be displayed. Atoll also allows you to manage multiple files for a single data type, deciding the priority of data files with different information or different resolutions. You can also display geo data over items on the Network tab, either by transferring them to the Network tab, or by importing them directly to the Network tab. You can also create and edit geographic data. You can add a vector layer to certain data types to which you can add contours, lines, or points, create new geographic data, or modify existing data. You can also create raster-based geographic data such as traffic maps or clutter classes. You can export most geo data objects (for example, DTM, clutter classes, clutter heights, raster polygons, or vector layers) for use in other Atoll documents or in other applications. Atoll also allows you to save changes you make to geo data objects back to the original files. This enables you to update the original files and, through the process of saving them, recompact the file. This chapter explains the following topics: "Geographic Data Types" on page 109 "Supported Geographic Data Formats" on page 111 "Importing Geo Data Files" on page 111 "Clutter Classes" on page 118 "Clutter Heights" on page 122 "Digital Terrain Models" on page 118 "Contours, Lines, and Points" on page 122 "Scanned Images" on page 124 "Population Maps" on page 125 "Custom Geo Data Maps" on page 126 "Setting the Priority of Geo Data" on page 129 "Editing Geographic Data" on page 134 "Saving Geographic Data" on page 136.
In this section, the following data types are described: "Digital Terrain Model" on page 110 "Clutter Classes" on page 110 "Clutter Heights" on page 110 "Contours, Lines, and Points" on page 110
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"Scanned Images" on page 110 "Population Maps" on page 110 "Traffic Data Maps" on page 110 "Custom Data Maps" on page 110.
Digital Terrain Model The DTM describes the elevation of the ground over sea level. You can display the DTM in different ways: by single value, discrete values, or by value intervals (see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 23). The DTM is automatically taken into account by the propagation model during computations. Clutter Classes The clutter class geo data file describes land cover or land use. Clutter classes are taken into account by the propagation model during computations. Each pixel in a clutter class file contains a code (from a maximum of 256 possible classes) which corresponds to a clutter class, or in other words to a certain type of ground use or cover. The height per class can be defined as part of the clutter class, however, the height will be defined as an average height for each clutter class. For information on defining the height per clutter class, see "Defining Clutter Class Properties" on page 119. Clutter heights can also be defined by a separate clutter heights file (see "Clutter Heights" on page 110). A clutter height map can represent height much more accurately because it allows a different height to be assigned for each pixel of the map. Clutter Heights Clutter height maps describe the altitude of clutter over the DTM with one altitude defined per pixel. Clutter height maps can offer more precise information than defining an altitude per clutter class because, in a clutter height file, it is possible to have different heights within a single clutter class. When clutter altitude is defined both in clutter classes and in a clutter height map, clutter altitude is taken from the clutter height map. You can display the clutter height map in different ways: by single value, discrete values, or by value intervals (see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 23). The only propagation models that can take clutter heights into account in calculations are the Standard Propagation Model and WLL model.
Contours, Lines, and Points Atoll supports contours, lines, and points to represent polygons such as regions, or lines such as roads or coastlines, or points. They are used for display only and have no effect on computations. Contours can also be used to create filtering polygons or computation or focus zones. Scanned Images Scanned images are geographic data files which represent the actual physical surroundings, for example, road maps or satellite images. They are used to provide a precise background for other objects or for less precise maps and are used only for display; they have no effect on calculations. Population Maps Population maps contain information on population density or on the total number of inhabitants. Population maps can be used in prediction reports in order to display, for example, the absolute and relative numbers of the population covered. Population maps have no effect on prediction and simulation results. Traffic Data Maps Traffic data maps contain information on capacity and service use per geographic area. Traffic data maps are used for network capacity analyses. Custom Data Maps You can import many different types of files for, for example, revenue, rainfall, or socio-demographic data. You could use the imported data in prediction reports. For example, you could display the predicted revenue for defined coverage. These imported data have no effect on prediction and simulation results.
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This section explains the following: "Importing a Raster-format Geo Data File" on page 111 "Importing a Vector-format Geo Data File" on page 113 "Importing MSI Planet Data" on page 114 "Importing a WMS Raster-format Geo Data File" on page 115 "Grouping Geo Data Files in Folders" on page 117 "Embedding Geographic Data" on page 117. You can use the drag-and-drop feature to import geo data files into a document. The format is automatically recognized and Atoll presents you with the appropriate dialogue.
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You can import more than one geo data file at the same time, providing that the geo data files are of the same type. You can select contiguous files by clicking the first file, pressing SHIFT and clicking the last file you want to import. You can select non-contiguous files by pressing CTRL and clicking each file. 3. Click Open. The File Import dialogue appears (see Figure 3.1). If the Vector Import dialogue appears, go to "Importing a Vector-format Geo Data File" on page 113.
Depending on the type of geo data file you are importing, choose one of the following options: DTM: Select Altitudes (DTM) from the Data Type list. Clutter Classes: Select Clutter Classes from the Data Type list. Clutter Heights: Select Clutter Heights from the Data Type list. Scanned Images: Select Image or Scan from the Data Type list. Population: i. Select Population from the Data Type list. The Use as list becomes available.
ii. Select from the Use as list whether the imported data are to be interpreted as a Density (number of inhabitants per square kilometre) or as a Value (number of inhabitants). Custom Geo Data: See "Custom Geo Data Maps" on page 126. Traffic Data Maps: Select Traffic Density from the Data Type list.
4. By default, the imported file is linked to the Atoll document. To embed the data file in the Atoll document, select the Embed in Document check box. For information on embedding files, see "Embedding Geographic Data" on page 117. 5. Click Import. The geo data file is imported and listed in the Geo tab of the Explorer window. When you import a traffic data map, the traffic maps Properties dialogue appears: a. Under Terminals (%), enter the percentage of each type of terminal used in the map. The total percentages must equal 100. b. Under Mobilities (%), enter the percentage of each mobility type used in the map. The total percentages must equal 100. c. Under Services (%), enter the percentage of each service type used in the map. The total percentages must equal 100. d. Under Clutter Distribution, enter for each clutter class the percentage of indoor users. An additional loss will be counted for indoor users during the Monte-Carlo simulations. You do not have to define a clutter weighting for traffic density maps because the traffic is provided in terms of user density per pixel. e. For UMTS and CDMA, select whether the users are active in the Uplink/Downlink, only in the Downlink, or only in the Uplink. f. Click OK.
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Depending on the type of geo data file you are importing, choose one of the following options: Vector Data: i. Select Geo from the Import to list. Select Population from the Import to list. Population:
ii. Under Fields to be imported, the first list contains the attributes of the population vector data file that you are importing, and the second list lets you select whether the attribute corresponds to population density or to a number of inhabitants. iii. Select from the first list which field is to be imported and from the second list whether the imported field is a Density (number of inhabitants per square kilometre for polygons, number of inhabitants per kilometre for lines, or number of inhabitants for points) or a Value (number of inhabitants) (see Figure 3.2 and Figure 3.3).
Figure 3.3: Population values (number of inhabitants per item polygon/road/point) Custom Geo Data: See "Custom Geo Data Maps" on page 126. Traffic Data Maps: Select Traffic from the Import to list.
4. By default, the imported file is linked to the Atoll document. To embed the data file in the Atoll document, select the Embed in Document check box. For information on embedding files, see "Embedding Geographic Data" on page 117. 5. Click Import. The geo data file is imported and listed in the Geo tab of the Explorer window.
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Figure 3.4: Vector Import dialogue You can import ellipses and arcs from MapInfo files (MIF and TAB). Rectangles are interpreted as polygons. You can define mappings between the coordinate system used for the MapInfo/ ESRI vector files, defined in the corresponding MIF/PRJ files, and Atoll. This way, when you import a vector file, Atoll can detect the correct coordinate system automatically. For more information about defining the mapping between coordinate systems, please refer to the Administrator Manual.
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3. Select the type of data you are importing and select the Embed check box if you want to embed the data in the current Atoll document. 4. Click OK to import the data into the current Atoll document.
Figure 3.6: Importing an MSI Planet database 3. For each type of data that you want to import: a. Select the corresponding check box. b. If you want to embed the data, select the Embed check box. c. To locate the MSI Planet index file, click . The Open dialogue appears.
d. Select the MSI Planet index file and click Open. The path and name of the file appears in the corresponding field of the Planet Data to Be Imported dialogue. 4. If you are also importing network data, select the network Technology. 5. When you have selected all the types of data you want to import, click OK. The data is imported into the current Atoll document.
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To import a geographic data file from a web map service: 1. Select File > Import. The Open dialogue appears. 2. From the Files of Type list, select Connection to a Web Map Services server. The Web Map Services Data Import dialogue appears. 3. Select the URL of the WMS server from the Server URL list or enter it directly. The list of WMS servers that appears in the Server URL list are defined by entries in the atoll.ini file. For information on defining these entries, see the Administrator Manual.
4. Click the Connect button. Atoll connects to the URL of the WMS server and displays the information available along with a description of the service (Figure 3.7 on page 116).
Figure 3.7: The Web Map Services Data Import dialogue 5. In the left pane of the Web Map Services Data Import dialogue, navigate to the item you want to import by clicking the Expand button ( ) to open each level. 6. Select either the image you want to import, or the image group, i.e., a group preceded by an Expand button ( ). 7. Click for each image you want to import. The files you want to import appear in the right pane of the Web Map Services Data Import dialogue. You can remove an image or group of images from the images to be imported by selecting it in the right pane and clicking .
8. Arrange the order in which you want the images to appear by selecting each image in the right pane and clicking to move it towards the top or to move it toward the bottom. The images will be imported as a single object and their appearance will depend on the order you define here. 9. The Web Map Import dialogue appears. The following information is given about the imported WMS data: Data Types: "Image or Scan" is selected. Geographic Coordinates: The geographic coordinates are the WMS data are given.
10. The Name suggested is the name of the lowest layer to be imported. If desired, you can modify this name. 11. Click Import. The image is imported by reference into the Atoll document. You can not embed a WMS image in your document. If you had selected more than one image or an image group, Atoll imports the group as a single object. You can not modify this object. If you want to remove one of the images or add another one you will go through the import process again.
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4. Enter a name for the folder in Folder Name box and click OK. 5. Click Import. Your file is imported into the newly created folder. You can now import other geo data files into this folder by selecting it from the Data Type list (on the File Import dialogue) or the Import To list (on the Vector Import dialogue) when you import. You can transfer geo data that has been imported from the Geo tab to the Network tab, or vice versa. Right-click the data in the Explorer window and select Move to Network Tab or Move to Geo Tab.
To embed a geo data file that is already linked to the current Atoll document: 1. Click the Geo tab in the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the file you want to embed in the current document. 3. Select Properties from the context menu. 4. Click the General tab of the Properties dialogue. 5. Click Embed. 6. Click OK. The geo data file is now embedded in the current Atoll document.
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2. Right-click on the geo data file whose link you want to repair. The context menu appears. 3. Select Properties from the context menu. 4. On the General tab of the Properties dialogue, click the Find button. 5. Browse to the geo data file, select it and click OK.
5. Move the Relief slider towards Flat, if you want to display very few little relief or towards x6 if you want to emphasise the differences in altitude. 6. Click OK to close the Properties dialogue.
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3. Select Properties from the context menu. 4. Click the Description tab of the Properties dialogue. 5. In the Name column, enter descriptive text for each class identified in the Code column.
6. Enter default values in the first row of the table on the Description tab. or information about each field, see the descriptions in the following step. The default values are used if no clutter map is available. Even if there is a clutter classes map, you can select the Use default values only check box on the at the bottom of the Description tab to make Atoll use the values specified in this row instead of the values defined per clutter class. 7. If desired, you can enter a value for each of the following fields applicable to the current document: For all Atoll documents: Model Standard Deviation (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the path loss, as related to a user-defined cell edge coverage probability. Indoor Loss (dB): to be applied to the path loss and used in coverage predictions, point analysis, and Monte Carlo simulations. Indoor penetration losses depend on the clutter types as well as the operating frequency. You can define an additional indoor loss per frequency band used in the Frequency bands table in GSM GPRS EDGE, UMTS HSPA, CDMA2000 1xRTT 1xEV-DO, and TD-SCDMA documents. This is an optional feature that must first be activated. For more information, contact support. For GSM GPRS EDGE documents: C/I Standard Deviation (DL) (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the C/I values, as related to a user-defined cell edge coverage probability. Additional Diversity Gain (DL) (dB): to add to the 3 dB gain in case diversity is set at the subcell level. Ec/Io Standard Deviation (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the Ec/Io values, as related to a user-defined cell edge coverage probability. DL Eb/Nt Standard Deviation (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the Eb/Nt values, as related to a userdefined cell edge coverage probability. UL Eb/Nt Standard Deviation (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the Eb/Nt values, as related to a userdefined cell edge coverage probability. % Pilot Finger: to be used in the Ec/Io calculations. This factor represents the percentage of energy received by the mobile pilot finger. Mobile user equipment has one searcher finger for pilot. The searcher finger selects one path and only energy from this path is considered as signal; energy from other multipaths is considered as interference. For example, if 70% of the total energy is in one path and 30% of the energy is in other multipaths, then the signal energy is reduced to 70% of total energy). Orthogonality Factor: to be used to evaluate DL Eb/Nt. This parameter indicates the remaining orthogonality at the receiver; it can be modelled by a value from 0, indicating no remaining orthogonality because of multipath, to 1, indicating perfect orthogonality. Spatial Multiplexing Gain Factor: to apply to the spatial multiplexing gain read from the Max Spatial Multiplexing Gain graphs in the MIMO tab of reception equipment.
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Additional Diversity Gain (DL) (dB): to add to the users downlink HS-PDSCH Ec/Nt, if the user and its reference cell supports transmit diversity. P-CCPCH Eb/Nt or C/I Standard Deviation (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the P-CCPCH Eb/Nt or C/I values, as related to a user-defined cell edge coverage probability. DL Eb/Nt or C/I Standard Deviation (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the Eb/Nt or C/I values, as related to a user-defined cell edge coverage probability. UL Eb/Nt or C/I Standard Deviation (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the Eb/Nt or C/I values, as related to a user-defined cell edge coverage probability. DL Orthogonality Factor: to be used to evaluate DL Eb/Nt or C/I. This parameter indicates the remaining orthogonality at the receiver; it can be modelled by a value from 0, indicating no remaining orthogonality because of multi-path, to 1, indicating perfect orthogonality. UL Orthogonality Factor: to be used to evaluate UL Eb/Nt or C/I. This parameter indicates the remaining orthogonality at the receiver; it can be modelled by a value from 0, indicating no remaining orthogonality because of multi-path, to 1, indicating perfect orthogonality. Spreading Angle (): to be used in determining the cumulative distribution of C/I gains for statistical smart antenna modelling. C/I Standard Deviation (DL) (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the C/(I+N) values, as related to a user-defined cell edge coverage probability. SU-MIMO Gain Factor: to apply to the spatial multiplexing gain read from the Max SU-MIMO Gain graphs in the MIMO tab of reception equipment. Additional STTD/MRC Gain (DL) (dB): to add to the users downlink C/(I+N), if the user and its reference cell supports STTD/MRC. Additional STTD/MRC Gain (UL) (dB): to add to the users uplink C/(I+N), if the user and its reference cell supports STTD/MRC. C/I Standard Deviation (DL) (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the C/(I+N) values, as related to a user-defined cell edge coverage probability. SU-MIMO Gain Factor: to apply to the spatial multiplexing gain read from the Max SU-MIMO Gain graphs in the MIMO tab of reception equipment. Additional Diversity Gain (DL) (dB): to add to the users downlink C/(I+N), if the user and its reference cell supports transmit diversity. Additional Diversity Gain (UL) (dB): to add to the users uplink C/(I+N), if the user and its reference cell supports receive diversity. GSM Model Standard Deviation (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the path loss (from GSM transmitters only), in relation to a user-defined cell edge coverage probability. GSM Indoor Loss (dB): to be applied to the path loss (from GSM transmitters only) and used in coverage predictions, point analysis, and Monte Carlo simulations. GSM C/I Standard Deviation (DL) (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the C/I values (from GSM transmitters only), in relation to a user-defined cell edge coverage probability. GSM Additional Diversity Gain (DL) (dB): to add to the 3 dB gain if diversity is set at the subcell level (GSM transmitters only). UMTS Model Standard Deviation (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the path loss (from UMTS cells only), in relation to a user-defined cell edge coverage probability. UMTS Indoor Loss (dB): to be applied to the path loss (from UMTS cells only) and used in coverage predictions, point analysis, and Monte Carlo simulations. UMTS Ec/Io Standard Deviation (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the Ec/Io values (from UMTS cells only), in relation to a user-defined cell edge coverage probability. UMTS DL Eb/Nt Standard Deviation (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the Eb/Nt values (from UMTS cells only), in relation to a user-defined cell edge coverage probability. UMTS UL Eb/Nt Standard Deviation (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the Eb/Nt values (from UMTS cells only), in relation to a user-defined cell edge coverage probability. UMTS % Pilot Finger: to be used in the Ec/Io calculations (from UMTS cells only). This factor represents the percentage of energy received by the mobile pilot finger. (Mobile user equipment has one searcher finger for the pilot. The searcher finger selects one path and only energy from this path is considered as signal; energy from other multipaths is considered as interference. For example, if 70% of the total energy is in one path and 30% of the energy is in other multipaths, then the signal energy is reduced to 70% of total energy). UMTS Orthogonality Factor: to be used to evaluate DL Eb/Nt (from UMTS cells only). This parameter indicates the remaining orthogonality at the receiver; it can be modelled by a value from 0, indicating no remaining orthogonality because of multi-path, to 1, indicating perfect orthogonality.
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UMTS Spatial Multiplexing Gain Factor: to apply to the spatial multiplexing gain read from the Max Spatial Multiplexing Gain graphs on the MIMO tab of UMTS reception equipment. UMTS Additional Diversity Gain (DL) (dB): to add to the users downlink HS-PDSCH Ec/Nt, if the users mobile and his reference UMTS cell support transmit diversity. LTE Model Standard Deviation (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the path loss (from LTE cells only), in relation to a user-defined cell edge coverage probability. LTE Indoor Loss (dB): to be applied to the path loss (from LTE cells only) and used in coverage predictions, point analysis, and Monte Carlo simulations. LTE C/I Standard Deviation (DL) (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the C/(I+N) values (from LTE cells only), in relation to a user-defined cell edge coverage probability. LTE SU-MIMO Gain Factor: to apply to the spatial multiplexing gain read from the Max SU-MIMO Gain graphs in the MIMO tab of LTE reception equipment. LTE Additional Diversity Gain (DL) (dB): to add to the users downlink C/(I+N), if the users mobile and his reference LTE cell support transmit diversity. LTE Additional Diversity Gain (UL) (dB): to add to the users uplink C/(I+N), if the users mobile and his reference LTE cell support receive diversity.
8. If you want to use default values for all clutter classes, select the Use only default values check box at the bottom of the Description tab. 9. Click the Display tab to define the display properties for clutter classes. In addition to the Display tab options described in "Display Properties of Objects" on page 23, each clutter class display type has a visibility check box. By selecting or clearing the visibility check box, you can display or hide clutter class display types individually. Selecting white as the colour for a clutter class value or value interval will cause that clutter class value or value interval to be displayed as transparent.
10. Click OK. You can copy the description table into a new Atoll document after importing the clutter classes file. To copy the description table, select the entire table by clicking the cell in the upper-left corner of the table and press CTRL+C. On the Description tab of the clutter classes Properties dialogue in the new Atoll document, press CTRL+V to paste the values in the table.
6. Fill in the remainder of the fields as described in step 5. and step 7. of "Defining Clutter Class Properties" on page 119. 7. Click OK. You can now use the new clutter class when modifying the clutter class map. For information on modifying the clutter class map, see "Creating a Clutter Polygon" on page 134.
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To refresh the list of the clutter classes: 1. Click the Geo tab in the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the Clutter Classes folder. 3. Select Properties from the context menu. 4. Select the Description tab from the Properties dialogue. 5. Click Refresh. Atoll removes the unused clutter classes from the list. 6. Click OK.
5. Click OK to close the Properties dialogue. The clutter height of the current pointer position as given in the clutter height file or in the clutter classes is displayed in the status bar.
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In this section, the following are explained: "Managing the Display of a Vector Layer" on page 123 "Managing the Properties of the Vector Layer" on page 123 "Moving a Vector Layer to the Network Tab" on page 124.
Coordinate System: When a vector layer is linked, the coordinate system used is the files, as specified when the file was imported. When the a vector layer is embedded, the coordinate system used is documents, as specified when the file was embedded. Change: Click the Change button to change the coordinate system of the vector layer. Sort: Click the Sort button to sort the data contained in the vector layer. For information on sorting, see "Advanced Sorting" on page 70. Filter: Click the Filter button to filter the data contained in the vector layer. For information on filtering, see "Advanced Data Filtering" on page 72.
4. Click the Table tab. You can use the Table tab to manage the vector layer table content. For information on the Table tab, see "Adding, Deleting, and Editing Data Table Fields" on page 47.
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5. Click the Display tab. You can use the Display tab to manage the vector layer display. For information on the Table tab, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 23.
nice1.tif 984660 995380 1860900 1872280 0 nice2.tif 996240 1004900 1860980 1870700 0 File name To import an index 1. Select File > Import. 2. Select the index file and click Open. The File Import dialogue appears (see Figure 3.1). 3. Select Image or Scan from the Data Type list. 4. Click Import. The image files imported and listed in the Geo tab of the Explorer window. XMIN XMAX YMIN YMAX 0
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3. Select Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialogue appears (see Figure 3.8). 4. Select the Display tab and set the following options: Colour: Select either Automatic, Shades of gray, or Watermark from the list. Transparent Colour: Select White from the list if you wish parts of the scanned image that are coloured white to be transparent, allowing objects in lower layers to be visible. Lightness: Move the slider to lighten or darken the scanned image. Contrast: Move the slider to adjust the contrast. Visibility Scale: Enter a visibility scale minimum in the between 1: text box and maximum in the and 1: text box. When the displayed or printed scale is outside this range, the scanned image is not displayed.
5. Click OK.
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lation. Atoll displays the statistics for the focus zone if there is one, for the computation zone if there is no focus zone and, if there is no focus or computation zone, Atoll displays the statistics for the entire document. To display the population distribution statistics: 1. Click the Geo tab of the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the Population folder. 3. Select Statistics from the context menu. The Statistics window appears with the distributions of each value interval defined in the display properties. Statistics are displayed only for visible data. See "Displaying or Hiding Objects on the Map Using the Explorer" on page 18.
3. Click the Advanced button. The New Type dialogue appears (see Figure 3.4). 4. Enter a Name for the custom geo data map. Atoll creates a folder with this name on the Geo tab and all other files of the new custom geo data map will go in here. 5. Under Supported Input Formats, select the check boxes corresponding to the formats of both the present file and all other files that will constitute the new custom geo data map: 8-bit Raster 16-bit Raster 32-bit Raster Vector. If you do not select all the formats you need now, you will not be able to add a format later.
6. Under Supported Input Formats, select the check box corresponding to the type of value of the present file and all other files that will constitute the new custom geo data map:
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Classes (8 bits): to create a map of value classes (such as clutter classes) with classes from 0 to 255. Short Integer (16 bits): to create a map with whole values. Long Integer (32 bits): to create a map with whole values. Float (32 bits): to create a map with decimal values. Double (64 bits): to create a map with decimal values.
7. Select the Integrable check box if you want to be able to use imported data as a surface density value and show cumulative custom geo data in prediction reports. To use imported data as a surface density value, you must select the Integrable check box. You can not change the integrable setting once you have created your custom geo data map.
8. Click OK. 9. If the imported file is a raster file, the File Import dialogue appears (see Figure 3.1 on page 112); if the imported file is a vector file, the Vector Import dialogue appears (see Figure 3.4 on page 114): File Import dialogue: From the Use as list, select whether the new data is to be used a Density or as a Value. Vector Import dialogue: Under Fields to be imported, select from the first list which field is to be imported and from the second list whether the imported field is a Density or a Value (see Figure 3.2 on page 113 and Figure 3.3 on page 113). If the file you first import when you create your custom geo data map is an 8-bit raster map, the Use as and Fields to be imported boxes will not be available for any file that is imported into your new custom geo data map. The values in 8-bit maps are codes and not values such as densities. 10. .Click Import. A new folder is created on the Geo tab of the Explorer window containing the geo data file you imported.
ii. From the Use as list, select whether the new data is to be used a Density or as a Value.
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If the selected file is a vector file, the Vector Import dialogue appears (see Figure 3.4). i. From the Import To list, select the name of the custom geo data map.
ii. Under Fields to be imported, select from the first list which field is to be imported and from the second list whether the imported field is a Density or a Value (see Figure 3.2 on page 113 and Figure 3.3 on page 113). If the file you first imported when you created your custom geo data map was an 8-bit raster map, the Use as and Fields to be imported boxes will not be available for any file that is imported into your new custom geo data map. To use imported data as a surface density value, you must select the Integrable check box.
3. Click Import. The file is added to the custom geo data file on the Geo tab of the Explorer window containing the geo data file you imported.
In the Field list, display by density is not permitted if the custom geo data map consists of vector points or lines. For information on using the display tab, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 23.
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Data is considered as non-integrable if the data given is per pixel or polygon and cannot be summed over areas, for example, socio-demographic classes, etc. In the example of a socio-demographic classes map, a prediction report would indicate: The coverage of each socio-demographic class for the entire focus zone and for each single coverage area (transmitter, threshold, etc.)
In Figure 3.10, vector data (including the linear vectors HIGHWAYS, COASTLINE, RIVERLAKE, MAJORROADS, MAJORSTREETS, RAILWAYS and AIRPORT), clutter classes, DTM and scanned image have been imported and a UMTS environment traffic map has been edited inside the computation zone. In the map window, the linear objects (ROADS, RIVERLAKE, etc.) are visible both inside and outside the computation zone. The clutter class layer is visible in the area where there is no traffic data (outside the computation zone). On the other hand, the DTM layer which is beneath the clutter class layer and the scanned map which is beneath the DTM layer, are not visible.
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In this example, the file order of the DTM files in the Explorer window does not matter because they do not overlap; in both Case 1 and Case 2, Atoll will take all the data from both "DTM 1 and "DTM 2 into account.
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Work space
Case 2 DTM
Figure 3.11: Multi-layer management in calculations two DTM maps representing different areas
3.11.2.2 Example 2: Clutter Classes and DTM Maps Representing the Same Area
In this example, there are two imported maps: A clutter class map called Clutter. A DTM map called DTM.
Independently of the order of the two maps in the Explorer window, Atoll uses both the clutter and DTM data in calculations. In Case 1, the clutter class map is on top of the DTM map. In Case 2, the DTM map is on top of the clutter class map. In both Case 1 and Case 2, Atoll will use both the clutter and DTM data in calculations. Explorer window Case 1 Clutter classes Clutter DTM DTM Case 2 DTM DTM Clutter classes Clutter Figure 3.12: Multi-layer management in calculations Clutter and DTM maps representing the same area Work space
In the case of two clutter class maps, Atoll uses the order of the maps in the Clutter Classes folder on the Geo tab of the Explorer window to decide which data to use. In Case 1, "Clutter 2" is on top of "Clutter 1". Atoll will therefore use the data in "Clutter 2" where it is available, and the data from "Clutter 1" everywhere that is covered by "Clutter 1" but not by "Clutter 2." In Case 2, "Clutter 1" is on top and completely covers "Clutter 2." Therefore, Atoll will only use the data from "Clutter 1."
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Explorer window
Work space
Figure 3.13: Multi-layer management in calculations two clutter maps representing the same area
In this section, the following are explained: "Exporting a Geo Data Set" on page 133 "Loading a Geo Data Set" on page 133. You can save and load other types of information with user configuration files as well. For information, see the Administrator Manual.
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To save a geo data set in a user configuration file: 1. Select Tools > User Configuration > Save. The User Configuration dialogue appears (see Figure 3.14). 2. In the User Configuration dialogue, select the Geographic Data Set check box.
Figure 3.14: The User Configuration dialogue 3. Click OK, The Save As dialogue appears. 4. In the Save As dialogue, browse to the folder where you want to save the file and enter a File name. 5. Click OK.
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Figure 3.15: Editor toolbar 4. From the list, select the clutter class for the polygon you want to create. Clutter classes are defined on the Descriptions tab of the clutter classes Properties dialogue.
).
6. Click once on the map where you want to begin drawing the polygon. 7. Click each time you change angles on the border defining the outside of the polygon. 8. Double-click to close the polygon. You can copy the exact coordinates of a closed polygon by right-clicking it on the map and selecting Properties from the context menu.
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To edit clutter polygons: 1. Click the Geo tab in the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the Clutter Classes folder. The context menu appears. 3. Select Edit from the context menu. The Editor toolbar appears (see Figure 3.15). 4. Select the polygon. You can now edit the clutter polygon by: Moving a point: i. Position the pointer over the point you want to move. The pointer changes ( ).
ii. Drag the point to its new position. Adding a point: i. Position the pointer over the polygon border where you want to add a point. The pointer changes ( ).
ii. Right-click and select Insert Point from the context menu. A point is added to the border at the position of the pointer. Deleting a point: i. Position the pointer over the point you want to delete. The pointer changes ( ).
ii. Right-click and select Delete Point from the context menu. The point is deleted.
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4. Right-click the new vector layer. The context menu appears. 5. Select Edit from the context menu. The vector tools on the Vector Editor toolbar are activated. You can also activate the vector tools by selecting the vector layer to edit from the Vector Editor toolbar list. Because Atoll names all new vector layers "Vectors" by default, it might be difficult to know which Vectors folder you are selecting. By renaming each vectors folder, you can ensure that you select the correct folder. For information on renaming objects, see "Renaming an Object" on page 19.
a. Click once on the map where you want to begin drawing the contour. b. Click each time you change angles on the border defining the outside of the contour. c. Double-click to close the contour. 7. To draw a rectangle, click the New Rectangle button ( ) on the Vector Editor toolbar:
a. Click the point on the map that will be one corner of the rectangle. b. Drag to the opposite corner of the rectangle. c. Release the mouse to create the rectangle defined by the two corners. 8. Right-click the new polygon or rectangle and select Properties from the context menu. 9. Enter a value: Population: Enter a value in the Population field to indicate the number of inhabitants or the population density. Custom Data Map: The value you enter will depend on the type of custom data map you created. ) or the New Rectangle ( ) button on the Vector Editor toolbar.
11. For Atoll to consider the new vector layer as part of the data map, you must map the vector layer. Right-click the the Population, or the Custom Data folder. The context menu appears. 12. Select Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialogue appears. 13. Click the Data Mapping tab. For the following geo data: Population Map: i. In the Field column, "Population" is selected by default.
ii. If the vector layer contains a population density, select the check box in the Density column. If the vector layer indicates the number of inhabitants, and not the population density, clear the check box in the Density column. Custom Data Map: The data you map will depend on the type of custom data map you created.
You can edit the vector objects as explained in "Editing Polygons, Lines, and Points" on page 39.
This section explains the following: "Saving Modifications to an External File" on page 137 "Updating the Source File" on page 138
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"Combining Several Raster Files into One File" on page 138 "Exporting an Embedded File" on page 139 "Creating a New File from a Larger File" on page 140
Figure 3.16: Export dialogue 6. Under Region, select one of the following: The Entire Project Area: This option allows you to export the entire clutter class geo data file, including any modifications you have made to the geo data. The exported geo data file will replace the geo data file in the current Atoll document. Only Pending Changes: This option allows you to export a rectangle containing any modifications you have made to the clutter classes. The exported geo data file will be added as a new object to the Clutter Classes geo data folder.
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The Computation Zone: This option allows you to export the clutter class geo data contained by a rectangle encompassing the computation zone, whether or not the computation zone is visible. The exported geo data file will be added as a new object to the selected geo data folder.
7. Define a Resolution in Metres. The resolution must be an integer and the minimum resolution allowed is 1. The suggested resolution value is defined by the following criteria: If one object has been modified, the suggested resolution is the resolution of the modified object. If several objects have been modified, the suggested resolution is the highest resolution of the modified objects. If there is no initial clutter class object, the resolution will equal the highest resolution of the DTM maps. If the Atoll document in which you created the clutter class file has no DTM, no other clutter class geo data file, or traffic objects, the suggested resolution is 100 m.
Once you save a vector layer, the exported file replaces the vector layer as a linked file. You can embed the file afterwards (see "Embedding Geographic Data" on page 117). To export a vector layer: 1. On the Explorer window tab containing the vector layer, right-click the vector layer folder. The context menu appears. 2. Select Save As from the context menu. The Save As dialogue appears. 3. In the Save As dialogue, browse to the folder where you want to save the file, enter a name for the file, and select the file format from the Save as type list. You can select from one of the following file formats: AGD: The Atoll Geographic Data format is an Atoll-specific format. As a format created for Atoll, Atoll can read AGD files faster than the other supported vector formats. SHP: The ArcView vector format should be used for vector layers containing only polygons; it cannot save vectors made of lines or points. If you have a vector layer with vector lines or points, use either the AGD, the MIF or the TAB format. MIF and TAB: MapInfo formats.
4. Click Save in the Save As dialogue. The Vector Export dialogue appears, displaying the current coordinate system and allowing you to change the coordinate system by clicking Change. 5. Click Export. The vector layer is saved in the format and with the name you specified and the exported file replaces the vector layer in the current document as a linked file.
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from the top down in the folder on the Geo tab of the Explorer window. If the files overlap on the map, the combined file will show the file on the top. You can create a one file from a section of the following geo data types: Digital terrain model Clutter classes Clutter heights Scanned maps
To combine individual files into a new file: 1. Click the Geo tab in the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the folder of the geo data files you want to combine into one file. The context menu appears. 3. Select Save As from the context menu. The Save As dialogue appears. 4. Enter a File name and select a file type from the Save as type list. 5. Click OK. The Export dialogue appears (see Figure 3.17). 6. Under Region, select The Entire Project Area. This option allows you to save the entire area covered by the geo data files, including any modifications you have made to the geo data. 7. Define a Resolution in Metres. The resolution must be an integer and the minimum resolution allowed is 1. The suggested resolution value is the highest resolution of all objects. 8. Click OK. The selected data is saved as a new file.
Figure 3.17: The Vector Export dialogue a. The Vector Export dialogue displays the coordinate system of the file. To change the coordinate system used for the exported file, click Change. The Coordinate Systems dialogue appears. For information on the Coordinate Systems dialogue, see "Setting a Coordinate System" on page 95. b. Click Export. The geo data file is exported with the selected coordinate system. If the geo data file is a raster file, the Export dialogue appears (see Figure 3.18).
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Figure 3.18: Export dialogue a. Under Region, select one of the following: The Entire Project Area: This option allows you to export the entire raster-format geo data file, including any modifications you have made to the geo data. The exported file will replace the embedded file in the Geo tab. Only Pending Changes: This option allows you to export a rectangle containing any modifications you have made to the geo data. The exported file will be added as an object in the geo data folder. The Computation Zone: This option allows you to export the geo data contained by a rectangle encompassing the computation zone, whether or not the computation zone is visible. The exported file will be added as an object in the geo data folder.
b. Define a Resolution in Metres. The resolution must be an integer and the minimum resolution allowed is 1. c. Click OK. The selected data is saved in an external file.
To create a new file from a section of a larger file: 1. Click the Geo tab in the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the folder of the embedded geo data file you want to export. The context menu appears. 3. Select Save As from the context menu. The Save As dialogue appears. 4. Enter a File name and select a file type from the Save as type list. 5. Click OK. The Export dialogue appears (see Figure 3.17). 6. Under Region, select The Computation Zone. This option allows you to export the geo data contained by a rectangle encompassing the computation zone, whether or not the computation zone is visible. The exported geo data file will be added as a new object to the selected geo data folder. 7. Define a Resolution in Metres. The resolution must be an integer and the minimum resolution allowed is 1. 8. Click OK. The selected data is saved as a new file.
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Chapter 4
Antennas and Equipment
This chapter provides the information to work with antennas and equipment in Atoll. In this chapter, the following are explained: "Working With Antennas" on page 143 "Working With Equipment" on page 147
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To create an antenna: 1. Click the Parameters tab in the Explorer window. 2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Radio Network Equipment folder. 3. Right-click on the Antennas folder. The context menu opens. 4. Select New from the context menu. The Antennas New Element Properties dialogue appears. 5. Click the General tab. You can enter information in the following fields: Name: Atoll automatically enters a default name for each new antenna. You can modify the name Atoll enters if you want. Manufacturer: The name of the antenna manufacturer. Gain: The antennas isotropic gain. Pattern Electrical Tilt: The antennas electrical tilt. This field is for information only; for an antennas electrical tilt to be taken into consideration in calculations, it must be integrated into the horizontal and vertical patterns. Atoll automatically calculates the pattern electrical tilt if the Pattern Electrical Tilt field is left blank or has a value of "0." This field has to be correctly filled (i.e., consistent with the defined vertical pattern) if you want the antenna to be available when selecting an antenna for a transmitter. Physical antenna: The name of the physical antenna to which the antenna model belongs. A physical antenna may have one or more antenna models (patterns), corresponding to different electrical downtilts. If you want to flag a physical antenna as obsolete, add the word "obsolete" (not case sensitive) to the name of the physical antenna. Physical antennas flagged as obsolete are not listed among available antennas in the Antenna Selector dialogue It is strongly recommended to enter a name in the Physical antenna field. Atoll uses this entry to group antenna models into physical antennas.
6. Click the Horizontal Pattern tab. The Horizontal Pattern tab has a table describing the horizontal antenna pattern in terms of the attenuation in dB (Att.) per Angle and a graphical representation of the pattern. Atoll allows you to enter
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antenna pattern attenuations for as many as 720 angles. Therefore, attenuation values can also be defined for angles other than integer values from 0 to 359. If you have the horizontal pattern in a spreadsheet or text document, you can copy the data directly into the table: a. Switch to the document containing the horizontal pattern. b. Select the columns containing the angles and attenuation values of the horizontal pattern. c. Copy the selected data.
Figure 4.1: Copying horizontal pattern values d. Switch to Atoll. e. Click the upper-left cell of the Co-polar Section table describing the horizontal pattern. f. Press CTRL+V to paste the data in the table. If there are some blank rows in your data sheet, Atoll will interpolate the values in order to obtain a complete and realistic pattern. When performing a calculation along an angle for which no data is available, Atoll calculates a linear interpolation from the existing pattern values.
g. Click Apply to display the pattern of the values you have pasted in. 7. Click the Vertical Pattern tab. The Vertical Pattern tab has a table describing the vertical antenna pattern in terms of the attenuation in dB (Att.) per Angle and a graphical representation of the pattern. Atoll allows you to enter antenna pattern attenuations for as many as 720 angles. Therefore, attenuation values can also be defined for angles other than integer values from 0 to 359. If you have the vertical pattern in a spreadsheet or text document, you can copy the data directly into the table as described in step 6. 8. Click the Other Properties tab. You can define the following fields (not used in any calculation): Beamwidth: In a plane containing the direction of the maximum lobe of the antenna pattern, the angle between the two directions in which the radiated power is one-half the maximum value of the lobe. In terms of dB, half power corresponds to -3 dB. In this window, you can enter this angle in degrees. This field must be filled in correctly if you want to display transmitters using a symbol that indicates the beamwidth. FMin: The minimum frequency that the antenna is capable of emitting. FMax: The maximum frequency that the antenna is capable of emitting.
9. Click OK. Atoll checks whether the vertical and horizontal patterns are correctly aligned at the extremities. The antenna patterns are correctly aligned when: the horizontal pattern attenuation at 0 is the same as the vertical pattern attenuation at the pattern electrical tilt angle, and the horizontal pattern attenuation at 180 is the same as the vertical pattern attenuation at the 180 less the pattern electrical tilt angle.
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To import Planet-format antennas: 1. Select the Parameters tab in the Explorer window. 2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Radio Network Equipment folder. 3. Right-click the Antennas folder. The context menu appears. 4. Select Import from the context menu. The Open dialogue appears. 5. Select "Planet 2D Antenna Files (index)" from the Files of type list. 6. Select the index file you want to import and click Open. The antennas are imported. Atoll checks whether the vertical and horizontal patterns are correctly aligned at the extremities. The antenna patterns are correctly aligned when: the horizontal pattern attenuation at 0 is the same as the vertical pattern attenuation at the pattern electrical tilt angle, and the horizontal pattern attenuation at 180 is the same as the vertical pattern attenuation at the 180 less the pattern electrical tilt angle.
The text file describing the the antenna can also contain a header with additional information. When you import the antenna pattern you indicate where the header ends and where the antenna pattern itself begins. To import three-dimensional antenna pattern files: 1. Select the Parameters tab in the Explorer window. 2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Radio Network Equipment folder. 3. Right-click the Antennas folder. The context menu appears. 4. Select Import from the context menu. The Open dialogue appears. 5. Select the file to import. 6. Click Open. The Setup dialogue appears (see Figure 4.2).
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Figure 4.2: Importing a 3-D antenna pattern 7. If you already have an import configuration defining the data structure of the imported file, you can select it from the Configuration list. If you do not have an import configuration, continue with step 8. a. Under Configuration, select an import configuration from the Configuration list. b. Continue with step 11. 8. Under Name, you can define a name for the imported antenna pattern. This name will appear in the Antennas folder on the Network tab. If no name is defined, Atoll will use the file name as the name of the antenna: If the name of the antenna is in the file, check the Value read in the file check box and enter a Keyword identifying the name value in the file. If you want to enter a name for the antenna, clear the Value read in the file check box and enter a name.
9. Under Gain, you can define the antenna gain. If no gain is defined, Atoll will assume that the gain is "0." If the gain of the antenna is in the file, check the Value read in the file check box and enter a Keyword identifying the gain value in the file. If you want to enter a gain for the antenna, clear the Value read in the file check box and enter a gain value.
10. Under Diagram, you define the structure of the antenna pattern file. As you modify the parameters, the results are displayed in the table. 1st Pattern: Select the first row of the file containing data on the antenna pattern. File Tilt Range: Select the tilt range in the file. The tilt range can be measured from top to bottom or from bottom to top and from 0 to 180 or from -90 to 90. Field Separator: Select the character that is used in the file to separate fields (" ", "<tab>", ";") Decimal Symbol: Select the decimal symbol.
11. In the table under Diagram, click the title in each column in the table and select the data type: Azimuth, Tilt, Attenuation, or <Ignore>. As you modify the parameters, the results are displayed in the table. You can save the choices you have made in the Setup dialogue as a configuration file by clicking the Save button at the top of the dialogue and entering a name for the configuration. The next time you import a three-dimensional antenna pattern file, you can select the same settings from the Configuration file list. 12. Click Import. The antenna patterns are imported into the current Atoll document.
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Feeder cables: Feeder cables connect the TMA to the antenna. To define feeder cables, see "Defining Feeder Cables" on page 148. Transmitter equipment: To define transmitter equipment, see "Defining Transmitter Equipment" on page 148.
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Uplink Losses Due to the Configuration (dB): Enter the losses on uplink due to the transmitter equipment configuration. This value is not used in GSM GPRS EDGE documents. CDMA Rho Factor (%): Enter the CDMA Rho factor, as a percentage. The CDMA Rho factor enables Atoll to take into account self-interference produced by the transmitter equipment. Because equipment is not perfect, an input signal will experience some distortion, consequently the output signal will be not be identical. This factor defines how much distortion the system generates. Entering 100% means the system is perfect (there is no distortion) and the output signal will be 100% identical to the input signal. On the other hand, if you specify a value different from 100%, Atoll will consider that the transmitted signal is not 100% signal and that it contains a small percentage of interference generated by the equipment ("self-interference"). Atoll uses this parameter to evaluate the signalto-noise ratio in the downlink. This value is only used in CDMA-based technologies (CDMA2000, UMTS, and TD-SCDMA). It is not used in GSM, WiMAX, and LTE documents.
4.2.4 Updating the Values for Total Losses and the Transmitter Equipment Noise Figure
Once equipment is defined and assigned to a transmitter, Atoll can evaluate downlink and uplink total losses and the total noise figure. Atoll uses the entry of the transmitter equipment as the reference point when evaluating total losses and the total noise figure. The transmitter equipment noise figure used by Atoll is the one specified in the transmitter equipment properties. Transmitter reception losses include feeder reception losses, connector reception losses, miscellaneous reception losses, antenna diversity gain, TMA benefit gain (as calculated using the Friis equation), and an additional loss modelling the noise rise generated from repeaters (if any). Transmitter transmission losses include feeder transmission losses, connector transmission losses, miscellaneous transmission losses, and TMA transmission losses. For more information on the total noise figure and on transmitter reception and transmission losses, see the Technical Reference Guide. You can assign equipment to a transmitter: Using the Equipment Specifications dialogue, available by clicking the Equipment button on the Transmitter tab of the transmitters Properties dialogue, or Using the Transmitters table, available by right-clicking the Transmitters folder on the Network tab of the Explorer window and selecting Open Table from the context menu.
When you assign equipment to a transmitter using the Equipment Specifications dialogue, Atoll updates the real values when you click OK and close the dialogue. When you assign equipment to a transmitter using the Transmitters table, Atoll does not update the real values automatically. To update the real values (total losses and transmitter equipment noise figure) with the calculated values of all transmitters: 1. Click the Network tab of the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the Transmitters folder. The context menu appears. 3. Select Calculations > Update Losses and Noise Figures from the context menu. To update the real values (total losses and transmitter equipment noise figure) with the calculated values of a group of transmitters: 1. Click the Network tab of the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the Transmitters folder. The context menu appears. 3. Click Group by in the context menu and select the property by which you want to group the transmitters from the Group by submenu. The objects in the folder are grouped by that property. 4. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Transmitters folder. 5. Right-click the group of transmitters whose real values you want to update. The context menu appears. 6. Select Open Table from the context menu. The Transmitters table appears with the transmitters from the selected group. 7. In the Transmitters table, select the values you want to update in the following columns and press DEL: Transmission Loss (dB) Reception Loss (dB) Noise Figure (dB)
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1. a. b. c. d. 2. a. b. c. d. e. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
4.2.5
11. 12. () -
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2. a. b. c. 3. 4. 5.
4.2.7
6. 7. a.
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Chapter 5
Working with Calculations in Atoll
This chapter provides the information to work with calculations in Atoll. In this chapter, the following are explained: "Working with Propagation Models" on page 155 "Defining Calculation Parameters" on page 173 "Managing Path Loss Matrices" on page 175 "Predictions Available in Atoll" on page 186
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Atoll facilitates the calculation of coverage predictions with support for multithreading and distributed calculating. The progress of the calculations can be displayed in the Event Viewer window or in a log file. Atoll also allows you to use polygonal zones to limit the amount of resources and time used for calculations. The polygonal zones, such as the filtering zone and the computation zone, help you to restrict calculations to a defined set of transmitters, and to limit calculations and coverage predictions. Depending on the type of project you are working on, you can choose between the propagation models available in Atoll.
ITU 1546
30 3000 MHz
Terrain profile
Terrain profile Terrain profile Deterministic clutter Terrain profile Statistical clutter (at the receiver)
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Model Cost-Hata (Automatic calibration available) ITU 529-3 Standard Propagation Model
Frequency Range
Geo Data Taken into Account Terrain profile Statistical clutter (at the receiver) Terrain profile Statistical clutter (at the receiver)
Recommended Use 1 < d < 20 km GSM 1800, UMTS, CDMA2000, LTE 1 < d < 100 km GSM 900, CDMA2000, LTE 1 < d < 20 km GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, WiMAX, LTE Urban and suburban areas 100 m < d < 8 km Fixed WiMAX 1 < d < 20 km WiMAX
150 3500 MHz (Automatic calibration available) Erceg-Greenstein (SUI) 1900 6000 MHz Sakagami Extended (Automatic calibration available) 3000 8000 MHz
Terrain profile Statistical clutter Terrain profile Statistical or deterministic clutter 3D building and line vectors (optionnal) Specific morphology, facets and graphs data files (optionnal)
CrossWave Model
Any engineering (micro, mini, small and macro cells) GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, WiMAX, LTE
where: PR PTx K1 K2 d K3
H Tx
eff
received power (dBm) transmitted power (EIRP) (dBm) constant offset (dB) multiplying factor for Log(d) distance between the receiver and the transmitter (m) multiplying factor for Log(HTxeff) effective height of the transmitter antenna (m)
K4
multiplying factor for diffraction calculation. K4 must be a positive number DiffractionLoss losses due to diffraction over an obstructed path (dB) K5 multiplying factor for Log(HTxeff) x Log(d) multiplying factor for HRxeff multiplying factor for Log(HRxeff)
eff
K6 K7
H Rx
mobile antenna height (m) multiplying factor for f(clutter) average of weighted losses due to clutter corrective factor for hilly regions (=0 in case of NLOS)
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These parameters can be defined on the tabs (Parameters, and Clutter) of the Standard Propagation Model Properties dialogue. You can also calibrate the Standard Propagation Model using a wizard. For information on the Automatic Calibration Wizard, see the Measurements and Model Calibration Guide. In this section, the following are explained: "Recommendations for Working with the Standard Propagation Model" on page 157 "Calculating Diffraction With the SPM" on page 158 "Sample Values for SPM Formulas" on page 158 "Calculating f(clutter) with the Standard Propagation Model" on page 159 "Modelling Fixed Receivers" on page 160 "Defining the Parameters of the Standard Propagation Model" on page 160.
Approach #2: If you consider clutter altitudes, do not define any loss per clutter class. In this case, f(clutter) will be "0;" losses due to clutter will only be taken into account in the calculated diffraction. This approach is recommended if the clutter altitude information is semi-deterministic (i.e., where the clutter is roughly defined with an average altitude per clutter class) or deterministic (i.e., where the clutter is sharply defined with an average altitude per clutter class or where there is a clutter height file). If the clutter height information is an average height defined for each clutter class, you must specify a receiver clearance per clutter class. Both ground and clutter altitude are considered along the whole transmitter-receiver profile except over a specific distance around the receiver (clearance), in which Atoll bases its calculations only on the DTM. The clearance information is used to model streets because it is assumed that the receiver is in the street. It is not necessary to define receiver clearance if the height information is from a clutter height file. In this case, the clutter height information is accurate enough to be used without additional information such as clearance; Atoll calculates the path loss if the receiver is in the street (if the receiver height is higher than the clutter height). If the receiver height is lower than the clutter height, the receiver is assumed to be inside a building. In this case, Atoll does not consider any diffraction for the building (or any clearance) but takes into account the clutter class indoor loss as an additional penetration loss. Nevertheless, Atoll does consider diffraction caused by surrounding buildings. In Figure 5.1 on page 158 this diffraction is displayed with a green line. In order to consider indoor losses inside a building when only using a deterministic clutter map (i.e., a clutter height map), you must clear the Indoor Coverage check box when creating a prediction or indoor losses will be added twice (once for the entire reception clutter class and once as indoor losses).
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Figure 5.1: Diffraction caused by surrounding buildings when the receiver is indoors
For detailed information on each method, see the Technical Reference Guide. The methods for calculating diffraction are based on the general method for one or more obstacles described in the ITU 526-5 recommendations. The calculations take the curvature of the earth into account. Along the transmitter-receiver profile, you can choose to take either the ground altitude only or both the ground altitude and the clutter height into account. If you choose to take clutter height into account, Atoll uses the clutter height information in the clutter heights file. Otherwise, it uses average clutter height specified for each clutter class in the clutter classes. When the clutter height information is statistical, Atoll also uses clearance values per clutter class to model streets. To take heights into account when calculating diffraction: 1. Click the Parameters tab of the Explorer window. 2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Propagation Models folder. 3. Right-click Standard Propagation Model. The context menu appears. 4. Select Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialogue appears. 5. Click the Clutter tab. 6. Under Heights, select one of the following for Clutter taken into account in diffraction: 1 - Yes: Select "1 - Yes" if you want heights from the clutter heights to be taken into account on top of the DTM when calculating diffraction. 0 - No: Select "0 - No" if you want diffraction to be calculated using only the DTM.
7. Click OK.
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Maximum 70 20 0.8 0 0 0
It is recommended to set K6 to 0, and use K7 instead of K6. K6 is a multiplicative coefficient to a value in dB, which means that slight variations in K6 have considerable impact on the path loss. K1 is a constant; its value depends on the radio frequency and on the radio technology. The following table gives some possible values for K1. Project Type GSM 900 GSM 1800 GSM 1900 UMTS 1xRTT Frequency (MHz) 935 1805 1930 2110 1900 2300 2500 WiMAX 2700 3300 3500 K1 12.5 22 23 23.8 23 24.7 25.4 26.1 27.8 28.3
Its value is heavily influenced by the values given to losses per clutter class.
f ( clutter ) =
Li wi
i=1
where L: loss due to clutter. w: weight. n: number of points taken into account over the profile. The losses due to clutter are calculated for the maximum distance from the receiver, defined as Maximum Distance on the Clutter tab of the Standard Propagation Model Properties dialogue. When the Maximum Distance is defined as "0", Atoll only considers the losses on the pixel where the receiver is located. On the Clutter tab, each clutter class is assigned losses and a weighting function, enabling Atoll to give a weight to each point. For more information, see the Technical Reference Guide. The losses per clutter class can be calculated using the Automatic Calibration Wizard. For information on the Automatic Calibration Wizard, see the Measurements and Model Calibration Guide.
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The following table gives typical values for losses (in dB) per clutter class: Clutter Class Dense urban Woodland Urban Suburban Industrial Open in urban Open Water Losses (dB) from 4 to 5 from 2 to 3 0 from -5 to -3 from -5 to -3 from -6 to -4 from -12 to -10 from -14 to -12
The Standard Propagation Model is based on Hata formulas, which are valid for an urban environment. The values above are consistent with an urban environment because losses of 0 dB are indicated for an urban clutter class, with positive values for more dense clutter classes and negative values for less dense clutter classes.
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Figure 5.2: Standard Propagation Model - Parameters tab Under Near Transmitter, you can set the following parameters: Maximum Distance: Set the maximum distance for a receiver to be considered near the transmitter. If the distance between the receiver and the transmitter is greater than the set distance, the receiver is considered far from the transmitter. K1 - los and K2 - los: Enter the K1 and K2 values that will be used for calculations when the receiver is in the transmitter line of sight. K1 - nlos and K2 - nlos: Enter the K1 and K2 values that will be used for calculations when the receiver is not in the transmitter line of sight.
Under Far from Transmitter, the values you set will be used for all receivers whose distance from the transmitter is greater than the distance specified in Maximum Distance under Near Transmitter. You can set the following parameters: K1 - los and K2 - los: Enter the K1 and K2 values that will be used for calculations when the receiver is in the transmitter line of sight. K1 - nlos and K2 - nlos: Enter the K1 and K2 values that will be used for calculations when the receiver is not in the transmitter line of sight. The LOS is defined by no obstruction along the direct ray between the transmitter and the receiver.
Under Effective Antenna Height, you can set the following parameters: Method: Select the method that will be used to calculate HTxeff, the effective antenna height. You can use the Automatic Calibration Wizard to select the best method for calculating the effective Tx antenna height. For information on the Automatic Calibration Wizard, see the Measurements and Model Calibration Guide. Distance min. and Distance max.: The Distance min. and Distance max. are set to 3,000 m and 15,000 m (according to ITU recommendations) for frequencies under 500 MHz and to 0 m and 15,000 m (according to ITU recommendations) for high frequency mobile communications. These values are only used for the "Abs Spot Ht" and the "Enhanced Slope at Receiver" methods. For more information on how these values are used, see the Technical Reference Guide.
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Under Diffraction, you can set the following parameters: Method: Select the method that will be used to calculate diffraction. K4: Enter the K4 value.
Under Other Parameters, you can set the following parameters: K5: Enter the K5 value. K6: Enter the K6 value. It is recommended to set K6 to 0, and use K7 instead of K6. K6 is a multiplicative coefficient to a value in dB, which means that slight variations in K6 have considerable impact on the path loss. K7: Enter the K7 value. Kclutter: Enter the Kclutter value. Hilly Terrain Correction Factor: Select "1 - Yes" to take the Hilly Terrain Correction Factor into account. Otherwise, select "0 - No". The Hilly Terrain Correction Factor corrects path loss for hilly regions when transmitter and receiver are in LOS. For more information on the Hilly Terrain Correction Factor, see the Technical Reference Guide. Limitation to Free Space Loss: When using a Hata-based propagation model, it is possible to calculate a theoretical path loss that ends up being lower than the free space loss. In Atoll, you can define any Hata-based propagation model to never calculate a path loss that is lower than the calculated free space loss per pixel. Select "1 - Yes" if you want the propagation model to limit the path loss calculated per pixel to the calculated free space loss. Profiles: Select the method to be used to extract the profile. If you select "1 - Radial," Atoll establishes a profile between each transmitter and each point located on its calculation perimeter (as defined by the calculation radius) and then uses the nearest profile to make a prediction on a point inside the calculation perimeter. This process is called radial optimisation. If you select "2 - Systematic," Atoll systematically determines a profile between each transmitter and each point in its calculation area. This method requires a significantly longer calculation time, therefore, you should choose "1 - Radial" if you want a shorter calculation time. Grid Calculation: Select "0 - Centred" if you want Atoll to perform the calculations at the centre of each pixel or select "1 - Bottom left" if you want Atoll to perform the calculations at the lower left of each pixel.
Figure 5.3: Standard Propagation Model - Clutter tab Under Clutter Taken into Account, you can set the following parameters under Heights: Clutter taken into account in diffraction: Select "1 - Yes" if you want the clutter heights to be taken into account when calculating diffraction.
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Receiver on top of clutter: Select "1 - Yes" if you want the receiver to be considered to be located on top of clutter. This option can be used where fixed receivers are located on top of buildings.
Under Clutter Taken into Account, you can set the following parameters under Range: Max. distance: Set the maximum distance from a receiver to be considered when calculating f(clutter). Weighting function: Select a weighting function to be used when calculating f(clutter). It enables you to weight losses for each pixel between a receiver and a maximum distance. For more information on weighting functions, see the Technical Reference Guide.
Under Parameters per clutter class, you can set the following parameters for each clutter class: Losses: Enter, if desired, losses for each clutter class to be considered when calculating f(clutter). Clearance: Enter, if desired, a clearance around each receiver for each clutter class. The clearance information is used to model streets because it is assumed that the receiver is in the street. The clearance is used when calculating diffraction when statistical clutter is taken into account. Rx Height: Enter, if desired, a specific receiver height for each clutter class. Or, you can select "(default)" for the receiver height. When creating a coverage prediction, Atoll will then read the receiver height on the Receiver tab of the Properties dialogue for the Predictions folder.
7. Click OK.
6. Click OK.
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4. Select Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialogue appears. 5. Click the Configuration tab. 6. Under Formulas assigned to clutter classes, select the Default formula row. Under this grid, choose the appropriate formula in the formula scrolling list. Atoll uses the default environment formula for calculations on any clutter class to which you have not assigned an environment formula or if you do not have clutter classes in your Atoll document. 7. For each clutter class under Formulas assigned to clutter classes, select a formula from the list. 8. For each clutter class under Additional Losses per Clutter Class, enter an optional correction (in dB). This correction acts as an additional loss on the loss calculated by the chosen formula. For information on modifying the selected formula, see "Creating or Modifying Environment Formulas (OkumuraHata)" on page 164. 9. Click OK. Correction terms can be evaluated using the Automatic Calibration Wizard. For information on the Automatic Calibration Wizard, see the Measurements and Model Calibration Guide.
7. Click OK to save your changes and close the Formulas dialogue. 8. Click OK. You can weight the diffraction loss by setting the diffraction multiplying factor within the range [0;1]. Constant values and diffraction multiplying factor can be evaluated using the Automatic Calibration Wizard for each environment formula. For information on the Automatic Calibration Wizard, see the Measurements and Model Calibration Guide.
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6. Click OK.
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8. Click OK. You can weight the diffraction loss by setting the diffraction multiplying factor within the range [0;1]. Constant values and diffraction multiplying factor can be evaluated using the Automatic Calibration Wizard for each environment formula. For information on the Automatic Calibration Wizard, see the Measurements and Model Calibration Guide.
6. Click OK.
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For information on modifying the selected formula, see "Creating or Modifying Environment Formulas (ITU 529-3)" on page 167. 8. Click OK.
7. Click OK to save your changes and close the Formulas dialogue. 8. Click OK.
7. Click OK. When using the ITU 370-7 model, do not define the cell edge coverage probability in the coverage prediction properties with a value other than 50%, or cell edge coverage probability will be considered twice.
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In this section, the following are explained: "Defining General Settings (Erceg-Greenstein (SUI))" on page 168 "Selecting an Environment Formula (Erceg-Greenstein (SUI))" on page 168 "Creating or Modifying Environment Formulas (Erceg-Greenstein (SUI))" on page 168.
7. Click OK.
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6. Click the Formulas button. The Formulas dialogue appears. You can do the following: Add: To create a new formula, click the Add button and modify the parameters of the formula. Delete: To delete a formula, select the formula and click the Delete button. Modify: To modify an existing formula, select the formula and modify the parameters.
7. Click OK to save your changes and close the Formulas dialogue. 8. Click OK.
To set the parameters on the ITU 526-5 propagation model: 1. Click the Parameters tab of the Explorer window. 2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Propagation Models folder. 3. Right-click ITU526. The context menu appears. 4. Select Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialogue appears. 5. Click the Parameters tab. 6. If desired, select the Apply to empirical correction check box and enter a formula that will be used as a correction with the Deygout method. Otherwise, the Deygout method will be used without correction. 7. Click OK.
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Diffraction multiplying factor: You can set the multiplying factor for the diffraction losses. The final diffraction losses are determined by multiplying the diffraction losses calculated using the 3-obstacle Deygout method by the Diffraction multiplying factor. Receiver height per clutter class: You can set a height for the receiver for each clutter class. Because the WLL propagation model is designed for networks with immobile receivers, the receivers are often on top of buildings. This option allows you to specify a height which will be added to the clutter class. Receiver clearance per clutter class: You can set a clearance around the receiver for each clutter class. This clearance will be taken into consideration when calculating diffraction.
6. Click OK.
To set the propagation model parameters: 1. Click the Parameters tab of the Explorer window. 2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Propagation Models folder. 3. Right-click ITU1546. The context menu appears. 4. Select Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialogue appears. 5. Click the Parameters tab. 6. Under Calculate Signal Level Exceeded During, select one of the following: 50% of the time 10% of the time 1% of the time
7. Under Type of Path, select one of the following: Land (Urban or Suburban Zones) Land (Other Zones) Sea
8. Select Use clutter altitude if you want to take the height of the clutter into account in diffraction. The height of the clutter will be taken from the Clutter Height folder, if clutter heights are available. Otherwise the average height of each clutter class will be used when evaluating diffraction. If this box is unselected, the diffraction is evaluated using only the DTM.
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9. Click OK. For more information, see the Technical Reference Guide and the ITU-R P.1546 recommendation.
For more information on working with the Standard Propagation Model, see "The Standard Propagation Model" on page 156.
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Figure 5.4: Propagation phenomena in CrossWave CrossWave supports and technology (GSM, UMTS, WiMAX, LTE) and any frequency range (from 200 MHz to 5GHz). It also applies on any type of cells (micro, mini and macro cells). Its domains of appliance is various since it can be used over any type of environment (dense urban, urban, suburban, rural.) without any restriction. Crosswave supports the same type of geo data files than the other propgation models available in Atoll (DTM, clutter classes, clutter heights), but any additional raster file might be used with it and optionnally, it may be even more accurate by the use of specific geo data maps such as: 3D building vectors (TAB) Line vectors (TAB) for railway track predictions
For more information on CrossWave propagation model, please refer to its specific user manual.
Duplicate: The selected propagation model is duplicated. It appears in the Propagation Models folder with the same name, preceded by "Copy of." Copy: The selected propagation model is copied. You can paste it, with its current settings into a new Atoll document by opening the document, clicking the Parameters tab of the Explorer window and pressing CTRL+V. If there is already a propagation model in the Atoll document with the same name as the one you are trying to paste, Atoll will display a warning and will not allow you to overwrite the existing propagation model.
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Rename: You can enter a new name for the selected propagation model.
By using a calculation radius, Atoll limits the scope of calculations to a defined area. Atoll enables you to calculate two path loss matrices: a main and an extended one. By using two sets of calculation parameters, Atoll allows you to calculate high resolution path loss matrices closer to the transmitter with one propagation model, while reducing calculation time and storage size by using an extended matrix with a lower resolution and another propagation model. Atoll will calculate the extended matrix only if you define all three parameters: propagation model, calculation radius, and resolution. If you do not define a calculation radius for the main propagation model and if you do not assign an extended propagation model, Atoll uses the prediction minimum threshold to define the calculation radius for each transmitter. However, this can lead to lengthy calculation times. In that case, Atoll does not assign a calculation radius to transmitters. This can be done if you let Atoll calculate the optimised main or extended calculation radii based on user-defined minimum received signal levels. As an consequence, the storage of path loss matrices can drastically be reduced. See "Optimising Path Loss Matrix Storage" on page 178 for more information. When creating coverage predictions, you can define a coverage resolution that is different from the resolution defined for the path loss matrices.
In this section, the following are explained: "Defining Calculation Parameters for One Transmitter" on page 173 "Defining the Same Calculation Parameters for a Group of Transmitters" on page 174 "Defining the Same Calculation Parameters for All Transmitters" on page 174 "Defining a Default Propagation Model" on page 175 "Defining a Default Resolution" on page 175.
7. If desired, under Extended Matrix: Select a Propagation Model Enter a Radius and Resolution.
8. Click OK. The selected calculation parameters will be used for the selected transmitter.
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4. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Transmitters folder. 5. Right-click the group of transmitters for which you want to define main and extended calculation parameters. The context menu appears. 6. Select Open Table from the context menu. The Transmitters table appears with the transmitters from the selected group. For each transmitter, you can set the calculation parameters in the following columns: Main Propagation Model Main Calculation Radius Main Resolution Extended Propagation Model Extended Calculation Radius Extended Resolution
To enter the same values in one column for all transmitters in the table: 1. Enter the value in the first row in the column. 2. Select the entire column. 3. Right-click the selection and select Edit > Fill Down from the context menu or click the Fill Down button ( Table toolbar to copy the contents of the top cell of the selection into the other cells. If you want to copy the contents of the last cell in the selection into all other cells, you can right-click the selection and select Edit > Fill Up from the context menu or click the Fill Up button ( ) in the Table toolbar. For more information on working with tables in Atoll, see "Working with Data Tables" on page 47. ) in the
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6. If desired, under Extended Matrix: Select a Propagation Model Enter a Radius and Resolution.
7. Click OK. The selected calculation parameters will be used for all transmitters. Setting a different main or extended matrix on an individual transmitter as explained in "Defining Calculation Parameters for One Transmitter" on page 173 will override this entry. You can also optimise the path loss matrix radii as explained in "Optimising Path Loss Matrix Storage" on page 178.
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To set the storage location of the path loss matrices: 1. Click the Network tab in the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the Predictions folder. The context menu appears. 3. Select Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialogue appears. 4. On the Predictions tab, under Path Loss Matrix Storage, you can set the location for your private path loss matrices: Private Directory: The Private Directory is where you store path loss matrices you generate or, if you are loading path loss matrices from a shared location, where you store your changes to shared path loss matrices. Click the button beside Private Directory ( ) and select Embedded to save the path loss matrices in the Atoll document, or Browse to select a directory where Atoll can save the path loss matrices externally.
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When you save the path loss files externally, the external files are updated as soon as calculations are performed and not only when you save the Atoll document. In order to keep consistency between the Atoll document and the stored calculations, you should save the Atoll document before closing it, if you have updated the path loss matrices. 5. Click OK.
To use pre-calculated path loss matrices: 1. Click the Network tab in the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the Predictions folder. The context menu appears. 3. Select Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialogue appears. 4. On the Predictions tab, under Path Loss Matrix Storage, you can set the location for the shared path loss matrices: Shared Directory: When you are working in a multi-user Atoll environment, the project data is stored in a database and the common path loss matrices are stored in a directory that is accessible to all users. Any changes you make will not be saved to this directory; they will be saved in the location indicated in Private Directory. The path loss matrices in the shared directory are updated by a user with administrator rights based on the updated information in the database. For more information on shared directories, see The Administrator Manual. The shared path loss matrices must be unlocked in order for users to be able to work with them. The administrator can check whether shared path loss matrices are unlocked or not in the Propagation tab of the Transmitters folders Properties dialogue. 5. Click OK.
The Available Results table lists the following information for each displayed path loss matrix: Transmitter: The name of the transmitter. Locked: If the Locked check box is selected, the path loss matrix will not be updated even if the path loss matrices are recalculated. Valid: This is a boolean field indicating whether or not the path loss matrix is valid.
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Reason for Invalidity: If the path loss matrix is indicated as being invalid, the reason is given here. Size: The size of the path loss matrix for the transmitter. File: If the path loss matrix is not embedded, the location of the file is listed. Tuned: If the Tuned check box has been selected, the initial path loss matrix obtained by the propagation model has been tuned by the use of real measurement points. See "Tuning Path Loss Matrices Using Measurement Data" on page 179 for more information.
6. Click the Statistics button to display the number of path loss matrices to be recalculated. The Statistics dialogue appears (see Figure 5.5) with the total number of invalid path loss matrices and the reasons for invalidity, as well as a summary of the reasons for invalidity.
The Available Results table lists the following information for each displayed transmiitter: Transmitter: The name of the transmitter. Main Radius: radius of the main path loss matrix before optimisation. Optimised Main Radius: radius of the main path loss matrix after optimisation. Extended Radius: radius of the extended path loss matrix before optimisation. Optimised Extended Radius: radius of the extended path loss matrix after optimisation.
9. Select the Commit check box for each transmitter you want to commit the opitmised radius (or radii). You can select one, several or all the results and right click in order to select or unselect them for committing the results.
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10. Click Commit. All the transmitters whose Commit check box is selected have their calculation radius (or radii) modified. For extended matrices, if the calculation radii are changed, these are deleted and need to be recalculated with the new radius values. Invalid matrices cannot be optimised and have to be calculated prior to the optimisation process (see "Calculating Path Loss Matrices" on page 176 for more information). Invalid (or inexistent) matrices are displayed in red in the available results list. Even if the radius can be evaluated (and committed to the transmitter properties), path losses are not optimised for locked matrices or matrices in a shared directory (see "Using Centralised Path Loss Matrices" on page 177 for more information). In those cases, matrices are displayed in grey in the available results list. You can also optimise path loss matrices using the context menu of a transmitter or group of transmitters. Only the matrices belonging to that selection will be optimised.
Atoll replaces existing path loss matrices with the tuned matrices which remain valid as long as the radio configuration of the network does not change. Atoll creates an external folder containing the catalogue of all the tuning paths as explained in "Managing the Path Loss Tuning Points" on page 183. By activating or deactivating the tuning paths, you can select the tuning path to be applied to the existing path loss matrices. Therefore, even if the path loss is recalculated, the path loss is automatically retuned using the active tuning paths.
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CW Measurements: If you are going to use CW measurements to tune the path loss matrices, right-click the CW Measurements folder. The context menu appears. Drive Test Data: If you are going to use drive test data to tune the path loss matrices, right-click the Drive Test Data folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialogue appears. 4. Select the Path Loss Tuning Parameters tab (see Figure 5.6).
Figure 5.6: Defining the ellipse for tuning path loss matrices 5. Under Path Loss Tuning Ellipse, set the following parameters: Radius of the Axis Parallel to the Profile: Enter the radius of the ellipse axis oriented in the same direction as the transmitter (or repeater). Radius of the Axis Perpendicular to the Profile: Enter the radius of the ellipse axis perpendicular to the transmitter (or repeater).
6. Click OK.
3. Select Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialogue appears. 4. Select the Path Loss Tuning Parameters tab (see Figure 5.6). 5. Under Tuning Range, set the following parameters: Maximum total correction (dB): Enter the maximum admissible mean error in step 1 of the path loss tuning process. Maximum local correction (dB): Enter the maximum admissible local error in step 2 of the path loss tuning process.
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Minimum measurement threshold (dBm): Enter the measured signal level under which measurements are not taken into account for the path loss tuning.
6. Click OK.
Figure 5.7: Selecting all CW measurement paths c. Under Measurement Paths, select All. d. Click OK. Atoll begins optimising the path loss matrices for all transmitters on which CW measurements are available. The progress is displayed in the Event Viewer window. To tune the path loss matrices for selected transmitters using selected CW measurement paths: a. Right-click the CW Measurement folder. The context menu appears. b. Select Tune Path Loss Matrices from the context menu. The Measurement Path Selection dialogue appears (see Figure 5.7). c. Under Measurement Paths, select the option beside the list of CW measurements. d. Select the check box corresponding to each transmitter for which you want to tune the path loss matrices. For some transmitters, more than one CW measurement may exist. In this case, selecting the check box for the transmitter will select all the CW measurements. If you do not want to use all CW measurements, click the Expand button ( ) to expand the transmitter list and then select the single CW measurements you want to use. e. Click OK. Atoll begins optimising the path loss matrices for all transmitters on which CW measurements are available. The progress is displayed in the Event Viewer window.
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For repeaters, Atoll also tunes the path loss matrix of both the donor transmitter and the repeater. The contribution of the repeater and donor to the measured value is calculated based on the ratio of calculated values between the repeater signal and the donor signal. Each evaluated contribution is then used as input to tune the path loss matrix of each element. For more information, please refer to the Technical Reference Guide.
Figure 5.8: Path Loss Tuning dialogue d. Click the For the following transmitters list. The list opens. e. Select the check box for each transmitter whose path loss matrix you want to tune. f. Click the Select the measured signal levels list. The list opens. g. For each transmitter selected fromthe For the following transmitters list, select the check box for each measured signal strength that will be used to tune the path loss matrices. h. Click OK. Atoll begins optimising the path loss matrices for the transmitter on which the CW measurement was made. The progress is displayed in the Event Viewer window. To tune the path loss matrices using all drive test data paths: a. Right-click the Drive Test Data folder. The context menu appears. b. Select Tune Path Loss Matrices from the context menu. The Measurement Path Selection dialogue appears (see Figure 5.9).
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Figure 5.9: Selecting all CW measurement paths c. Under Measurement Paths, select All. d. Click the For the following transmitters list. The list opens. e. Select the check box for each transmitter whose path loss matrix you want to tune. f. Click the Select the measured signal levels list. The list opens.
g. For each transmitter selected fromthe For the following transmitters list, select the check box for each measured signal strength that will be used to tune the path loss matrices. h. Click OK. Atoll begins optimising the path loss matrices for the transmitter on which the CW measurement was made. The progress is displayed in the Event Viewer window. To tune the path loss matrices for selected transmitters using selected drive test data paths: a. Right-click the Drive Test Data folder. The context menu appears. b. Select Tune Path Loss Matrices from the context menu. The Measurement Path Selection dialogue appears (see Figure 5.9). c. Under Measurement Paths, select the option beside the list of drive test data paths. d. Select the check box corresponding to the drive test data you want to use to tune the path loss matrices. e. Click the For the following transmitters list. The list opens. f. Select the check box for each transmitter whose path loss matrix you want to tune.
g. Click the Select the measured signal levels list. The list opens. h. For each transmitter selected fromthe For the following transmitters list, select the check box for each measured signal strength that will be used to tune the path loss matrices. i. Click OK. Atoll begins optimising the path loss matrices for the transmitter on which the CW measurement was made. The progress is displayed in the Event Viewer window. For repeaters, Atoll also tunes the path loss matrix of both the donor transmitter and the repeater. The contribution of the repeater and donor to the measured value is calculated based on the ratio of calculated values between the repeater signal and the donor signal. Each evaluated contribution is then used as input to tune the path loss matrix of each element. For more information, please refer to the Technical Reference Guide.
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loss matrix and stored in a single tuning file. All the tuning files are stored as a catalogue in the current project. Each single tuning path can be activated or deactivated in order to be automatically applied to path loss matrices, even after recalculation. Tuning files are stored in the same way as path loss matrices, as explained in "Setting the Storage Location of Path Loss Matrices" on page 176. They can be saved on a network and shared between users. To manage the catalogue of the tuning path loss data: 1. Click the Network tab in the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the Transmitters folder. The context menu appears. 3. Select Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialogue appears. 4. Click the Propagation tab. The path loss matrix information is listed in the Available Results table. 5. Select one of the following display options: Display all the matrices: All path loss matrices are displayed. Display only invalid matrices: Only invalid path loss matrices are displayed.
The Available Results table lists the following information for each displayed path loss matrix: Transmitter: The name of the transmitter or repeater. Locked: If the check box is selected, the path loss matrix will not be updated even if the path loss matrices are recalculated. Valid: This is a boolean field indicating whether or not the path loss matrix is valid. Reason for Invalidity: If the path loss matrix is indicated as being invalid, the reason is given here. Size: The size of the path loss matrix for the transmitter. File: If the path loss matrix is not embedded, the location of the file is listed. Tuned: If the check box is selected, the initial path loss matrix obtained by the propagation model has been tuned by the use of real measurement data.
6. Select the tuning path loss matrices you want to manage using the available catalogue by holding CTRL and click the corresponding line in the Available Results table and then right-clicking. The context menu appears. 7. Select Path Loss Tuning Points from the context menu. The Path Loss Tuning Points dialogue appears.
Figure 5.10: Path Loss Tuning Catalogue 8. Select one of the following display options: All: All the tuning paths are displayed. Active Only: Only the active tuning paths are displayed.
The Available Results table lists the following information for each displayed tuning path, assuming each transmitter (or repeater) can have several ones coming from either the same or different measurement paths: Transmitter: The name of the transmitter or repeater. File: The location of the tuning file. Name: The name of the tuning entry. Each entry is automatically named by Atoll based on the source of the tuning data. You can edit the name by right-clicking the line and selecting Properties from the context menu. Active: You can set each tuning path as active by selecting the check box. Only active entries are used to tune the path loss matrices. When several entries are active and therefore applied to the same transmitter (or repeater), the applicable tunings on the path loss matrix are realised in turn from the top to the bottom of the catalogue. No. points: Displays the number of measurement points on the tuning path. X Radius (m): Displays the radius of the ellipse axis oriented in the same direction as the transmitter (or repeater) during the tuning session. Y Radius (m): Displays the radius of the ellipse axis perpendicular to the transmitter (or repeater) during the tuning session. Gain (dB): Displays the gain of the measurement receiver. Max. total correction (dB): Displays the user-defined maximum admissible total correction. Max. local correction (dB): Displays the user-defined maximum admissible local correction. Min. Threshold (dBm): Displays the user-defined level under which measurement values are not taken into account for path loss tuning
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Total correction (dB): Displays the mean error between each measured value and its corresponding pixel in the path loss matrix. This is the correction which is applied globally to all the matrices during the first step of path loss tuning (For more information, please refer to the Technical Reference Guide). Valid: This is a boolean field indicating whether or not the measurement path data (excluding the antenna information) are valid. Reason for Invalidity: If the measurement path data is indicated as being invalid, the reason is given here. Comments: Additional comments referring to the measurement entry are given in this field. You can edit the comment by right-clicking the line and selecting Properties from the context menu. When path loss tuning entries are changed (e.g., activated or deleted) Atoll suggests deleting the corresponding path loss matrices.
You can import tuning files to replace an existing tuning or to benefit from a path loss tuning done by another user. The PTS files are imported using a DBF file containing all the information relative to matrices and their tuning. To import a path loss tuning catalogue: 1. Click the Network tab in the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the Transmitters folder. The context menu appears. 3. Select Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialogue appears. 4. Click the Propagation tab. The path loss matrix information is listed in the Available Results table. 5. Select the tuning path loss matrices for which you want to import tuning files by holding CTRL and click the corresponding line in the Available Results table and then right-clicking. The context menu appears. 6. Select Import Path Loss Tuning Catalogue from the context menu. The Open dialogue appears. 7. Select the DBF path loss tuning catalogue file you want to import. 8. Click Open. The existing PTS files are replaced by the ones referenced in the catalogue file. Any additional files in the DBF catalogue file are added. You can work with the imported PTS files with the same options as files from a tuning carried out in the current project.
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Figure 5.11: Exporting path loss matrices 8. Click OK to export the path loss matrices.
In this section, the following are explained: "Making Point Predictions" on page 186 "Making Coverage Predictions" on page 189.
If a transmitter was already selected on the map, a line appears connecting the selected transmitter and the receiver. 2. Select the view of the Point Analysis window corresponding to the type of point prediction you want to make. For information on the views available in the Point Analysis window, see "The Views of the Point Analysis Tool" on page 186.
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The Profile view of the Point Analysis tool displays the profile between a reference transmitter and the receiver. As well, Atoll displays the signal level of the received signal from the selected transmitter. You can also display the path loss or total losses from the selected transmitter. In this view, the results are calculated in real time. The Reception View: The Reception view ( ) is available in the Point Analysis tool for GSM/GPRS/EDGE, CDMA, UMTS, TD-SCDMA, WiMAX, and LTE projects. In Multi-RAT projects, there are as many Reception views as there are technologies. The Reception view of the Point Analysis tool displays the predicted signal level from different transmitters in the form of a bar chart, from the highest predicted signal level on the top to the lowest one on the bottom. The calculations are based on the path loss matrices. Each bar is displayed in the colour of the transmitter it represents. In the map window, arrows from the pointer to each transmitter are displayed in the colour of the transmitters they represent. The best server for the pointer is the transmitter from which the pointer receives the highest signal level. If you let the pointer rest on an arrow, the signal level received from the corresponding transmitter at the pointer location is displayed in the tip text. The AS Analysis View: The AS Analysis view ( ) is available in the Point Analysis tool for CDMA and UMTS projects.
The AS Analysis view displays informa on on the pilot quality (Ec I0), which is the main parameter used to dene the mobile active set, the connection status, and the active set of the probe mobile. The Interference View: The Interference view ( ) is available in the Point Analysis window for GSM/GPRS/EDGE projects, WiMAX, and LTE projects. In a multi-RAT projects where GSM and LTE are present, there are one reception window for each of these technologies. The Interference view displays, in the form of a bar graph, the signal level of the selected transmitter, a black bar indicating the total interference experienced by the receiver, and bars representing the interference received from each interferer. In the map window, arrows from the receiver towards each transmitter are also displayed in the colour of the transmitters they represent. If you let the pointer rest on an arrow, the interference level received from the corresponding transmitter at the receiver location will be displayed in the tip text along with information on the channel being interfered and the type of interference, i.e., co- or adjacent channel. The PN Offset Collision View: The PN Offset Collision view ( ) is available in the Point Analysis tool for CDMA projects.
The PN Offset Collision view of the Point Analysis tool gives you information on the reception for any point on the map where there is PN Offset collision. The SC Collision View: The SC Collision view ( ) is available in the Point Analysis tool for UMTS projects.
The SC Collision view of the Point Analysis tool gives you information on reception for any point on the map where there is scrambling code collision. The Details View: The Details view ( ) is available in the Point Analysis tool for GSM/GPRS/EDGE, CDMA, UMTS, TD-SCDMA, WIMAX, and LTE projects. In Multi-RAT projects, there are as many Results views as there are technologies. The Details view displays the current position and height of the receiver, the clutter class it is situated on. In addition, it also displays: in GSM/GPRS/EDGE projects, you can select to display the results on a specific HCS layer (or all). You can also evaluate either C/I or C/I+N values where the interferences are due to any combination between adjacent channels, co-channels or external sources. Atoll displays for each transmitter its BCCH signal level, the BCCH C/I, the most interfered mobile station allocation (TRX, MAL or MAL-MAIO depending on the hopping mode) and its corresponding C/I. in CDMA projects, you can select to display the results for a specific terminal, service, mobility, carrier, DL rate, and UL rate. Atoll displays for each transmitter its signal level (or RSCP), its path loss, Ec/Io, C/I, DL and UL Eb/Nt values, PN offsets. in UMTS/HSPA projects, you can select to display the results for a specific terminal, service, mobility, carrier. Atoll displays for each transmitter its signal level, Ec/Io, DL and UL Eb/Nt values, scrambling codes. in TD-SCDMA projects, Atoll displays for each transmitter its signal level.
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in WiMAX projects, you can select to display the results for a specific terminal, service, mobility. Atoll displays for each transmitter its preamble index, its preamble signal C, C/N and I. in LTE projects, you can select to display the results for a specific terminal, service, mobility. Atoll displays for each transmitter its physical cell ID, its reference signal Level, its RSRP and its RS I.
You can move the receiver manually You can enter the coordinates of the new position You can place the receiver on a selected site.
To change the position of the receiver manually: Move the receiver to change the current position. Click to place the receiver at the current position. You can move the receiver again by clicking it a second time.
To enter the coordinates of a position: 1. Right-click the receiver ( ) in the map window. The context menu appears.
2. Select Coordinates from the context menu. The Receiver Position dialogue appears. 3. Enter or paste the X and Y coordinates of the position and click OK. The receiver moves to the specified position. To place the receiver on a selected site: 1. Right-click the receiver ( ) in the map window. The context menu appears.
2. Select Target Site from the context menu. The Target Site dialogue appears. 3. Select the site on which you want to place the receiver from the Name list and click OK. The receiver moves to the specified position.
2. Select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses to the total path loss.
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To take shadowing into account when making a point analysis: 1. Click the option button ( dialogue appears. ) n the window you are using from the Point Analysis tool. The Calculation Options
2. Select the Shadowing Taken into Account check box and enter a Cell Edge Coverage Probability. Atoll calculates the shadowing using the appropriate standard deviation defined per clutter class.
Atoll also offers technology-specific coverage predictions, described in the technology-specific chapters, for example: Interference predictions in GSM/GPRS/EDGE projects Coding scheme and throughput predictions for GPRS/EDGE UMTS or CDMA2000 coverage predictions.
Atoll gives you a large flexibility over how the results of your coverage prediction are displayed. You can select which attributes should be displayed on the map and how they are displayed. As well, you can define information to be displayed in the legend, in the label, or in tooltips. Furthermore, Atoll also allows you to filter, sort, or group results before displaying them. Atoll offers several options and ways enabling you to create and work with coverage predictions. In this section, the following are explained: "Creating Coverage Predictions" on page 189 "Defining the Storage Location of Coverage Prediction Results" on page 190 "Calculating Coverage Predictions" on page 191 "Saving Defined Coverage Predictions" on page 193.
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5. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it later: Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
For more information on calculating coverage predictions, see "Calculating Coverage Predictions" on page 191.
5.4.2.1.2
5.4.2.1.3
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You can not store externally the results of coverage predictions that are calculated by transmitter instead of by level.
To define the storage location of coverage prediction results: 1. Click the Network tab in the Explorer window. 2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Predictions folder. 3. Right-click the coverage prediction for which you want to define the storage location of the results. The context menu appears. 4. Select Properties from the context menu. The coverage predictions Properties dialogue appears. 5. On the General tab, click the button beside Folder ( ) and select the storage location of the results:
Saving in the Atoll document: To store the results in the document, select Embedded. Saving externally: To store the results externally, select the external storage location. Atoll creates a folder for the results in the same folder with the Atoll document and gives it the name of the document, with the extension "studies." Sharing the results of another coverage prediction: To display the results of a coverage prediction that was calculated in a different document, select Connect to Results to navigate to the XML file describing the coverage prediction results.
Externally stored coverage prediction results can be imported as customised coverage predictions. For more information on importing customised coverage predictions, see "Saving Defined Coverage Predictions" on page 193. For a detailed description of the XML file, see Studies.XML in the Administrator Manual.
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To calculate created coverage predictions: Click the Calculate button ( ) in the toolbar. When you click the Calculate button, Atoll first calculates non-existent and invalid path loss matrices and then, unlocked coverage predictions in the Predictions folder. The progress of the calculations is displayed in the Event Viewer window. After calculation, the results are displayed in the map window, if the coverage predictions visibility check box has been selected.
5.4.2.3.2
5.4.2.3.3
Forcing Calculations
When you have several defined coverage predictions, you can start calculation when you want and Atoll will calculate them one after the other. Normally, Atoll only recalculates non-existent and invalid path loss matrices before calculating coverage predictions. If you want, you can make Atoll recalculate all path loss matrices, including valid ones. When you calculate coverage predictions, only unlocked coverage predictions are calculated. Unlocked coverage predictions are displayed in the Predictions folder with the unlocked icon ( predictions, see "Locking Coverage Predictions" on page 192. ). For information on locking and unlocking coverage
To force Atoll to recalculate all path loss matrices before calculating coverage predictions: Click the Force Calculate button ( ) in the toolbar. When you click the Force Calculate button, Atoll first removes existing path loss matrices, recalculates them and then calculates unlocked coverages predictions. After calculation, the results are displayed in the map window, if the coverage predictions visibility check box has been selected.
5.4.2.3.4
Stopping Calculations
When Atoll has begun to calculate coverage predictions, you can stop the calculation at any given point. This can be useful if, for example, you want to change one of the coverage predictions or if you dont want to calculate the coverage predictions at that time. To stop calculations: Click the Stop Calculations button ( ) in the toolbar. Atoll immediately stops all ongoing calculations. The results of calculations that have already been completed, however, will be saved.
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Unlocked coverage predictions are displayed in the Predictions folder with the unlocked icon ( 4. Select Prediction Locked from the context menu.
The icon changes to the locked icon ( ) and the Prediction Locked item in the context menu now appears checked. The coverage prediction is now locked and will not be calculated when the Calculate button in the toolbar is clicked. However, if you select Calculate from the coverage predictions context menu, Atoll will first unlock the coverage prediction and then calculate it. You can lock all unlocked coverage predictions using the Predictions folders context menu.
5.4.2.3.6
You can unlock all locked coverage predictions using the Predictions folders context menu.
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Figure 5.12: Prediction Types dialogue Coverage predictions stored in the XML template files are also directly available in the Calculations menu of the context menus of the Transmitters folder, of a group of transmitters, and of a single transmitter. In a multi-user environment, the administrator can make customised predictions available for all the users by saving the XML file in the Atoll installation directory. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
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For informa on on se ng the model standard devia on and the C I standard devia ons for each clu er class or for all clutter classes, see "Defining Clutter Class Properties" on page 119. When creating the coverage prediction, select the Shadowing Taken into Account check box. Then, you can define the Cell Edge Coverage Probability.
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Chapter 6
LTE Networks
This chapter provides the information to use Atoll to design, analyse, and optimise an LTE network. In this chapter, the following are explained: "Designing an LTE Network" on page 199 "Planning and Optimising LTE Base Stations" on page 200 "Configuring Network Parameters Using the AFP" on page 278 "Studying Network Capacity" on page 285 "Optimising Network Parameters Using the ACP" on page 315 "Verifying Network Capacity" on page 363 "Co-planning LTE Networks with Other Networks" on page 372 "Advanced Configuration" on page 391 "Tips and Tricks" on page 406 "Glossary of LTE Terms" on page 410
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6 LTE Networks
LTE (Long Term Evolution) refers to the set of 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) Release 8 and Release 9 specifications which describe the next steps, or evolution, of the existing GERAN (GSM EDGE Radio Access Networks) and UTRAN (UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Networks) specifications. The 3GPP LTE specifications describe the building blocks of E-UTRA (Evolved UTRA) networks. LTE uses SOFDMA (Scalable Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) and SC-FDMA (Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access) technologies in the downlink and the uplink, respectively. The aim of LTE is to provide mobile broadband wireless access that supports handovers between LTE cells as well as between LTE and UMTS/GSM cells at high user speeds. Atoll enables you to design LTE broadband wireless access networks. Atoll can be used to predict radio coverage, manage mobile and fixed subscriber data, and evaluate network capacity. Atoll LTE also supports smart antennas and MIMO. Atoll enables you to model fixed and mobile users in LTE environments. The data input corresponding to mobile users and fixed subscribers is modelled through comprehensive support of mobile user traffic maps and subscriber databases. You can carry out calculations on fixed subscriber locations as well as base your calculations on mobile user scenarios during Monte Carlo simulations. You can also perform interference predictions, resource allocation, and other calculations on mobile users. Atoll uses Monte Carlo simulations to generate realistic network scenarios (snapshots) using a Monte Carlo statistical engine for scheduling and resource allocation. Realistic user distributions can be generated using different types of traffic maps or subscriber data. Atoll uses these user distributions as input for the simulations. You can create coverage predictions to analyse the following and other parameters for LTE channels in downlink and in uplink: Signal levels The carrier-to-interference-and-noise ratio Service areas and radio bearer coverage Cell capacity and aggregate throughput per cell
Coverage predictions that depend on the networks traffic loads can be created from either Monte Carlo simulation results or from a user-defined network load configuration (uplink and downlink traffic loads, and uplink noise rise). GSM GPRS EDGE, UMTS HSPA, CDMA2000, TD-SCDMA, and WiMAX networks can be planned in the same Atoll session. Before working with the Atoll LTE module for the first time, it is highly recommended to go through the "Glossary of LTE Terms" on page 410. This will help you get accustomed to the terminology used by the 3GPP and in Atoll.
2. Configure the network by adding network elements and changing parameters ( 2 ). You can add and modify the following elements of base stations: "Creating or Modifying a Site" on page 208. "Creating or Modifying a Transmitter" on page 208. "Creating or Modifying a Cell" on page 209.
You can also add base stations using a base station template (see "Placing a New Base Station Using a Station Template" on page 209). 3. Carry out basic coverage predictions ( 3 ). "Making a Point Analysis to Study the Profile" on page 225. "Studying Signal Level Coverage" on page 226 and "Signal Level Coverage Predictions" on page 234.
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6. Allocate physical cell IDs ( 6 ). "Planning Physical Cell IDs" on page 281.
7. Before making more advanced coverage predictions, you need to define cell load conditions ( 7 ). You can define cell load conditions in the following ways: You can generate realistic cell load conditions by creating a simulation based on traffic maps and subscriber lists ( 7a , 7b , and 7c ) (see "Studying Network Capacity" on page 285). You can define cell load conditions manually either on the Cells tab of each transmitters Properties dialogue or in the Cells table (see "Creating or Modifying a Cell" on page 209) ( 7d ). 8. Make LTE-specific signal quality coverage predictions using the defined cell load conditions ( 8 ). "LTE Coverage Predictions" on page 248.
9. If necessary, modify network parameters to study the network with a different frequency plan ( 10 ). After modifying the networks frequency plan, you must perform steps 7 and 8 again.
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6 7a
7c
7d
7b 7
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Atoll lets you create one site, transmitter, or cell at a time, or create several at once using station templates. In Atoll, a base station refers to a site and a transmitter with its antennas, equipment, and cells. In Atoll, you can study a single base station or a group of base stations using coverage predictions. Atoll allows you to make a variety of coverage predictions, such as signal level or signal quality coverage predictions. The results of calculated coverage predictions can be displayed on the map, compared, and studied. Atoll enables you to model network traffic by creating services, users, user profiles, traffic environments, and terminals. This data can be then used to make coverage predictions that depend on network load, such as C/(I+N), service area, radio bearer, and throughput coverage predictions. In this section, the following are explained: "Creating an LTE Base Station" on page 201. "Creating a Group of Base Stations" on page 216. "Modifying Sites and Transmitters Directly on the Map" on page 216. "Display Tips for Base Stations" on page 217. "Creating a Multi-band LTE Network" on page 217. "Creating a Repeater" on page 217. "Creating a Remote Antenna" on page 221. "Setting the Working Area of an Atoll Document" on page 224. "Studying a Single Base Station" on page 224. "Studying Base Stations" on page 228. "Planning Neighbours" on page 266. "Planning Frequencies" on page 280. "Planning Physical Cell IDs" on page 281.
6.2.1.1.1
Site Description
The parameters of a site can be found in the sites Properties dialogue. The Properties dialogue has the following tab: The General tab (see Figure 6.20): Name: Atoll automatically enters a default name for each new site. You can modify the default name here. If you want to change the default name that Atoll gives to new sites, see the Administrator Manual. Position: By default, Atoll places the new site at the centre of the map window. You can modify the location of the site here. While this method allows you to place a site with precision, you can also place sites using the mouse and then position them precisely with this dialogue afterwards. For information on placing sites using the mouse, see "Moving a Site Using the Mouse" on page 21.
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Altitude: The altitude, as defined by the DTM for the location specified under Position, is given here. You can specify the actual altitude under Real, if you want. If an altitude is specified here, Atoll will use this value for calculations. Comments: You can enter comments in this field if you want.
6.2.1.1.2
Transmitter Description
The parameters of a transmitter can be found in the transmitters Properties dialogue. When you create a transmitter, the Properties dialogue has two tabs: the General tab and the Transmitter tab. Once you have created a transmitter, its Properties dialogue has three additional tabs: the Cells tab (see "Cell Description" on page 205), the Propagation tab (see Chapter 5: Working with Calculations in Atoll), and the Display tab (see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 23). The General tab: Name: By default, Atoll names the transmitter after the site it is on, adding an underscore and a number. You can enter a name for the transmitter, but for the sake of consistency, it is better to let Atoll assign a name. If you want to change the way Atoll names transmitters, see the Administrator Manual. Site: You can select the Site on which the transmitter will be located. Once you have selected the site, you can click the Browse button ( ) to access the properties of the site. For information on the site Properties dialogue, see "Site Description" on page 201. You can click the New button to create a new site for the transmitter. Shared antenna: This flag is used to identify the transmitters of different technologies, located at the same site, that share antennas. These transmitters may be other technology transmitters in a 3GPP Multi-RAT document or in a linked co-planning document. The flag must be the same for all such transmitters. Shared antennas have the same position relative to the site (Dx, Dy), height, azimuth, and mechanical tilt, for all the transmitters that use them. Atoll automatically synchronises changes made to these parameters for one transmitter to all other transmitters that share the antenna. For more information on co-planning, see "Co-planning LTE Networks with Other Networks" on page 372. Under Antenna position, you can modify the position of the antennas (main and secondary): Relative to site: Select Relative to site if you want to enter the antenna positions as offsets from the site location, and enter the x-axis and y-axis offsets, Dx and Dy, respectively. Coordinates: Select this option if you want to enter the coordinates of the antenna, and then enter the x-axis and y-axis coordinates of the antenna, X and Y, respectively.
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Figure 6.21: Transmitter dialogue - Transmitter tab Active: If this transmitter is to be active, you must select the Active check box. Active transmitters are displayed in red in the LTE Transmitters folder of the Network tab. Only active transmitters are taken into consideration during calculations.
Transmitter type: If you want Atoll to consider the transmitter as a potential server as well as an interferer, set the transmitter type to Intra-network (Server and interferer). If you want Atoll to consider the transmitter only as an interferer, set the type to Inter-network (Interferer only). No coverage for an interferer only transmitter will be calculated for coverage predictions and it will not serve any mobile in Monte Carlo simulations. This feature enables you to model the co-existence of different networks in the same geographic area. For more information on how to study interference between co-existing networks, see "Modelling the Co-existence of Networks" on page 409.
Transmission/Reception: Under Transmission/Reception, you can see the total losses and the noise figure of the transmitter. Atoll calculates losses and noise according to the characteristics of the equipment assigned to the transmitter. Equipment can be assigned using the Equipment Specifications dialogue which appears when you click the Equipment button. In the Equipment Specifications dialogue (see Figure 6.22), the equipment you select and the gains and losses you define are used to initialise total transmitter losses in the uplink and downlink: TMA: You can select a tower-mounted amplifier (TMA) from the list. You can click the Browse button ( ) to access the properties of the TMA. For information on creating a TMA, see "Defining TMA Equipment" on page 148. Feeder: You can select a feeder cable from the list. You can click the Browse button ( ) to access the properties of the feeder. For information on creating a feeder cable, see "Defining Feeder Cables" on page 148. Transmitter: You can select transmitter equipment from the Transmitter list. You can click the Browse button ( ) to access the properties of the transmitter equipment. For information on creating transmitter equipment, see "Defining Transmitter Equipment" on page 148. Feeder length: You can enter the feeder length at transmission and reception. Miscellaneous losses: You can enter miscellaneous losses at transmission and reception. The value you enter must be positive.
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Figure 6.22: The Equipment Specifications dialogue Any loss related to the noise due to a transmitters repeater is included in the calculated losses. Atoll always considers the values in the Real boxes in coverage predictions even if they are different from the values in the Computed boxes. The information in the real Noise figure box is calculated from the information you entered in the Equipment Specifications dialogue. You can modify the real Total losses at transmission and reception and the real Noise figure at reception. Any value you enter must be positive. Antennas: Height/ground: The Height/ground box gives the height of the antenna above the ground. This is added to the altitude of the site as given by the DTM. If the transmitter is situated on a building, the height entered must include the height of building. AAS power combining gain: The AAS power combining gain is calculated automatically depending on the number of antenna elements of the smart antenna equipment, if any, assigned to the transmitter. This gain is applied to the downlink transmission power for reference signals and other control channels transmitted using the main antenna. Main antenna: Under Main antenna, the type of antenna is visible in the Model list. You can click the Browse button ( ) to access the properties of the antenna. Clicking the Select button opens a dialogue displaying all the possible antennas based on the same physical antenna as the currently selected one. Selecting the Electrical tilt of the antenna model displays the appropriate antennas under Available antennas. Selecting the antenna under Available antennas and clicking OK assigns the antenna to the transmitter. The other fields, Azimuth, Mechanical downtilt, and Additional electrical downtilt, display additional antenna parameters. The Additional electrical downtilt may be made accessible through an option in the atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual. For more information on the effect of additional electrical downtilt on antenna patterns, see the Technical Reference Guide. The mechanical and additional electrical downtilts defined for the main antenna are also used for the calculations of smart antennas.
Smart antenna: Under Smart antenna, the smart antenna equipment is available in the Equipment list. You can click the Browse button ( ) to access the properties of the smart antenna equipment. When you select a smart antenna equipment, you can choose whether to keep the current main antenna model or to replace it with the main antenna model defined for the selected smart antenna equipment, if any. For more information on smart antenna equipment, see "Defining Smart Antenna Equipment" on page 401. Number of antenna ports: Select the number of antenna ports used for MIMO in the Transmission and Reception fields. For more information on how the number of antenna ports are used, see "Multiple Input Multiple Output Systems" on page 402. Under Secondary antennas, you can select one or more secondary antennas in the Antenna column and enter their Azimuth, Mechanical downtilt, and % Power, which is the percentage of power reserved for this particular antenna. For example, for a transmitter with one secondary antenna, if you reserve 40% of the total power for the secondary antenna, 60% is available for the main antenna.
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The Additional electrical downtilt may be made accessible through an option in the atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual. For more information on the effect of additional electrical downtilt on antenna patterns, see the Technical Reference Guide. For information on working with data tables, see "Working with Data Tables" on page 47.
The main antenna is used to transmit the control channels. Coverage predictions based on the reference signals are performed using the main antenna. The main antenna is also used for traffic if there is no smart antenna equipment selected for the transmitter, or if the cells do not support AAS. If a smart antenna equipment is assigned to the transmitter and the cells support AAS, traffic data are transmitted and received using the smart antenna, whereas the control channels are transmitted using the main antenna.
6.2.1.1.3
Cell Description
In Atoll, a cell is defined as an RF channel, with all its characteristics, on a transmitter; the cell is the mechanism by which you can configure a multi-carrier LTE network. When you create a transmitter, Atoll automatically creates a cell for the transmitter using the properties of the currently selected station template. The following explains the parameters of an LTE cell. You can, if you want, modify these values. The properties of an LTE cell are found on Cells tab of the Properties dialogue of the transmitter to which it belongs. The Cells tab has the following options: Name: By default, Atoll names the cell after its transmitter, adding a suffix in parentheses. If you change transmitter name, Atoll does not update the cell name. You can enter a name for the cell, but for the sake of consistency, it is better to let Atoll assign a name. If you want to change the way Atoll names cells, see the Administrator Manual. Active: If this cell is to be active, you must select the Active check box. Layer: The number of the coverage layer to which the cell belongs. This value is automatically assigned when you create a new cell, but you can modify it afterwards. The layer is used during calculations to select the serving cell. For more information on the cell layer selection options, see "The Global Network Settings" on page 392. Frequency band: The cells frequency band from the frequency band list. Channel number: The number of the channel from the list of available channels. Channel allocation status: The status of the current channel allocated to the cell: - Not allocated: The current channel has neither been allocated automatically nor manually. The AFP considers that a Not allocated channel is modifiable without cost. - Allocated: The current channel has been allocated automatically or manually. The AFP considers that an Allocated channel is modifiable but only if absolutely necessary. - Locked: The current channel has been allocated automatically or manually. The AFP considers that a Locked channel is not modifiable. For more information on the AFP, see "Configuring Network Parameters Using the AFP" on page 278. Physical cell ID: The physical cell ID of the cell. It is an integer value from 0 to 503. The physical cell IDs are defined in the 3GPP specifications. There are 504 unique physical-layer cell identities. The physical cell IDs are grouped into 168 unique cell ID groups (called SSS IDs in Atoll), with each group containing 3 unique identities (called PSS IDs in Atoll). An SSS ID is thus uniquely defined by a number from 0 to 167, and a PSS ID is defined by a number from 0 to 2. Each cells reference signals transmit a pseudo-random sequence corresponding to the physical cell ID of the cell. PSS ID: The PSS ID corresponding to the current physical cell ID. This value is determined automatically from the physical cell ID. SSS ID: The SSS ID corresponding to the current physical cell ID. This value is determined automatically from the physical cell ID. Physical cell ID status: The status of the physical cell ID currently assigned to the cell: - Not allocated: The current physical cell ID has neither been allocated automatically nor manually. The AFP considers that a Not allocated physical cell ID is modifiable without cost. - Allocated: The current physical cell ID has been allocated automatically or manually. The AFP considers that an Allocated physical cell ID is modifiable but only if absolutely necessary. - Locked: The current physical cell ID has been allocated automatically or manually. The AFP considers that a Locked physical cell ID is not modifiable. For more information on the AFP, see "Configuring Network Parameters Using the AFP" on page 278. Min reuse distance: The minimum reuse distance after which the channel or physical cell ID assigned to this cell can be assigned to another cell by the AFP. Max power (dBm): The cells maximum transmission power. If the Reference signal EPRE is set to Calculated from Max power and EPRE offsets in the Global Parameters, the transmission powers corresponding to different channels are calculated using this value, the energy per resource element offsets defined for the SS, PBCH, PDSCH, and PDCCH, and the number of resource elements corresponding to each channel, all of which are also calculated by Atoll. If the
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Reference signal EPRE is set to User-defined, this field is not used, and you can directly enter the RS EPRE in the corresponding field. RS EPRE (dBm): The reference signal EPRE. If the Reference signal EPRE is set to Calculated from Max power and EPRE offsets in the Global Parameters, this value is calculated by Atoll. If the Reference signal EPRE is set to User-defined, you can enter the RS EPRE. SS EPRE Offset/RS (dB): The difference in the energy of a resource element belonging to the synchronisation signals with respect to the energy of a reference signal resource element. This value is used to calculate the transmission power corresponding to the primary and secondary synchronisation signals (PSS, SSS). PBCH EPRE Offset/RS (dB): The difference in the energy of a resource element belonging to the PBCH with respect to the energy of a reference signal resource element. This value is used to calculate the transmission power corresponding to the physical broadcast channel (PBCH). PDCCH EPRE Offset/RS (dB): The difference in the energy of a resource element belonging to the PDCCH with respect to the energy of a reference signal resource element. This value is used to calculate the transmission power corresponding to the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). PDSCH EPRE Offset/RS (dB): The difference in the energy of a resource element belonging to the PDSCH with respect to the energy of a reference signal resource element. This value is used to calculate the transmission power corresponding to the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH). Atoll first calculates the energy per resource element corresponding to the reference signal resource elements, the SS, PBCH, PDSCH, and PDCCH. Once the energies available for each of these resource element types are known, they are converted into transmission powers for further calculations. In the offset fields above, you have to enter the offsets, i.e., the difference in the energy levels, for one resource element of each type. For example, if a resource element belonging to the SS has 3 dB less energy than a resource element of the downlink reference signals, you should enter -3 dB in the SS EPRE Offset. Atoll will then calculate the actual transmission power of the SS, i.e., all the resource elements of the SS, from this offset and the number of SS resource elements per frame.
Instantaneous RS power (dBm): The instantaneous reference signal transmission power calculated from the maximum power or RS EPRE and the EPRE offsets. Instantaneous SS power (dBm): The instantaneous SS transmission power calculated from the maximum power or RS EPRE and the EPRE offsets. Instantaneous PBCH power (dBm): The instantaneous PBCH transmission power calculated from the maximum power or RS EPRE and the EPRE offsets. Average PDCCH power (dBm): The average PDCCH transmission power calculated from the maximum power or RS EPRE and the EPRE offsets. Average PDSCH power (dBm): The average PDSCH transmission power calculated from the maximum power or RS EPRE and the EPRE offsets. If the cells transmitter has a smart antenna equipment assigned, the transmission powers of cell increase by 10 Log ( n ) (in dB), where n is the number of antenna elements of the smart antenna. This gain in the transmission powers is referred to as the AAS power combining gain.
Min RSRP (dBm): The minimum RSRP required for a user to be connected to the cell. The RSRP is compared with this threshold to determine whether or not a user is within the cells coverage or not. Reception equipment: You can select the cells reception equipment from the reception equipment list. For more information, see "Defining LTE Reception Equipment" on page 396. Scheduler: The scheduler used by the cell for bearer selection and resource allocation. You can select the scheduler from the list of schedulers available in the Schedulers table. For more information see "Defining LTE Schedulers" on page 399. Max number of users: The maximum number of simultaneous connected users supported by the cell. No. of users (DL): The number of users connected to the cell in the downlink. This can be user-defined or an output of Monte Carlo simulations. No. of users (UL): The number of users connected to the cell in the uplink. This can be user-defined or an output of Monte Carlo simulations. TDD frame configuration: The frame configuration used by the cell when the cells frequency band is TDD. If the networks switching point periodicity is set to "Half Frame", you can select a frame configuration of type DSUUU-DSUUU, DSUUD-DSUUD, DSUDD-DSUDD, or DSUUU-DSUUD. If the networks switching point periodicity is set to "Frame", you can select a frame configuration of type DSUUU-DDDDD, DSUUD-DDDDD, or DSUDD-DDDDD. For more information on TDD switching point periodicity, see "The Global Network Settings" on page 392. TDD frame configuration is hidden when there is no TDD frequency band defined in the Frequency Bands table (see "Defining Frequency Bands" on page 391.
Diversity support (DL): The type of antenna diversity technique (Transmit diversity, SU-MIMO, AMS, or AAS) supported by the cell in downlink. You cannot select more than one type of MIMO technique (diversity, SU-MIMO, or AMS) at a time. Diversity support (UL): The type of antenna diversity technique (None, Receive diversity, SU-MIMO, AMS, or MU-MIMO) supported by the cell in uplink.
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Specific calculations are performed (and gains applied) for terminals supporting AAS and MIMO. AMS & MU-MIMO threshold (dB): For AMS, it is the reference signal C/N or C/(I+N) threshold, according to the option set in the Advanced parameters ("The Global Network Settings" on page 392), for switching from SU-MIMO to Transmit or receive diversity. For MU-MIMO, it is the minimum required reference signal CNR for using MU-MIMO. For more information on Adaptive MIMO switching, see "Multiple Input Multiple Output Systems" on page 402. MU-MIMO capacity gain (UL): The uplink capacity gain due to multi-user (collaborative) MIMO. This can be userdefined or an output of Monte Carlo simulations. In uplink throughput coverage predictions, the cell capacity will be multiplied by this gain on pixels where MU-MIMO is used. Fractional power control factor: This factor is used for path loss compensation when performing fractional power control on the uplink. For example, if this factor is set to 0.8, only 80% of the actual path loss will be considered when estimating the received power. Therefore, the received power from any mobile on the uplink will be estimated to be higher than it would actually be (using 100% of the path loss), which will be interpreted by the mobile as a need to reduce its transmission power. This factor is represented by in 3GPP specifications. This factor represents the influence of the serving cell on the fractional power of any mobile. Max PUSCH C/(I+N) (dB): This value is used for power control on the uplink. The difference between the Max PUSCH C/(I+N) and the uplink noise rise of the cell corresponds to the nominal PUSCH power for the cell. The nominal PUSCH power is a cell-specific parameter from which a limit on the uplink transmission powers of mobiles in the cell can be extracted. This factor is represented by P O_PUSCH in 3GPP specifications. Max PUSCH C/(I+N) is updated during uplink noise rise control in Monte Carlo simulations based on the maximum noise rise constraints of the neighbouring cells. Interference coordination support: The type of inter-cell interference coordination (ICIC) technique supported by the cell. You can select Static DL or Static UL. With ICIC, a cell uses a third of the channel bandwidth in its ICIC part of the frame. Which third of the channel bandwidth is used by the cell depends on its PSS ID. Therefore, fractional frequency planning can be performed by the AFP by allocating physical cell IDs. For more information, see "Planning Physical Cell IDs" on page 281. ICIC configuration: The inter-cell interference coordination (ICIC) configuration used by the cell in downlink and uplink. ICIC configuration defines the numbers of frequency blocks available in the ICIC parts of the frames when the cell supports Static DL or Static UL inter-cell interference coordination. For more information, see "Defining ICIC Configurations" on page 403. ICIC delta path loss threshold (dB): The maximum difference between the path loss of the second best server and the path loss of the best server to be considered at cell edge. Cell edge mobiles are served by the ICIC part of the LTE frame, i.e., the part of the frame that uses a fraction of the channel bandwidth. Max traffic load (DL) (%): The downlink traffic load not to be exceeded. This limit can be taken into account during Monte Carlo simulations. If the cell traffic load is limited by this value, the cell will not be allowed to have a downlink traffic load greater than this maximum. Traffic load (DL) (%): The downlink traffic load percentage. This can be user-defined or an output of Monte Carlo simulations. ICIC ratio (DL) (%): You can set the percentage of the total downlink traffic load that corresponds to the ICIC part of the frame. For example, if the downlink traffic load is 80%, and you set the ICIC ratio to 50%, it means that 40% of the downlink traffic load is on the ICIC part of the frame while the other 40% is on the non-ICIC part. This can be userdefined or an output of Monte Carlo simulations. Max traffic load (UL) (%): The uplink traffic load not to be exceeded. This limit can be taken into account during Monte Carlo simulations. If the cell traffic load is limited by this value, the cell will not be allowed to have an uplink traffic load greater than this maximum. Traffic load (UL) (%): The uplink traffic load percentage. This can be user-defined or an output of Monte Carlo simulations. UL noise rise (dB): The uplink noise rise in dB. This can be user-defined or an output of Monte Carlo simulations. This is the global value of uplink noise rise including the inter-technology uplink noise rise. ICIC UL noise rise (dB): The uplink noise rise of the part of the LTE frame that uses a fraction of the channel bandwidth. This noise rise is only used when the ICIC support for the cell includes Static UL. This can be user-defined or an output of Monte Carlo simulations. Max UL noise rise (dB): The upper limit on both uplink noise rise values, i.e., the UL noise rise and the ICIC UL noise rise. It is used for uplink noise rise control during Monte Carlo simulations. This parameter represents the maximum interference that a cell can tolerate on the uplink. Angular distributions of interference (AAS): This field stores the Monte Carlo simulation results generated for transmitters using a smart antenna. These results are the angular distributions of the downlink traffic power spectral density. AAS usage (DL) (%): This is the percentage of the total downlink traffic load that corresponds to the traffic loads of the users supported by the smart antenna. For example, if the downlink traffic load is 80%, and you set the AAS usage to 50%, it means that 40% downlink traffic load is supported by the smart antenna equipment while the other 40% is supported by the main antenna. AAS usage is calculated during Monte Carlo simulations, and cannot be modified manually because the AAS usage values correspond to the angular distributions of interference. Inter-technology UL noise rise: This noise rise represents the interference created by mobiles and base stations of an external network on this cell on the uplink. This noise rise will be taken into account in all uplink interference-based calculations involving this cell in the simulation. It is not used in predictions where Atoll calculates the uplink total interference from the uplink noise rise which includes inter-technology uplink interference. For more information on inter-technology interference, see "Modelling Inter-technology Interference" on page 405.
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Inter-technology DL noise rise: This noise rise represents the interference created by mobiles of an external network on the mobiles served by this cell on the downlink. This noise rise will be taken into account in all downlink interference-based calculations involving this cell. For more information on inter-technology interference, see "Modelling Inter-technology Interference" on page 405. Max number of intra-technology neighbours: The maximum number of LTE neighbours that the cell can have. Max number of inter-technology neighbours: The maximum number of other technology neighbours that the cell can have. Neighbours: You can access a dialogue in which you can set both intra-technology and inter-technology neighbours by clicking the Browse button ( ). For information on defining neighbours, see "Planning Neighbours" on page 266.
The Browse button ( ) might not be visible in the Neighbours box if this is a new cell. You can make the Browse button appear by clicking Apply.
6.2.1.2.1
6.2.1.2.2
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To create a new transmitter: 1. Click the Network tab of the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the LTE Transmitters folder. The context menu appears. 3. Select New from the context menu. The Transmitters: New Element Properties dialogue appears (see Figure 6.21). 4. Modify the parameters described in "Transmitter Description" on page 202. 5. Click OK. When you create a new transmitter, Atoll automatically creates a cell based on the default station template. For information on creating a cell, see "Creating or Modifying a Cell" on page 209. To modify the properties of an existing transmitter: 1. Click the Network tab of the Explorer window. 2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the LTE Transmitters folder. 3. Right-click the transmitter you want to modify. The context menu appears. 4. Select Properties from the context menu. The transmitters Properties dialogue appears. 5. Modify the parameters described in "Transmitter Description" on page 202. 6. Click OK. If you are creating several transmitters at the same time, or modifying several existing transmitters, you can do it more quickly by editing or pasting the data directly in the Transmitters table. You can open the Transmitters table by rightclicking the LTE Transmitters folder on the Network tab of the Explorer window and selecting Open Table from the context menu. For information on copying and pasting data, see "Copying and Pasting in Tables" on page 54. If you want to add a transmitter to an existing site on the map, you can add the transmitter by right-clicking the site and selecting New Transmitter from the context menu.
6.2.1.2.3
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To place a new station using a station template: 1. In the Radio Planning toolbar, select a template from the list.
3. In the map window, move the pointer over the map to where you would like to place the new station. The exact coordinates of the pointers current location are visible in the Status bar.
4. Click to place the station. To place the base station more accurately, you can zoom in on the map before you click the New Transmitter or Station button. For information on using the zooming tools, see "Changing the Map Scale" on page 29. If you let the pointer rest over the base station you have placed, Atoll displays its tip text with its exact coordinates, allowing you to verify that the location is correct.
You can also place a series of base stations using a station template. You do this by defining an area on the map where you want to place the base stations. Atoll calculates the placement of each base station according to the defined hexagonal cell radius in the station template. For information on defining the cell radius, see "Modifying a Station Template" on page 211. To place a series of base stations within a defined area: 1. In the Radio Planning toolbar, select a template from the list (see Figure 6.23). 2. Click the Hexagonal Design button ( ) to the right of the station template list. A hexagonal design is a group of base stations created from the same station template. 3. Draw a zone delimiting the area where you want to place the series of base stations: a. Click once on the map to start drawing the zone. b. Click once on the map to define each point on the map where the border of the zone changes direction. c. Click twice to finish drawing and close the zone. Atoll fills the delimited zone with new base stations and their hexagonal shapes. Base station objects such as sites and transmitters are also created and placed into their respective folders. You can work with the sites and transmitters in these base stations as you work with any base station object, adding, for example, another antenna to a transmitter. Placing a Station on an Existing Site When you place a new station using a station template as explained in "Placing a New Base Station Using a Station Template" on page 209, the site is created at the same time as the station. However, you can also place a new station on an existing site. To place a base station on an existing site: 1. On the Network tab, clear the display check box beside the Hexagonal Design folder. 2. In the Radio Planning toolbar, select a template from the list. 3. Click the New Transmitter or Station button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar.
4. Move the pointer to the site on the map. When the frame appears around the site, indicating it is selected, click to place the station.
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Figure 6.23: The Radio Planning toolbar In this section, the following are explained: "Creating a Station Template" on page 211 "Modifying a Station Template" on page 211 "Copying Properties from One Station Template to Another" on page 214 "Modifying a Field in a Station Template" on page 215 "Deleting a Station Template" on page 215.
6.2.1.4.1
8. Select Paste from the context menu. The station template you copied in step 5. is pasted in the new row, with the Name of the new station template given as the same as the template copied but preceded by "Copy of". 9. Edit the parameters of the new station template in the table or as explained in "Modifying a Station Template" on page 211.
6.2.1.4.2
Under Main antenna, you can select the the main antenna Model, under Smart antenna, you can select the smart antenna Equipment used by the transmitter, and under Number of antenna ports, you can enter the number of antennas used for Transmission and for Reception for MIMO.
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Under Path loss matrices, you can modify the following: the Main propagation model, the Main radius, and the Main resolution, and the Extended propagation model, the Extended radius, and the Extended resolution. For information on propagation models, see Chapter 5: Working with Calculations in Atoll. Under Comments, you can add additional information. The information you enter will be the default information in the Comments field of any transmitter created using this station template.
Figure 6.24: Station Template Properties dialogue General tab 8. Click the Transmitter tab. On this tab (see Figure 6.25), if the Active check box is selected, you can modify the following under Transmission/Reception: you can click the Equipment button to open the Equipment Specifications dialogue and modify the tower-mounted amplifier (TMA), feeder cables, or transmitter equipment. For information on the Equipment Specifications dialogue, see "Transmitter Description" on page 202. The information in the computed Total losses in transmission and reception boxes is calculated from the information you entered in the Equipment Specifications dialogue (see Figure 6.22 on page 204). Any loss related to the noise due to a transmitters repeater is included in the calculated losses. Atoll always considers the values in the Real boxes in coverage predictions even if they are different from the values in the Computed boxes. You can modify the real Total losses at transmission and reception if you want. Any value you enter must be positive. The information in the computed Noise figure box is calculated from the information you entered in the Equipment Specifications dialogue. You can modify the real Noise figure at reception if you want. Any value you enter must be positive.
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Figure 6.25: Station Template Properties dialogue Transmitter tab 9. Click the LTE tab. On this tab (see Figure 6.26), you can modify the following: Under Power and EPRE offsets relative to the reference signals EPRE, you can modify the Max power or RS EPRE, and the EPRE offsets for the SS, PBCH, PDSCH, and PDCCH in SS offset, PBCH offset, PDCCH offset, and PDSCH offset. You can assign channel and physical cell ID per cell per sector, by clicking the Cell definition per sector button. The Cell Definition per Sector dialogue appears. i. Click the Cell definition per sector button. The Cell Definition per Sector dialogue appears.
ii. Select the Sector for which you want to define cell parameters, i.e., channel number and physical cell ID. iii. Enter the Number of cell layers that the selected sector will have. The number of rows in the grid below depends on the number of cell layers that you enter. iv. In the Cell layer - Channel/Physical cell ID grid, assign a channel number and a physical cell ID to each cell. v. Carry out the steps above to assign a channel and physical cell ID to each sector. vi. Click OK. Frequency band, Min reuse distance, Reception equipment, Scheduler, Max number of users, TDD frame configuration, and Min RSRP. Under Antenna diversity, you can select the Diversity support in downlink and in uplink, enter the AMS & MU-MIMO threshold, and define the default MU-MIMO capacity gain. Under Default loads, you can enter the default values for DL traffic load, UL traffic load, UL noise rise, and the Max DL traffic load and Max UL traffic load. Under Inter-technology interference, you can set the DL noise rise and the UL noise rise. For more information on inter-technology interference, see "Modelling Inter-technology Interference" on page 405.
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Figure 6.26: Station Template Properties dialogue LTE tab 10. Click the Neighbours tab. On this tab (see Figure 6.27), you can modify the following: Under Max number of neighbours, you can set the maximum numbers of Intra-technology and Inter-technology neighbours.
Figure 6.27: Station Template Properties dialogue Neighbours tab 11. Click the Other Properties tab. The Other Properties tab will only appear if you have defined additional fields in the Sites table, or if you have defined an additional field in the Station Template Properties dialogue. 12. When you have finished setting the parameters for the station template, click OK to close the dialogue and save your changes.
6.2.1.4.3
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5. In the Stations Templates table, copy the settings in the row corresponding to the station template you want to copy from and paste them into the row corresponding to the station template you want to modify.
6.2.1.4.4
6.2.1.4.5
To duplicate an existing base station: 1. Click the Network tab of the Explorer window. 2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Sites folder. 3. Right-click the site you want to duplicate. The context menu appears. 4. From the context menu, select one of the following: Select Duplicate > Without Neighbours from the context menu, if you want to duplicate the base station without the intra- and inter-technology neighbours of its transmitters. Select Duplicate > With Outward Neighbours from the context menu, if you want to duplicate the base station along with the lists of intra- and inter-technology neighbours of its transmitters.
You can now place the new base station on the map using the mouse. 5. In the map window, move the pointer over the map to where you would like to place the new base station. The exact coordinates of the pointers current location are visible in the status bar.
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To place the station more accurately, you can zoom in on the map before you select Duplicate from the context menu. For information on using the zooming tools, see "Changing the Map Scale" on page 29. If you let the pointer rest over the station you have placed, Atoll displays tip text with its exact coordinates, allowing you to verify that the location is correct.
6. Click to place the duplicate base station. A new base station is placed on the map. The site, transmitters, and cells of the new base station have the same names as the site, transmitters, and cells of the original base station with each name marked as "Copy of." The site, transmitters, and cells of the duplicate base station have the same settings as those of the original base station. All the remote antennas and repeaters of any transmitter on the original site are also duplicated. You can also place a series of duplicate base stations by pressing and holding Ctrl in step 6. and clicking to place each duplicate station. For more information on the site, transmitter, and cell properties, see "Definition of a Base Station" on page 201.
For information on copying and pasting data, see "Copying and Pasting in Tables" on page 54. Importing data: If you have base station data in text or comma-separated value (CSV) format, you can import it into the tables in the current document. If the data is in another Atoll document, you can first export it in text or CSV format and then import it into the tables of your current Atoll document. When you are importing, Atoll allows you to select what values you import into which columns of the table. When you create a group of base stations by importing data, you must import site data in the Sites table, transmitter data in the Transmitters table, and cell data in the Cells table, in that order. For information on exporting table data, see "Exporting Tables to Text Files" on page 57. For information on importing table data, see "Importing Tables from Text Files" on page 58.
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"Moving a Site Using the Mouse" on page 21. "Moving a Site to a Higher Location" on page 21. "Changing the Azimuth of the Antenna Using the Mouse" on page 22. "Changing the Antenna Position Relative to the Site Using the Mouse" on page 22.
same site with the same azimuth, you can differentiate them by selecting different symbols for each ( For information on defining the transmitter symbol, see "Defining the Display Type" on page 24.
In this section, the following are explained: "Opening the Repeaters Table" on page 218 "Creating and Modifying Repeater Equipment" on page 218 "Placing a Repeater on the Map Using the Mouse" on page 218 "Creating Several Repeaters" on page 219 "Defining the Properties of a Repeater" on page 219 "Tips for Updating Repeater Parameters" on page 221.
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Atoll assumes that all carriers from the LTE donor transmitter are amplified.
e. Enter the maximum power that the equipment can transmit on the downlink in the Max downlink power column. This parameter enables Atoll to ensure that the downlink power after amplification does not exceed the limit of the equipment. f. If desired, enter a Max uplink power, an Internal delay and Comments. These fields are for information only and are not used in calculations.
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You can see to which base station the repeater is connected by clicking it; Atoll displays a link to the donor transmitter, repeater, or remote antenna.
For information on copying and pasting data, see "Copying and Pasting in Tables" on page 54.
You can change the Site on which the repeater is located. Clicking the Browse button ( ) opens the Properties dialogue of the site. You can enter the Shared antenna (coverage side) flag for the repeater. This flag is used to identify the repeaters of different technologies, located at the same site, that share antennas. These repeaters may be other technology repeaters in a 3GPP Multi-RAT document or in a linked co-planning document. The flag must be the same for all such repeaters. Shared antennas have the same position relative to the site (Dx, Dy), height, azimuth, and mechanical tilt, for all the repeaters that use them. Atoll automatically synchronises changes made to these parameters for one repeater to all other repeaters that share the antenna. For more information on co-planning, see "Co-planning LTE Networks with Other Networks" on page 372. Under Antenna position, you can define the position of the repeater, if it is not located on the site itself: Relative to site: Select Relative to site, if you want to define the position of the repeater relative to the site itself and then enter the XY offsets. Coordinates: Select Coordinates, if you want to define the position of the repeater by its XY coordinates.
You can select equipment from the Equipment list. Clicking the Browse button ( ) opens the Properties dialogue of the equipment. You can change the Amplifier Gain. The amplifier gain is used in the link budget to evaluate the repeater total gain.
4. Click the Donor Side tab. You can modify the following parameters: Under Donor-repeater link, select a Link type. If you select Microwave link, enter the Propagation losses and continue with step 5. If you select Air, select a Propagation model and enter the Propagation losses or click Calculate to determine the actual propagation losses between the donor and the repeater. If you do not select a propagation model, the propagation losses between the donor transmitter and the repeater are calculated using the ITU 526-5 propagation model. When you create an off-air repeater, it is assumed that the link between the donor transmitter and the repeater has the same frequency as the network.
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If you want to create a remote antenna, you must select Optical Fibre Link.
If you selected Air under Donor-repeater link, enter the following information under Antenna: Model: The type of antenna is visible in the Model list. You can click the Browse button ( ) to access the properties of the antenna. Clicking the Select button opens a dialogue displaying all the possible antennas based on the same physical antenna as the currently selected one. Selecting the Electrical tilt of the antenna model displays the appropriate antennas under Available antennas. Selecting the antenna under Available antennas and clicking OK assigns the antenna to the repeater. Height/ground: The Height/ground box gives the height of the antenna above the ground. This is added to the altitude of the site as given by the DTM. If the repeater is situated on a building, the height entered must include the height of building. Enter the Azimuth and the Mechanical downtilt. You can click the Calculate button to update azimuth and downtilt values after changing the repeater donor side antenna height or the repeater location. If you choose another site or change site coordinates in the General tab, click Apply before clicking the Calculate button.
If you selected Air under Donor-repeater link, enter the following information under Feeders: Type: The type of feeder is visible in the Type list. You can click the Browse button ( erties of the feeder. Length: Enter the Length of the feeder cable at Transmission and at Reception. ) to access the prop-
5. Click the Coverage Side tab. You can modify the following parameters: Select the Active check box. Only active repeaters (displayed in red in the LTE Transmitters folder in the Network tab of the Explorer window) are calculated. Under Total gains, enter the gains in the Downlink and Uplink or click Calculate to determine the actual gains. If you have modified any parameter in the General, Donor Side, or Coverage Side tabs, click Apply before clicking the Calculate button. Atoll uses the total gain values to calculate the signal level received from and at the repeater. The DL total gain is applied to RS, SS, PBCH, PDCCH, and PDSCH powers and EPREs. The UL total gain is applied to the PUCCH and PUSCH powers. The total gains take into account losses between the donor transmitter and the repeater, donor characteristics (donor antenna gain, reception feeder losses), amplifier gain, and coverage characteristics (coverage antenna gain and transmission feeder losses). Under Antennas, you can modify the following parameters: Height/ground: The Height/ground box gives the height of the antenna above the ground. This is added to the altitude of the site as given by the DTM. If the repeater is situated on a building, the height entered must include the height of building. Main antenna: Under Main antenna, the type of antenna is visible in the Model list. You can click the Browse button ( ) to access the properties of the antenna. Clicking the Select button opens a dialogue displaying all the possible antennas based on the same physical antenna as the currently selected one. Selecting the Electrical tilt of the antenna model displays the appropriate antennas under Available antennas. Selecting the antenna under Available antennas and clicking OK assigns the antenna to the transmitter. The other fields, Azimuth, Mechanical downtilt, and Additional electrical downtilt, display additional antenna parameters. Under Secondary antennas, you can select one or more secondary antennas in the Antenna column and enter their Azimuth, Mechanical downtilt, Additional electrical downtilt, and % Power. The Additional electrical downtilt may be made accessible through an option in the atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual. For more information on the effect of additional electrical downtilt on antenna patterns, see the Technical Reference Guide. For information on working with data tables, see "Working with Data Tables" on page 47.
Under Feeders, you can modify the following information: i. Select a Type of feeder from the list. You can click the Browse button ( feeder. ) to access the properties of the
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ii. Enter the Length of the feeder cable at Transmission and at Reception. Under Losses, Atoll displays the Loss related to repeater noise rise.
6. Click the Propagation tab. Since repeaters are taken into account during calculations, you must set the propagation parameters. On the Propagation tab, you can modify the following: the Propagation model, Radius, and Resolution for both the Main matrix and the Extended matrix. By default, the propagation characteristics of the repeater (model, calculation radius, and grid resolution) are the same as those of the donor transmitter. For information on propagation models, see Chapter 5: Working with Calculations in Atoll.
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2. Click the arrow next to New Repeater or Remote Antenna button ( 3. Select Remote Antenna from the menu.
4. Click the map to place the remote antenna. The remote antenna is placed on the map, represented by the same symbol and colour as the donor transmitter. If the remote antenna is inactive, it is displayed by an empty icon. By default, the remote antenna has the same azimuth as the donor transmitter. Its tip text and label display the same information as displayed for the donor transmitter. As well, its tip text identifies the remote antenna and the donor transmitter. For information on defining the properties of the new remote antenna, see "Defining the Properties of a Remote Antenna" on page 222. You can see to which base station the remote antenna is connected by clicking it; Atoll displays a link to the donor transmitter.
For information on copying and pasting data, see "Copying and Pasting in Tables" on page 54.
You can change the Site on which the remote antenna is located. Clicking the Browse button ( ) opens the Properties dialogue of the site. You can enter the Shared antenna (coverage side) flag for the remote antenna. This flag is used to identify the remote antennas of different technologies, located at the same site, that share antennas. These remote antennas may be other technology remote antennas in a 3GPP Multi-RAT document or in a linked co-planning document.
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The flag must be the same for all such remote antennas. Shared antennas have the same position relative to the site (Dx, Dy), height, azimuth, and mechanical tilt, for all the remote antennas that use them. Atoll automatically synchronises changes made to these parameters for one remote antenna to all other remote antennas that share the antenna. For more information on co-planning, see "Co-planning LTE Networks with Other Networks" on page 372. Under Antenna position, you can define the position of the remote antenna, if it is not located on the site itself: Relative to site: Select Relative to site, if you want to define the position of the remote antenna relative to the site itself and then enter the XY offsets. Coordinates: Select Coordinates, if you want to define the position of the remote antenna by its XY coordinates. A remote antenna does not have equipment.
4. Click the Donor Side tab. You can modify the following parameters: Under Donor-repeater link, select Optical fibre link and enter the Fibre losses.
5. Click the Coverage Side tab. You can modify the following parameters: Select the Active check box. Only active remote antennas (displayed in red in the LTE Transmitters folder in the Network tab of the Explorer window) are calculated. Under Total gains, enter the gains in the Downlink and Uplink or click Calculate to determine the actual gains. If you have modified any parameter in the General, Donor Side, or Coverage Side tabs, click Apply before clicking the Calculate button. Atoll uses the total gain values to calculate the signal level received from and at the remote antenna. The DL total gain is applied to RS, SS, PBCH, PDCCH, and PDSCH powers and EPREs. The UL total gain is applied to the PUCCH and PUSCH powers. The total gains take into account losses between the donor transmitter and the remote antenna. Under Antennas, you can modify the following parameters: Height/ground: The Height/ground box gives the height of the antenna above the ground. This is added to the altitude of the site as given by the DTM. If the remote antenna is situated on a building, the height entered must include the height of building. Main antenna: Under Main antenna, the type of antenna is visible in the Model list. You can click the Browse button ( ) to access the properties of the antenna. Clicking the Select button opens a dialogue displaying all the possible antennas based on the same physical antenna as the currently selected one. Selecting the Electrical tilt of the antenna model displays the appropriate antennas under Available antennas. Selecting the antenna under Available antennas and clicking OK assigns the antenna to the transmitter. The other fields, Azimuth, Mechanical downtilt, and Additional electrical downtilt, display additional antenna parameters. Under Secondary antennas, you can select one or more secondary antennas in the Antenna column and enter their Azimuth, Mechanical downtilt, Additional electrical downtilt, and % Power. The Additional electrical downtilt may be made accessible through an option in the atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual. For more information on the effect of additional electrical downtilt on antenna patterns, see the Technical Reference Guide. For information on working with data tables, see "Working with Data Tables" on page 47.
Under Feeders, you can modify the following information: i. Select a Type of feeder from the list. You can click the Browse button ( feeder. ) to access the properties of the
ii. Enter the Length of the feeder cable at Transmission and at Reception. 6. Click the Propagation tab. Since remote antennas are taken into account during calculations, you must set propagation parameters, as with transmitters. On the Propagation tab, you can modify the following: the Propagation model, Radius, and Resolution for both the Main matrix and the Extended matrix. By default, the propagation characteristics of the remote antenna (model, calculation radius, and grid resolution) are the same as those of the donor transmitter. For information on propagation models, see Chapter 5: Working with Calculations in Atoll.
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To make a point analysis: 1. In the map window, select the transmitter from which you want to make a point analysis. 2. Click the Point Analysis button ( pointer changes ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar. The Point Analysis window appears and the
3. A line appears on the map connecting the selected transmitter and the current position. You can now do the following: Move the receiver to change the current position. Click to place the receiver at the current position. You can move the receiver again by clicking it a second time. Right-click the receiver to choose one of the following commands from the context menu: - Coordinates: Select Coordinates to change the receiver position by entering new XY coordinates. - Target Site: Select a site from the list to place the receiver directly on a site.
4. Select the Profile view. The profile analysis appears in the Profile view of the Point Analysis window. The altitude is reported on the vertical axis and the receiver-transmitter distance on the horizontal axis. A blue ellipsoid indicates the Fresnel zone between the transmitter and the receiver, with a green line indicating the line of sight (LOS). Atoll displays the angle of the LOS read from the vertical antenna pattern. Along the profile, if the signal meets an obstacle, this causes attenuation with diffraction displayed by a red vertical line (if the propagation model used takes diffraction mechanisms into account). The main peak is the one that intersects the most with the Fresnel ellipsoid. With some propagation models using a 3 knife-edge Deygout diffraction method, the results may display two additional attenuations peaks. The total attenuation is displayed above the main peak. The results of the analysis are displayed at the top of the Profile view: The received signal strength from the selected transmitter for the cell with the highest reference signal power The propagation model used The shadowing margin and the indoor loss (if selected) The distance between the transmitter and the receiver.
You can change the following options from the Profile view toolbar: Transmitter: Select the transmitter from the list. You can click the Properties button to open the transmitter properties dialogue. Options: Click the Options button to display the Calculation Options dialogue. In this dialogue, you can: - Change the X and Y coordinates to change the current position of the receiver. - Select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell edge coverage probability. - Select Signal level, Path loss, or Total losses from the Result type list. - You can select the Indoor coverage check box to add indoor losses. Geographic Profile: Click the Geographic Profile button if you want to view the geographic profile between the transmitter and the receiver. Atoll displays the profile between the transmitter and the receiver with clutter heights. An ellipsoid indicating the Fresnel zone is also displayed. Atoll does not calculate or display signal levels and losses. Link Budget: Click the Link Budget button to display a dialogue with the link budget. Detailed Report: Click Detailed Report button to display a text document with details on the displayed profile analysis. The detailed report is only available for the Standard Propagation Model.
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Displays data, including received signal, shadowing margin, cell edge coverage probability, propagation model used, and transmitter-receiver distance.
Fresnel ellipsoid
Line of sight
Figure 6.29: Point analysis - profile tab 5. To end the point analysis, click the Point Analysis button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar again.
3. Select the propagation parameters to be used in the coverage prediction: a. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the LTE Transmitters folder. b. Right-click the group of transmitters you want to study. The context menu appears. c. Select Open Table from the context menu. A table appears with the properties of the selected group of transmitters. d. In the table, you can configure two propagation models: one for the main matrix, with a shorter radius and a higher resolution, and another for the extended matrix, with a longer radius and a lower resolution. By calculating two matrices you can reduce the time of calculation by using a lower resolution for the extended matrix and you can obtain more accurate results by using propagation models best suited for the main and extended matrices. e. In the Main matrix column: Select a Propagation model. Enter a Radius and Resolution.
f. If desired, in the Extended matrix column: Select a Propagation model. Enter a Radius and Resolution.
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g. Close the table. 4. In the LTE Transmitters folder, right-click the group of transmitters you want to study and select Calculations > Create a New Prediction from the context menu. The Prediction Types dialogue appears. The Prediction Types dialogue lists the coverage prediction types available. They are divided into Standard Predictions, supplied with Atoll, and Customised Prediction. Unless you have already created some customised predictions, the Customised Prediction list will be empty. 5. Select Coverage by Signal Level and click OK. The Coverage by Signal Level Properties dialogue appears. 6. You can configure the following parameters in the Properties dialogue: General tab: You can change the assigned Name of the coverage prediction, the Resolution, and the storage Folder for the coverage prediction, and add some Comments. The resolution you set is the display resolution, not the calculation resolution. To improve memory consumption and optimise the calculation times, you should set the display resolutions of coverage predictions according to the precision required. The following table lists the levels of precision that are usually sufficient: Size of the Coverage Prediction City Centre City County State Country Display Resolution 5m 20 m 50 m 100 m According to the size of the country
Condition tab: The coverage prediction parameters on the Condition tab allow you to define the signals that will be considered for each pixel (see Figure 6.30). At the top of the Condition tab, you can set the signal level range to be considered. Under Server, select "All" to consider all servers. Selecting "All" or "Best Signal Level" will give you the same results because Atoll displays the results of the best server in either case. Selecting "Best Signal Level" necessitates, however, a longer time for calculation. When you select "Best Signal Level" or "Second Best Signal Level," you can also define a Margin that Atoll will take into consideration. If you select the Shadowing taken into account check box, you can change the Cell edge coverage probability. You can select the Indoor coverage check box to add indoor losses.
Figure 6.30: Condition settings for a coverage prediction by signal level Display tab: You can modify how the results of the coverage prediction will be displayed. Under Display type, select "Value intervals." Under Field, select "Best Signal Level." You can change the value intervals and their displayed colour. For information on changing display properties, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 23. You can create tip text with information about the coverage prediction by clicking the Browse button ( next to the Tip text box and selecting the fields you want to display in the tip text. )
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You can select the Add to legend check box to add the displayed value intervals to the legend. If you change the display properties of a coverage prediction after you have calculated it, you may make the coverage prediction invalid. You will then have to recalculate the coverage prediction to obtain valid results.
7. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it later: Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately. OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Event Viewer. Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window. The signal level coverage prediction can be found in the Predictions folder on the Network tab. Atoll automatically locks the results of a coverage prediction as soon as it is calculated, as indicated by the icon ( folder. When you click the Calculate button ( ) beside the coverage prediction in the Predictions ).
Figure 6.31: An example of a computation zone Before calculating a coverage prediction, Atoll must have valid path loss matrices. Atoll calculates the path loss matrices using the assigned propagation model. Atoll can use two different propagation models for each transmitter: a main propagation model with a shorter radius (displayed with a blue square in Figure 6.31) and a higher resolution and an extended propagation model with a longer radius and a lower resolution. Atoll will use the main propagation model to calculate higher resolution path loss matrices close to the transmitter and the extended propagation model to calculate lower resolution path loss matrices outside the area covered by the main propagation model.
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In this section, the following are explained: "Path Loss Matrices" on page 229. "Assigning a Propagation Model" on page 230. "The Calculation Process" on page 232. "Creating a Computation Zone" on page 233. "Setting Transmitters or Cells as Active" on page 233. "Signal Level Coverage Predictions" on page 234. "Analysing a Coverage Prediction" on page 239. "LTE Coverage Predictions" on page 248. "Printing and Exporting Coverage Prediction Results" on page 266.
To set the storage location of the path loss matrices: 1. Click the Network tab of the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the Predictions folder. The context menu appears. 3. Select Properties from the context menu. The Predictions Properties dialogue appears. 4. On the Predictions tab, under Path loss matrix storage, you can set the location for your private path loss matrices and the location for the shared path loss matrices: Private directory: The Private directory is where you store path loss matrices you generate or, if you are loading path loss matrices from a shared location, where you store your changes to shared path loss matrices. Click the button beside Private directory ( ) and select Embedded to save the path loss matrices in the Atoll document, or Browse to select a directory where Atoll can save the path loss matrices externally. Path loss matrices you calculate locally are not stored in the same directory as shared path loss matrices. Shared path loss matrices are stored in a read-only directory. In other words, you can read the information from the shared path loss matrices but any changes you make will be stored locally, either embedded in the ATL file or in a private external folder, depending on what you have selected in Private directory.
When you save the path loss files externally, the external files are updated as soon as calculations are performed. In order to keep consistency between the Atoll document and the stored calculations, you should save the Atoll document before closing it if you have updated the path loss matrices. Shared directory: When you are working in a multi-user Atoll environment, the project data is stored in a database and the path loss matrices are stored in a directory that is accessible to all users. Any changes you make will not be saved to this directory; they will be saved in the location indicated in Private directory. The path loss matrices
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in the shared directory are updated by a user with administrator rights based on the updated information in the database. For more information on shared directories, see the Administrator Manual. 5. Click OK. Checking the Validity of Path Loss Matrices Atoll automatically checks the validity of the path loss matrices before calculating any coverage prediction. If you want, you can check whether the path loss matrices are valid without creating a coverage prediction. To check whether the path loss matrices are valid: 1. Click the Network tab of the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the LTE Transmitters folder. The context menu appears. 3. Select Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialogue appears. 4. Click the Propagation tab. The path loss matrix information is listed in the Available results table. You have the following display options: Display all matrices: All path loss matrices are displayed. Display only invalid matrices: Only invalid path loss matrices are displayed.
The Available results table lists the following information for each displayed path loss matrix: Transmitter: The name of the transmitter. Locked: If the check box is selected, the path loss matrix will not be updated even if the path loss matrices are recalculated. Valid: This is a Boolean field indicating whether or not the path loss matrix is valid. Reason for invalidity: If the path loss matrix is indicated as being invalid, the reason is given here. Size: The size of the path loss matrix for the transmitter. File: If the path loss matrix is not embedded, the location of the file is listed.
5. Click the Statistics button to display the number of path loss matrices to be recalculated. The Statistics dialogue appears (see Figure 6.32) with the total number of invalid path loss matrices and the reasons for invalidity, as well as a summary of the reasons for invalidity.
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When you assign a propagation model globally, you override any selection you might have made to an individual transmitter or to a group of transmitters.
3. If you have assigned a default propagation model for coverage predictions, as described in "Defining a Default Propagation Model" on page 175, this is the propagation model that will be used for all transmitters whose main propagation model is "(Default model)." If a transmitter has any other propagation model chosen as the main propagation model, that is the propagation model that will be used. In this section, the following are explained: "Assigning a Propagation Model to All Transmitters" on page 231. "Assigning a Propagation Model to a Group of Transmitters" on page 231. "Assigning a Propagation Model to One Transmitter" on page 232.
For more information about the available propagation models, see Chapter 5: Working with Calculations in Atoll. Assigning a Propagation Model to All Transmitters In Atoll, you can assign a propagation model per transmitter or globally. To define a main and extended propagation model for all transmitters: 1. Click the Network tab of the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the LTE Transmitters folder. The context menu appears. 3. Select Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialogue appears. 4. Click the Propagation tab. 5. Under Main matrix: Select a Propagation model Enter a Radius and Resolution.
6. If desired, under Extended matrix: Select a Propagation model Enter a Radius and Resolution.
7. Click OK. The selected propagation models will be used for all transmitters. Setting a different main or extended matrix on an individual transmitter as explained in "Assigning a Propagation Model to One Transmitter" on page 232 will override this entry.
Assigning a Propagation Model to a Group of Transmitters Transmitters that share the same parameters and environment will usually use the same propagation model and settings. In Atoll, you can assign the same propagation model to several transmitters by first grouping them by their common parameters and then assigning the propagation model. To define a main and extended propagation model for a defined group of transmitters: 1. Click the Network tab of the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the LTE Transmitters folder. The context menu appears. 3. From the Group By submenu of the context menu, select the property by which you want to group the transmitters. The objects in the folder are grouped by that property. You can group transmitters by several properties by using the Group By button on the Properties dialogue. For more information, see "Advanced Grouping" on page 66.
4. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the LTE Transmitters folder. 5. Right-click the group of transmitters to which you want to assign a main and extended propagation model. The context menu appears. 6. Select Open Table from the context menu. The Transmitters table appears with the transmitters from the selected group.
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For each transmitter, you can set the propagation model parameters in the following columns: Main propagation model Main calculation radius Main resolution Extended propagation model Extended calculation radius Extended resolution
To enter the same values in one column for all transmitters in the table: 1. Enter the value in the first row in the column. 2. Select the entire column. 3. Right-click the selection and select Edit > Fill Down from the context menu or click the Fill Down button ( Table toolbar to copy the contents of the top cell of the selection into the other cells. If you want to copy the contents of the last cell in the selection into all other cells, you can right-click the selection and select Edit > Fill Up from the context menu or click the Fill Up button ( ) in the Table toolbar. For more information on working with tables in Atoll, see "Working with Data Tables" on page 47. Assigning a Propagation Model to One Transmitter If you have added a single transmitter, you can assign it a propagation model. You can also assign a propagation model to a single transmitter after you have assigned a main and extended propagation model globally or to a group of transmitters. When you assign a main and extended propagation model to a single transmitter, it overrides any changes you have previously made globally. To define a main and extended propagation model for all transmitters: 1. Click the Network tab of the Explorer window. 2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the LTE Transmitters folder. 3. Right-click the transmitter to which you want to assign a main and extended propagation model. The context menu appears. 4. Select Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialogue appears. 5. Click the Propagation tab. 6. Under Main matrix: Select a Propagation model. Enter a Radius and Resolution. ) in the
7. If desired, under Extended matrix: Select a Propagation model. Enter a Radius and Resolution.
8. Click OK. The selected propagation models will be used for the selected transmitter. You can also define the propagation models for a transmitter by right-clicking it in the map window and selecting Properties from the context menu.
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3. Atoll calculates all unlocked coverage predictions in the Predictions folder. Atoll automatically locks the results of a coverage prediction as soon as it is calculated, as indicated by the icon ( Predictions folder. ) beside the coverage prediction in the
You can stop any calculations in progress by clicking the Stop Calculations button ( ) in the toolbar.
When you click the Force Calculation button ( ) instead of the Calculate button, Atoll calculates all path loss matrices, unlocked coverages, and pending simulations.
and with the defined colour on the map and inactive transmitters are indicated with an off icon ( folder and empty symbol on the map. In Atoll, you can also set the cell on a transmitter as active or inactive.
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You can set an individual transmitter as active from its context menu or you can set more than one transmitter as active by activating them from the Transmitters context menu, by activating the transmitters cells from the Cells table, or by selecting the transmitters with a zone and activating them from the zones context menu. To set an individual transmitter as active: 1. Click the Network tab of the Explorer window. 2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the LTE Transmitters folder. 3. Right-click the transmitter you want to activate. The context menu appears. 4. Select Active Transmitter from the context menu. The transmitter is now active. To set more than one transmitter as active using the Transmitters context menu: 1. Click the Network tab of the Explorer window. 2. Select the transmitters you want to set as active: To set all transmitters as active, right-click the LTE Transmitters folder. The context menu appears. To set a group of transmitters as active, click the Expand button ( ) to expand the LTE Transmitters folder and right-click the group of transmitters you want to set as active. The context menu appears.
3. Select Activate Transmitters from the context menu. The selected transmitters are set as active. To set more than one transmitter as active using the Transmitters table: 1. Click the Network tab of the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the LTE Transmitters folder. The context menu appears. 3. Select Open Table. The Transmitters table appears with each transmitters parameters in a row. 4. For each transmitter that you want to set as active, select the check box in the Active column. To set more than one cell as active using the Cells table: 1. Click the Network tab of the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the LTE Transmitters folder. The context menu appears. 3. Select Cells > Open Table. The Cells table appears with each cells parameters in a row. 4. For each cell that you want to set as active, select the check box in the Active column. To set transmitters as active using a zone: 1. Click the Geo tab of the Explorer window. 2. Click the Expand button ( ) to the left of Zones folder to expand the folder. 3. Right-click the folder of the zone you will use to select the transmitters. The context menu appears. If you do not yet have a zone containing the transmitters you want to set as active, you can draw a zone as explained in "Using Zones in the Map Window" on page 33.
4. Select Activate Transmitters from the context menu. The selected transmitters are set as active. Once you have ensured that all transmitters are active, you can set the propagation model parameters. For information on choosing and configuring a propagation model, see Chapter 5: Working with Calculations in Atoll. Calculating path loss matrices can be time and resource intensive when you are working on larger projects. Consequently, Atoll offers you the possibility of distributing path loss calculations on several computers. You can install the distributed calculation server application on other workstations or on servers. Once the distributed calculation server application is installed on a workstation or server, the computer is available for distributed path loss calculation to other computers on the network. For information on setting up the distributed calculation server application, see The Administrator Manual.
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age prediction with the calculated coverage. You can then change the display, providing that the selected parameter does not invalidate the calculated coverage prediction. You can also save the list of all defined coverage predictions in a user configuration, allowing you or other users to load it into a new Atoll document. When you save the list in a user configuration, the parameters of all existing coverage predictions are saved; not just the parameters of calculated or displayed ones. For information on exporting user configurations, see "Saving a User Configuration" on page 76. The following standard coverage predictions are explained in this section: "Making a Coverage Prediction by Signal Level" on page 235 "Making a Coverage Prediction by Transmitter" on page 236 "Making a Coverage Prediction on Overlapping Zones" on page 237.
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Figure 6.33: Condition settings for a coverage prediction by signal level 7. Click the Display tab. If you choose to display the results by best signal level, the coverage prediction results will be in the form of thresholds. If you choose to display the results by signal level, the coverage prediction results will be arranged according to transmitter. For information on adjusting the display, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 23.
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8. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it later: Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Event Viewer. Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window (see Figure 6.34).
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Figure 6.35: Condition settings for a coverage prediction by transmitter 7. Click the Display tab. For a coverage prediction by transmitter, the Display type "Discrete values" based on the Field "Transmitter" is selected by default. Each coverage zone will then be displayed with the same colour as that defined for each transmitter. For information on defining transmitter colours, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 23. 8. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it later: Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Event Viewer. Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window (see Figure 6.36).
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5. Click the General tab. On the General tab, you can change the default Name, Resolution, and the storage Folder for the coverage prediction, and add some Comments. For more information on the storage of coverage predictions, see "Defining the Storage Location of Coverage Prediction Results" on page 190. Under Display configuration, you can create a Filter to select which sites to display in the results. For information on filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 71. The Group by and Sort buttons are not available when making a so-called "global" coverage prediction (e.g., signal level coverage prediction). 6. Click the Condition tab (see Figure 6.37). On the Condition tab, you can define the signals that will be considered for each pixel. At the top of the Condition tab, you can set the range of signal level to be considered. Under Server, select "All" to consider all servers. Selecting "All" or "Best Signal Level" will give you the same results because Atoll displays the results of the best server in either case. Selecting "Best Signal Level" necessitates, however, the longest time for calculation. When you select "Best Signal Level" or "Second Best Signal Level," you can also define a Margin that Atoll will take into consideration. If you select the Shadowing taken into account check box, you can change the Cell edge coverage probability. You can select the Indoor coverage check box to add indoor losses.
Figure 6.37: Condition settings for a coverage prediction on overlapping zones 7. Click the Display tab. For a coverage prediction on overlapping zones, the Display type "Value intervals" based on the Field "Number of servers" is selected by default. Each overlapping zone will then be displayed in a colour corresponding to the number of servers received per pixel. For information on defining display properties, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 23. 8. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it later: Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Event Viewer. Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window (see Figure 6.38).
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6.2.10.7.3
The downlink and uplink load conditions can be taken from the Cells table or from Monte Carlo simulations. You can make a reception analysis to verify a coverage prediction. In this case, before you make the point analysis, ensure the coverage prediction you want to verify is displayed on the map. To make a reception analysis: 1. Click the Point Analysis button ( Figure 6.40) and the pointer changes ( 2. Select the Reception view. 3. At the top of the Reception view, select "Cells table" from Load. 4. Select the signal to be displayed from the Display list. 5. If you are making a reception analysis to verify a coverage prediction, you can recreate the conditions of the coverage prediction: a. Select the same Terminal, Mobility, and Service studied in the coverage prediction. b. Click the Options button in the Reception view toolbar. The Calculation Options dialogue appears. Edit the X and Y coordinates to change the present position of the receiver. Select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell edge coverage probability. Select the Indoor coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per clutter class. ) on the Radio Planning toolbar. The Point Analysis window appears (see ) to represent the receiver.
c. Click OK to close the Calculation Options dialogue. 6. Move the pointer over the map to make a reception analysis for the current location of the pointer. In the map window, arrows from the pointer to each transmitter are displayed in the colour of the transmitters they represent. The line from the pointer to its best server is slightly thicker than the other lines. The best server of the pointer is the transmitter from which the pointer receives the highest reference signal level. 7. Click the map to leave the point analysis pointer at its current position. To move the pointer again, click the point analysis pointer on the map and drag it to a new position.
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Select the load conditions to use in this analysis from simulations or from the Cells table.
The RSRP from the best server (top-most bar) and all interfering cells. Solid bars indicate RSRP above the minimum RSRP.
Select the parameters of the probe user to be studied. Figure 6.40: Point analysis tool: Reception view The bar graph displays the following information: The RS, SS, or PDSCH signal levels, or the RSRP (depending on the selection made from the Display list) from different transmitters (the colour of the bar corresponds to the colour of the transmitter on the map). The minimum RSRP: The empty portion of the bar indicates signal levels below the minimum RSRP. The availability of reference signal coverage, and service in downlink and uplink.
If there is at least one successful connection (for reference signals, downlink, or uplink), double-clicking the icons in the right-hand frame opens a dialogue with additional information with respect to the best server: Reference Signals: Azimuth and tilt of the receiver, total losses, received reference signal power, reference signal C/(I+N), RSRP, RSRQ, RSSI. Downlink: Diversity mode, received powers of the downlink channels, received total noise on the downlink channels, C/(I+N) of the downlink channels, bearer, channel throughputs, cell capacities, and average user throughputs. Uplink: Diversity mode, received powers of the uplink channels, transmission power, allocated bandwidth, total noise on the uplink channels, C/(I+N) of the uplink channels, bearer, channel throughputs, cell capacities, allocated bandwidth throughputs, and average user throughputs.
To get all the above information in a single report: Click the Report button in the Reception view toolbar. The Analysis Report dialogue appears. ) on the Radio Planning toolbar again to end the point analysis.
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You can also create a focus or hot spot as follows: Vector Editor toolbar: You can use the New Polygon ( ) and New Rectangle ( ) buttons available in the Vector Editor toolbar to draw the computation zone. Existing polygon: You can use any existing polygon on the map as a focus or hot spot by right-clicking it and selecting Use As > Focus Zone or Use As > Hot Spot from the context menu. You can also combine an existing focus zone or hot spot with any existing polygon by right-clicking it on the map or in the Explorer window and selecting Add To > Focus Zone or Add To > Hot Spot from the context menu. Importing a polygon: If you have a file with an existing polygon, for example, a polygon describing an administrative area, you can import it and use it as a focus or hot spot. You can import it by right-clicking the Focus Zone or Hot Spots folder on the Geo tab and selecting Import from the context menu. When you import hot spots, you can import the name given to each zone as well. Fit to Map Window: You can create a focus or hot spot the size of the map window by selecting Fit to Map Window from the context menu. You can save the focus zone or hot spots, so that you can use it in a different Atoll document, in the following ways: Saving the focus zone in the user configuration: For information on saving the focus zone in the user configuration, see "Saving a User Configuration" on page 76. - Exporting the focus zone or hot spots: You can export the focus zone or hot spots by right-clicking the Focus Zone or the Hot Spots folder on the Geo tab of the Explorer window and selecting Export from the context menu. You can include population statistics in the focus or hot spot by importing a population map. For information on importing maps, see "Importing a Raster-format Geo Data File" on page 111. -
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You can save the current report format in a configuration: a. Under Configuration, click the Save button. The Save As dialogue appears. b. In the Save As dialogue, browse to the folder where you want to save the configuration and enter a File name. 6. When you have finished defining the format and content of the report, click OK in the Columns to Be Displayed dialogue. The coverage prediction report table appears. The report is based on the hot spots and on the focus zone if available or on the hot spots and computation zone if there is no focus zone. To display a report on all coverage predictions: 1. Click the Network tab of the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the Predictions folder. The context menu appears. 3. Select Generate Report from the context menu. The Columns to Be Displayed dialogue appears. 4. Define the format and content of the report: You can select the columns that will be displayed in the report and define the order they are in: a. Select the check box for each column you want to have displayed. b. Define the order of the columns by selecting each column you want to move and clicking to move it down. You can save the current report format in a configuration: a. Under Configuration, click the Save button. The Save As dialogue appears. b. In the Save As dialogue, browse to the folder where you want to save the configuration and enter a File name. You can load a configuration that you have saved previously and apply it to the current report: a. Under Configuration, click the Load button. The Open dialogue appears. b. Select the configuration you want to load and click Open. The loaded report configuration is applied. 5. When you have finished defining the format and content of the report, click OK in the Columns to Be Displayed dialogue. The coverage prediction report table appears. The report shows all displayed coverage predictions in the same order as in the Predictions folder. The report is based on the focus zone if available or on the calculation zone if there is no focus zone. You can include population statistics in the focus zone or hot spots by importing a population map. For information on importing maps, see "Importing a Raster-format Geo Data File" on page 111. Normally, Atoll takes all geo data into consideration, whether it is displayed or not. However, for the population statistics to be used in a report, the population map has to be displayed. To include population statistics in the focus zone or hot spots: 1. Ensure that the population geo data is visible. For information on displaying geo data, see "Displaying or Hiding Objects on the Map Using the Explorer" on page 18. 2. Click the Network tab in the Explorer window. 3. Right-click the Predictions folder. The context menu appears. 4. Select Generate Report from the context menu. The Columns to Be Displayed dialogue appears. 5. Select the following columns, where "Population" is the name of the folder on the Geo tab containing the population map: "Population" (Population): The number of inhabitants covered. "Population" (% Population): The percentage of inhabitants covered. "Population" (Population [total]): The total number of inhabitants inside the zone. to move it up or
6. Click OK. Atoll saves the names of the columns you select and will automatically select them the next time you create a coverage prediction report. If you have created a custom data map with integrable data, the data can be used in prediction reports. The data will be summed over the coverage area for each item in the report (for example, by transmitter or threshold). The data can be value data (revenue, number of customers, etc.) or density data (revenue/km, number of customer/km, etc.). Data is considered as non-integrable if the data given is per pixel or polygon and cannot be summed over areas, for example, socio-demographic classes, rain zones, etc. For information on integrable data in custom data maps, see "Integrable Versus Non Integrable Data" on page 129.
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Difference: This display shows all pixels covered by both coverage predictions in one colour, pixels covered by only the first prediction with another colour and pixels covered only by the second prediction with a third colour (for example, pixels covered by both predictions are red, pixels covered only by the first prediction are green, and pixels covered only by the second prediction are blue).
To compare two similar coverage predictions: 1. Create and calculate a coverage prediction of the existing network. 2. Examine the coverage prediction to see where coverage can be improved. 3. Make the changes to the network to improve coverage. 4. Duplicate the original coverage prediction (in order to leave the first coverage prediction unchanged). 5. Calculate the duplicated coverage prediction. 6. Compare the original coverage prediction with the new coverage prediction. Atoll displays differences in coverage between them. In this section, the following examples are explained: "Example 1: Studying the Effect of a New Base Station" on page 245 "Example 2: Studying the Effect of a Change in Transmitter Tilt" on page 247.
Example 1: Studying the Effect of a New Base Station If you have an area in a network that is poorly covered by current transmitters, you have several options for increasing coverage. In this example, you can verify if a newly added base station improves coverage. A signal level coverage prediction of the current network is made as described in "Making a Coverage Prediction by Signal Level" on page 235. The results are displayed in Figure 6.42. An area with poor coverage is visible on the right side of the figure.
Figure 6.42: Signal level coverage prediction of existing network A new base station is added, either by creating the base station and adding the transmitters, as explained in "Creating an LTE Base Station" on page 201, or by placing a station template, as explained in "Placing a New Base Station Using a Station Template" on page 209. Once the new site has been added, the original coverage prediction can be recalculated, but then it would be impossible to compare the results. Instead, the original signal level coverage prediction can be copied by selecting Duplicate from its context menu. The copy is then calculated to show the effect of the new base station (see Figure 6.43).
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Figure 6.43: Signal level coverage prediction of network with new base station Now you can compare the two coverage predictions. To compare two coverage predictions: 1. Right-click one of the two predictions. The context menu appears. 2. From the context menu, select Compare with and, from the menu that opens, select the coverage prediction you want to compare with the first. The Comparison Properties dialogue appears. 3. Click the General tab. You can change the Name of the comparison and add Comments. The General tab contains information about the coverage predictions being compared, including their names and resolutions. 4. Click the Display tab. On the Display tab, you can choose how you want the results of the comparison to be displayed. You can choose among: Intersection Union Difference
In order to see what changes adding a new base station made, you should choose Difference. 5. Click OK to create the comparison. The comparison in Figure 6.44, shows clearly the area covered only by the new base station.
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Example 2: Studying the Effect of a Change in Transmitter Tilt If you have an area in a network that is poorly covered by current transmitters, you have several options for increasing coverage. In this example, you can see how modifying transmitter tilt can improve coverage. A coverage prediction by transmitter of the current network is made as described in "Making a Coverage Prediction by Transmitter" on page 236. The results are displayed in Figure 6.45. The coverage prediction shows that one transmitter is covering its area poorly. The area is indicated by a red oval in Figure 6.45.
Figure 6.45: Coverage prediction by transmitter of existing network You can try modifying the tilt on the transmitter to improve the coverage. The properties of the transmitter can be accessed by right-clicking the transmitter in the map window and selecting Properties from the context menu. The mechanical and electrical tilt of the antenna are defined on the Transmitter tab of the Properties dialogue. Once the tilt of the antenna has been modified, the original coverage prediction can be recalculated, but then it would be impossible to compare the results. Instead, the original coverage prediction can be copied by selecting Duplicate from its context menu. The copy is then calculated, to show how modifying the antenna tilt has affected coverage (see Figure 6.46).
Figure 6.46: Coverage prediction by transmitter of network after modifications As you can see, modifying the antenna tilt increased the coverage of the transmitter. However, to see exactly the change in coverage, you can compare the two predictions. To compare two predictions: 1. Right-click one of the two predictions. The context menu appears. 2. From the context menu, select Compare with and, from the menu that opens, select the prediction you want to compare with the first. The Comparison Properties dialogue appears. 3. Click the General tab. You can change the Name of the comparison and add Comments. The General tab contains information about the coverage predictions being compared, including their names and resolutions.
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4. Click the Display tab. On the Display tab, you can choose how you want the results of the comparison to be displayed. You can choose among: Intersection Union Difference
In order to see what changes modifying the antenna tilt made, you can choose Union. This will display all pixels covered by both predictions in one colour and all pixels covered by only one prediction in another colour. The increase in coverage, seen in only the second coverage prediction, will be immediately clear. 5. Click OK to create the comparison. The comparison in Figure 6.47, shows clearly the increase in coverage due at the change in antenna tilt.
This section explains the coverage predictions available for analysing the effective signal level and signal quality. The following are explained: "Analysing the Effective Signal Levels" on page 251. "Analysing the Signal Quality" on page 253.
You can export the results of some signal quality coverage predictions as explained in: "Exporting Signal Quality Coverage Prediction Results" on page 264.
You can also use the Point Analysis window to study the interference level at a point. Load conditions can be selected for the analysis as well as the characteristics of the user-definable probe receiver, i.e., a terminal, a mobility, and a service: "Analysing Interference Areas Using a Point Analysis" on page 265.
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In this section, the following are explained: "Modelling Services" on page 249. "Modelling Mobility Types" on page 249. "Modelling Terminals" on page 250.
Modelling Services Services are the various services available to users. These services can be either voice or data type services. This section explains how to create a service. The following parameters are used in predictions: Highest bearer Lowest bearerThroughput scaling factor Throughput offset Body loss
To create or modify a service: 1. Click the Parameters tab of the Explorer window. 2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Traffic Parameters folder. 3. Right-click the Services folder. The context menu appears. 4. Select New from the context menu. The Services: New Element Properties dialogue appears. You can modify the properties of an existing service by right-clicking the service in the Services folder and selecting Properties from the context menu.
5. Click the General tab. On the General tab, you can change the following parameters: Name: Atoll proposes a name for the new service, but you can set a more descriptive name. Activity factor: The uplink and downlink activity factors are used to determine the probability of activity for users accessing the service during Monte Carlo simulations. For Voice services, this parameter is used when working with sector traffic maps and user density traffic maps. For Data services, Atoll distributes the users according to the activity factors when importing user density traffic maps for all activity statuses. Average requested rate: Enter the average requested throughput for uplink and downlink. The average requested throughput is used in a simulation during user distribution generation in order to calculate the number of users attempting a connection.
6. Click the LTE tab. On the LTE tab, you can change the following parameters: Type: You can select either Voice or Data as the service type. Priority: Enter a priority for this service. "0" is the lowest priority. Highest bearer: Select the highest bearer that the service can use in the uplink and downlink. This is considered as an upper limit during bearer determination. Lowest bearer: Select the lowest bearer that the service can use in the uplink and downlink. This is considered as a lower limit during bearer determination. Max throughput demand: Enter the highest throughput that the service can demand in the uplink and downlink. Min throughput demand: Enter the minimum required throughput that the service should have in order to be available in the uplink and downlink. Application throughput: Under Application throughput, you can set a Scaling factor between the application throughput and the RLC (Radio Link Control) throughput and a throughput Offset. These parameters model the header information and other supplementary data that does not appear at the application level. The application throughput parameters are used in throughput coverage predictions and for application throughput calculation. Body loss: Enter a body loss for the service. The body loss is the loss due to the body of the user. For example, in a voice connection the body loss, due to the proximity of the users head, is estimated to be 3 dB.
7. Click OK. Modelling Mobility Types In LTE, information about the receiver mobility is required for determining which bearer selection threshold and quality graph to use from the reception equipment referred to in the terminal or cell. Mobiles used at high speeds and at walking speeds do not have the same quality characteristics. C/(I+N) requirements for different radio bearers are largely dependent on mobile speed.
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To create or modify a mobility type: 1. Click the Parameters tab of the Explorer window. 2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Traffic Parameters folder. 3. Right-click the Mobility Types folder. The context menu appears. 4. Select New from the context menu. The Mobility Types: New Element Properties dialogue appears. You can modify the properties of an existing mobility type by right-clicking the mobility type in the Mobility Types folder and selecting Properties from the context menu.
5. You can enter or modify the following parameters in the Mobility Types: New Element Properties dialogue: Name: Enter a descriptive name for the mobility type. Average speed: Enter an average speed for the mobility type. This field is for information only; the average speed is not used by any calculation.
6. Click OK. Modelling Terminals In LTE, a terminal is the user equipment that is used in the network, for example, a mobile phone, a PDA, or a cars on-board navigation device. To create or modify a terminal: 1. Click the Parameters tab of the Explorer window. 2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Traffic Parameters folder. 3. Right-click the Terminals folder. The context menu appears. 4. Select New from the context menu. The Terminals: New Element Properties dialogue appears. You can modify the properties of an existing terminal by right-clicking the terminal in the Terminals folder and selecting Properties from the context menu.
5. Click the General tab. On the General tab, you can change the following parameters: Name: Enter a descriptive name for the terminal.
6. Click the LTE tab. On the LTE tab, you can change the following parameters: Under Transmission/Reception, Min power: Enter the minimum transmission power of the terminal. Max power: Enter the maximum transmission power of the terminal. Noise figure: Enter the noise figure of the terminal (used to calculate the downlink total noise). Losses: Enter the losses of the terminal. Reception equipment: Select an equipment from the list of available reception equipment. For more information on reception equipment, see "Defining LTE Reception Equipment" on page 396. - UE category: Select a UE category from the list of available UE categories. For more information on UE categories, see "Defining LTE UE Categories" on page 400. Under Antenna, Model: Select an antenna model from the list of available antennas. If you do not select an antenna for the terminal, Atoll uses an isotropic antenna in calculations. In case you do not select an antenna, Atoll uses an isotropic antenna, not an omni-directional antenna, in calculations. An isotropic antenna has spherical radiation patterns in the horizontal as well as vertical planes. Gain: Enter the terminal antenna gain if you have not selected an antenna model in the Model field. If you have selected an antenna, the Gain field is disabled and shows the gain of the selected antenna. Diversity support: Select the type of antenna diversity techniques supported by the terminal. Antenna diversity gains will be applied to the users using any terminal type depending on the supported antenna diversity techniques, i.e., AAS, MIMO, or AAS+MIMO. If a terminal that supports AAS+MIMO is connected to a cell that supports both antenna diversity techniques, both AAS and MIMO gains will be applied.
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Under MIMO, enter the Number of transmission antenna ports and the Number of reception antenna ports available in the terminal.
7. Click OK.
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Figure 6.48: Condition settings for an effective signal analysis coverage prediction 7. Click the Display tab. 8. From the Display type list, select "Value intervals" to display the coverage prediction by RSRP, signal levels, or C/N levels. For information on adjusting the display, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 23. 9. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it later: Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Event Viewer. Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window (see Figure 6.49 and Figure 6.50).
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6.2.10.8.3
Several signal quality coverage predictions are explained in this section. The following predictions are explained: "Making a Coverage by C/(I+N) Level" on page 254. "Making a Downlink or Uplink Service Area Analysis" on page 256. "Studying the Effective Service Area" on page 258. "Making a Coverage Prediction by Throughput" on page 259. "Making an Aggregate Throughput Coverage Prediction Using Simulation Results" on page 262. "Making a Coverage Prediction by Quality Indicator" on page 262. "Analysing Interference Areas Using a Point Analysis" on page 265.
Setting the Traffic Loads and the UL Noise Rise If you are setting the traffic loads and the uplink noise rise for a single transmitter, you can set these parameters on the Cells tab of the transmitters Properties dialogue. However, you can set the traffic loads and the uplink noise rise for all the cells using the Cells table. To set the traffic loads and the uplink noise rise using the Cells table: 1. Click the Network tab of the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the LTE Transmitters folder. The context menu appears. 3. Select Cells > Open Table from the context menu. The Cells table appears. 4. Enter a value in the following columns: Traffic load (DL) (%) ICIC ratio (DL) (%)
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Although, you can also set a value for the Traffic load (UL) (%) column as an indication of cells uplink loads, this parameter is not used in the coverage prediction calculations. The measure of interference in the uplink is given by the uplink noise rise values. For a definition of the values, see "Cell Description" on page 205. To enter the same values in one column for all cells in the table: 1. Enter the value in the first row in the column. 2. Select the entire column. 3. Right-click the selection and select Edit > Fill Down from the context menu or click the Fill Down button ( Table toolbar to copy the contents of the top cell of the selection into the other cells. If you want to copy the contents of the last cell in the selection into all other cells, you can right-click the selection and select Edit > Fill Up from the context menu or click the Fill Up button ( ) in the Table toolbar. For more information on working with tables in Atoll, see "Working with Data Tables" on page 47. Making a Coverage by C/(I+N) Level Downlink and uplink coverage predictions by C/(I+N) level predict the interference levels and signal-to-interference levels in the part of the network being studied. Atoll calculates the serving transmitter for each pixel depending on the downlink reference signal level. The serving transmitter is determined according to the received reference signal level from the cell with the highest reference signal power. In a prediction for the "Best" layer, if more than one cell cover the pixel, the one with the lowest layer is selected as the serving (reference) cell. Then, depending on the prediction definition, it calculates the interference from other cells, and finally calculates the C/(I+N). The pixel is coloured if the display threshold condition is fulfilled (in other words, if the C/(I+N) is higher than C/(I+N) threshold). Coverage prediction by C/(I+N) level calculates the co-channel interference as well as the adjacent channel interference, which is reduced by the adjacent channel suppression factor defined in the Frequency Bands table. For more information on frequency bands, see "Defining Frequency Bands" on page 391. C/(I+N) in the downlink is calculated for different channels using their respective transmission powers and by calculating the interference received by the resource elements corresponding to these channels from interfering cells. Downlink C/(I+N) calculations are made using the main antenna except for PDSCH C/(I+N) which may be calculated using the smart antenna equipment. C/(I+N) in the uplink is calculated using the terminal power calculated after power control and the uplink noise rise values stored either in the cell properties or in the selected simulation results. To make a coverage prediction by C/(I+N) level: 1. Click the Network tab of the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the Predictions folder. The context menu appears. 3. Select New from the context menu. The Prediction Types dialogue appears. 4. Select Coverage by C/(I+N) Level (DL) or Coverage by C/(I+N) Level (UL) and click OK. The coverage predictions Properties dialogue appears. 5. Click the General tab. On the General tab, you can change the default Name, Resolution, and the storage Folder for the coverage prediction, and add some Comments. For more information on the storage of coverage predictions, see "Defining the Storage Location of Coverage Prediction Results" on page 190. Under Display configuration, you can create a Filter to select which sites to display in the results. For information on filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 71. The Group by and Sort buttons are not available when making a so-called "global" coverage prediction (e.g., signal level coverage prediction). 6. Click the Condition tab (see Figure 6.51). Select "(Cells table)" from Load conditions. In this case, the coverage prediction is not going to be based on load conditions taken from a simulation. Atoll will calculate the coverage prediction using the cell loads stored in the cell properties. When you base a coverage prediction on simulations, you would select the simulations on which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load conditions list. ) in the
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You must select a Terminal, a Mobility type, and a Service. You can also select a cell Layer, or carry out the prediction for the "Best" layer. The C/(I+N) coverage prediction is a best server coverage prediction. The Noise figure defined in the terminal types properties dialogue is used in the coverage prediction to determine the total noise in the downlink, and the Noise figure of the transmitter is used to determine the total noise in the uplink. For more information on services, terminals, mobility types, and reception equipment, see "Modelling Services" on page 249, "Modelling Terminals" on page 250, "Modelling Mobility Types" on page 249, and "Defining LTE Reception Equipment" on page 396, respectively. If you want the coverage prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a percentage in the Cell edge coverage probability text box. The shadowing margin for C (I+N) calculations is based on the C/I standard deviation. You can also have the coverage prediction take Indoor Coverage into consideration.
Figure 6.51: Condition settings for a coverage prediction by C/(I+N) level 7. Click the Display tab. 8. From the Display type list, select "Value intervals" to display the coverage prediction by RSRQ, RSSI, C/(I+N) levels, or total noise (I+N) levels. For information on adjusting the display, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 23. You can also display the uplink C/(I+N) for all frequency blocks, i.e., without uplink bandwidth reduction, by setting the Uplink bandwidth allocation target to Full bandwidth for the scheduler being used and then selecting the display option PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N) Level (UL). For more information on schedulers, see "Defining LTE Schedulers" on page 399. 9. If you wish to export the coverage prediction results to a text file, click the Result Export tab and see "Exporting Signal Quality Coverage Prediction Results" on page 264 for more information. 10. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it later: Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Event Viewer. Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window (see Figure 6.52 and Figure 6.53).
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Figure 6.53: Coverage prediction by PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N) Making a Downlink or Uplink Service Area Analysis Downlink and uplink service area analysis coverage predictions calculate and display the best LTE radio bearers based on C (I+N) for each pixel. In the coverage predic ons, the downlink or uplink service areas are limited by the bearer selec on thresholds of the highest and lowest bearers of the selected service. To make a coverage prediction on service area: 1. Click the Network tab of the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the Predictions folder. The context menu appears. 3. Select New from the context menu. The Prediction Types dialogue appears. 4. Select Service Area Analysis (DL) or Service Area Analysis (UL) and click OK. The coverage predictions Properties dialogue appears. 5. Click the General tab. On the General tab, you can change the default Name, Resolution, and the storage Folder for the coverage prediction, and add some Comments. For more information on the storage of coverage predictions, see "Defining the Storage
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Location of Coverage Prediction Results" on page 190. Under Display configuration, you can create a Filter to select which sites to display in the results. For information on filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 71. The Group by and Sort buttons are not available when making a so-called "global" coverage prediction (e.g., signal level coverage prediction). 6. Click the Condition tab (see Figure 6.54). Select "(Cells table)" from Load conditions. In this case, the coverage prediction is not going to be based on load conditions taken from a simulation. Atoll will calculate the coverage prediction using the cell loads stored in the cell properties. When you base a coverage prediction on simulations, you would select the simulations on which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load conditions list.
You must select a Terminal, a Mobility type, and a Service. You can also select a cell Layer, or carry out the prediction for the "Best" layer. The best bearer coverage prediction is always based on the best server. The Noise figure defined in the terminal types properties dialogue is used in the coverage prediction to determine the total noise in the downlink, and the Noise figure of the transmitter is used to determine the total noise in the uplink. As well, the bearer selecon for each pixel according to the PDSCH C (I+N) level is performed using the bearer selec on thresholds dened in the reception equipment. This reception equipment is the one defined in the selected terminal for the downlink coverage predictions, and the one defined in the cell properties of the serving transmitter for the uplink coverage predictions. Mobility is used to index the bearer selection threshold graph to use. You can make Atoll use only the bearers for which selection thresholds are defined in both the terminals and the cells reception equipment by adding an option in the atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual. For more information on services, terminals, mobility types, and reception equipment, see "Modelling Services" on page 249, "Modelling Terminals" on page 250, "Modelling Mobility Types" on page 249, and "Defining LTE Reception Equipment" on page 396, respectively. If you want the coverage prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a percentage in the Cell edge coverage probability text box. The shadowing margin for C (I+N) calculations is based on the C/I standard deviation. You can also have the coverage prediction take Indoor coverage into consideration.
Figure 6.54: Condition settings for a coverage prediction on LTE bearers 7. Click the Display tab. 8. From the Display type list, select display by best bearer or modulation. For information on adjusting the display, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 23. 9. If you wish to export the coverage prediction results to a text file, click the Result Export tab and see "Exporting Signal Quality Coverage Prediction Results" on page 264 for more information. 10. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it later: Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately
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OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Event Viewer. Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window (see Figure 6.55 and Figure 6.56).
Figure 6.56: Uplink service area analysis display by bearer Studying the Effective Service Area The effective service area is the intersection zone between the uplink and downlink service areas. In other words, the effective service area prediction calculates where a service actually is available in both downlink and uplink. The service availability depends upon the bearer selection thresholds of the highest and lowest bearers defined in the properties of the service selected for the prediction. To make an effective service area coverage prediction: 1. Click the Network tab of the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the Predictions folder. The context menu appears.
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3. Select New from the context menu. The Prediction Types dialogue appears. 4. Select Effective Service Area Analysis (DL+UL) and click OK. The coverage predictions Properties dialogue appears. 5. Click the General tab. On the General tab, you can change the default Name, Resolution, and the storage Folder for the coverage prediction, and add some Comments. For more information on the storage of coverage predictions, see "Defining the Storage Location of Coverage Prediction Results" on page 190. Under Display configuration, you can create a Filter to select which sites to display in the results. For information on filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 71. The Group by and Sort buttons are not available when making a so-called "global" coverage prediction (e.g., signal level coverage prediction). 6. Click the Condition tab. Select "(Cells table)" from Load conditions. In this case, the coverage prediction is not going to be based on load conditions taken from a simulation. Atoll will calculate the coverage prediction using the cell loads stored in the cell properties. When you base a coverage prediction on simulations, you would select the simulations on which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load conditions list.
You must select a Terminal, a Mobility type, and a Service. You can also select a cell Layer, or carry out the prediction for the "Best" layer. The best bearer coverage prediction is always based on the best server. For more information on services, terminals, mobility types, and reception equipment, see "Modelling Services" on page 249, "Modelling Terminals" on page 250, "Modelling Mobility Types" on page 249, and "Defining LTE Reception Equipment" on page 396, respectively. If you want the coverage prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a percentage in the Cell edge coverage probability text box. The shadowing margin for C (I+N) calculations is based on the C/I standard deviation. You can also have the coverage prediction take Indoor coverage into consideration. 7. Click the Display tab. For an effective service area prediction, the Display type "Unique" is selected by default. The coverage prediction will display where a service is available in both downlink and uplink. For information on defining display properties, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 23. 8. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it later: Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Event Viewer. Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window. Making a Coverage Prediction by Throughput Downlink and uplink throughput coverage predictions calculate and display the channel throughputs and cell capacities based on C (I+N) and bearer calcula ons for each pixel. These coverage predic ons can also display aggregate cell throughputs if Monte Carlo simulation results are available. For more information on making aggregate cell throughput coverage predictions using simulation results, see "Making an Aggregate Throughput Coverage Prediction Using Simulation Results" on page 262. To make a coverage prediction by throughput: 1. Click the Network tab of the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the Predictions folder. The context menu appears. 3. Select New from the context menu. The Prediction Types dialogue appears. 4. Select Coverage by Throughput (DL) or Coverage by Throughput (UL) and click OK. The coverage predictions Properties dialogue appears. 5. Click the General tab. On the General tab, you can change the default Name, Resolution, and the storage Folder for the coverage prediction, and add some Comments. For more information on the storage of coverage predictions, see "Defining the Storage Location of Coverage Prediction Results" on page 190. Under Display configuration, you can create a Filter to select which sites to display in the results. For information on filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 71. The Group by and
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Sort buttons are not available when making a so-called "global" coverage prediction (e.g., signal level coverage prediction). 6. Click the Condition tab (see Figure 6.57). Select "(Cells table)" from Load conditions. In this case, the coverage prediction is not going to be based on load conditions taken from a simulation. Atoll will calculate the coverage prediction using the cell loads stored in the cell properties. When you base a coverage prediction on simulations, you would select the simulations on which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load conditions list.
You must select a Terminal, a Mobility type, and a Service. You can also select a cell Layer, or carry out the prediction for the "Best" layer. The throughput coverage prediction is always based on the best server. The Noise figure defined in the terminal types Properties dialogue is used in the coverage prediction to determine the total noise in the downlink, and the Noise figure of the transmitter is used to determine the total noise in the uplink. As well, the bearer selecon for each pixel according to the PDSCH C (I+N) level is performed using the bearer selec on thresholds dened in the reception equipment. This reception equipment is the one defined in the selected terminal for the downlink coverage predictions, and the one defined in the cell properties of the serving transmitter for the uplink coverage predictions. The mobility is used to indicate the bearer selection threshold graph to use. The service is used for the application throughput parameters defined in the service Properties dialogue. You can make Atoll use only the bearers for which selection thresholds are defined in both the terminals and the cells reception equipment by adding an option in the atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual. For more information on services, terminals, mobility types, and reception equipment, see "Modelling Services" on page 249, "Modelling Terminals" on page 250, "Modelling Mobility Types" on page 249, and "Defining LTE Reception Equipment" on page 396, respectively. If you want the coverage prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a percentage in the Cell edge coverage probability text box. The shadowing margin for C (I+N) calculations is based on the C/I standard deviation. You can also have the coverage prediction take Indoor coverage into consideration.
Figure 6.57: Condition settings for a throughput coverage prediction 7. Click the Display tab. 8. From the Display type list, select "Value intervals" to display the coverage prediction by peak MAC, effective MAC, or application throughputs. For information on adjusting the display, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 23. 9. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it later: Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Event Viewer.
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Atoll determines the total number of symbols in the downlink and the uplink frames from the information in the global transmitter parameters and the frequency bands assigned to cells. Then, Atoll determines the bearer at each pixel and multiplies the bearer efficiency by the number of symbols in the frame to determine the peak RLC channel throughputs. The effective RLC throughputs are the peak RLC throughputs reduced by retransmission due to errors, or the Block Error Rate (BLER). Atoll uses the block error rate graphs of the reception equipment defined in the selected terminal for downlink or the reception equipment of the cell of the serving transmitter for uplink . The application throughput is the effective RLC throughput reduced by the overheads of the different layers between the RLC and the Application layers. The cell capacity display types let you calculate and display the throughputs available at each pixel of the coverage area taking into account the maximum traffic load limits set for each cell. In other words, the cell capacity is equal to channel throughput when the maximum traffic load is set to 100 %, and is equal to a throughput limited by the maximum allowed traffic loads otherwise. Cell capacities are, therefore, channel throughputs scaled down to respect the maximum traffic load limits. The average user throughput in downlink is calculated by dividing the downlink cell capacity by the number of downlink users of the serving cell. In uplink, the average user throughput is calculated by dividing the allocated bandwidth throughput by the number of uplink users of the serving cell. The allocated bandwidth throughputs are the throughputs corresponding to the number of frequency blocks allocated to the terminal at different locations. Users located far from the base stations use less numbers of frequency blocks than users located near so that they can concentrate their transmission power over a bandwidth narrower than the channel bandwidth in order to maintain the connection in uplink. For more information on throughput calculation, see the Technical Reference Guide. For more information on the Global Parameters, see "The Global Network Settings" on page 392. Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
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Figure 6.59: Coverage prediction by uplink channel throughput Making an Aggregate Throughput Coverage Prediction Using Simulation Results Atoll calculates the aggregate peak RLC, effective RLC, and application cell throughputs during Monte Carlo simulations. The aggregate cell throughputs are the sums of the cells user throughputs. You can create a coverage prediction that calculates and displays the surface area covered by each cell, and colours the coverage area of each cell according to its aggregate throughput. To create an aggregate throughput coverage prediction: 1. Create and calculate a Monte Carlo simulation. For more information on creating Monte Carlo simulations, see "Calculating and Displaying Traffic Simulations" on page 301. 2. Create a coverage prediction by throughput as explained in "Making a Coverage Prediction by Throughput" on page 259, with the following exceptions: a. On the Condition tab, select a simulation or group of simulations from the Load conditions list. The coverage prediction will display the results based on the selected simulation or on the average results of the selected group of simulations. b. On the Display tab, you can display results by Peak RLC aggregate throughput, Effective RLC aggregate throughput, or Aggregate application throughput. The coverage prediction results will be in the form of thresholds. For information on defining the display, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 23. This coverage prediction displays the surface area covered by each cell and colours it according to its aggregate throughput. For more information on using simulation results in coverage predictions, see "Making Coverage Predictions Using Simulation Results" on page 315. Making a Coverage Prediction by Quality Indicator Downlink and uplink quality indicator coverage predictions calculate and display the values of different quality indicators (BLER, BER, etc.) based on the best LTE radio bearers and on C (I+N) for each pixel. To make a coverage prediction by quality indicator: 1. Click the Network tab of the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the Predictions folder. The context menu appears. 3. Select New from the context menu. The Prediction Types dialogue appears. 4. Select Coverage by Quality Indicator (DL) or Coverage by Quality Indicator (UL) and click OK. The coverage predictions Properties dialogue appears. 5. Click the General tab. On the General tab, you can change the default Name, Resolution, and the storage Folder for the coverage prediction, and add some Comments. For more information on the storage of coverage predictions, see "Defining the Storage Location of Coverage Prediction Results" on page 190. Under Display configuration, you can create a Filter to select which sites to display in the results. For information on filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 71. The Group by and
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Sort buttons are not available when making a so-called "global" coverage prediction (e.g., signal level coverage prediction). 6. Click the Condition tab (see Figure 6.54). Select "(Cells table)" from Load conditions. In this case, the coverage prediction is not going to be based on load conditions taken from a simulation. Atoll will calculate the coverage prediction using the cell loads stored in the cell properties. When you base a coverage prediction on simulations, you would select the simulations on which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load conditions list.
You must select a Terminal, a Mobility type, and a Service. You can also select a cell Layer, or carry out the prediction for the "Best" layer. The quality indicator coverage prediction is always based on the best server. The Noise figure defined in the terminal types properties dialogue is used in the coverage prediction to determine the total noise in the downlink, and the Noise figure of the transmitter is used to determine the total noise in the uplink. As well, the bearer selec on for each pixel according to the PDSCH C (I+N) level is performed using the bearer selec on thresholds defined in the reception equipment, and the quality indicator graphs from the reception equipment are used to determine the values of the selected quality indicator on each pixel. This reception equipment is the one defined in the selected terminal for the downlink coverage predictions, and the one defined in the cell properties of the serving transmitter for the uplink coverage predictions. Mobility is used to index the bearer selection threshold graph to use. You can make Atoll use only the bearers for which selection thresholds are defined in both the terminals and the cells reception equipment by adding an option in the atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual. For more information on services, terminals, mobility types, and reception equipment, see "Modelling Services" on page 249, "Modelling Terminals" on page 250, "Modelling Mobility Types" on page 249, and "Defining LTE Reception Equipment" on page 396, respectively. If you want the coverage prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a percentage in the Cell edge coverage probability text box. The shadowing margin for C (I+N) calculations is based on the C/I standard deviation. You can also have the coverage prediction take Indoor coverage into consideration.
Figure 6.60: Condition settings for a coverage prediction by quality indicators 7. Click the Display tab. You can choose between displaying results by BER, BLER, FER, or any other quality indicator that you might have added to the document. For more information, see "Defining LTE Quality Indicators" on page 396. The coverage prediction results will be in the form of thresholds. For information on adjusting the display, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 23. 8. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it later: Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Event Viewer.
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Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window (see Figure 6.61 and Figure 6.62).
6.2.10.8.4
To export coverage prediction results: 1. Create a new coverage prediction of one of the above types or open the Properties dialogue of an exiting one. 2. Click the Result Export tab. 3. Select the Export calculated values check box. 4. Click the Browse button ( ) beside the File box. The Save As dialogue appears.
5. Enter a file name for the text file in which the results will be saved.
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6. Click Save. 7. In Decimal places, enter the number of digits after the decimal point for the exported numeric values. 8. Select a Separator. You can choose from tab, comma, semicolon, and space. 9. Click Calculate. The coverage prediction is calculated and the results exported to the selected text file. The exported results are actual calculated values of the studied parameters not the display levels defined in the Display tab of the coverage prediction properties dialogue.
6.2.10.8.5
c. Click OK to close the Calculation Options dialogue. 6. Move the pointer over the map to make an interference analysis for the current location of the pointer. In the map window, an think line arrow from the pointer to its best server is displayed. Thinner arrows are also displayed from the interfering cells towards the pointer. The best server of the pointer is the transmitter from which the pointer receives the highest reference signal level. If you let the pointer rest on an arrow, the interference level received from the corresponding transmitter at the receiver location will be displayed in the tip text. 7. Click the map to leave the point analysis pointer at its current position. To move the pointer again, click the point analysis pointer on the map and drag it to a new position. Select the load conditions to use in this analysis from simulations or from the Cells table. The best server signal level (top-most bar), total noise (black bar), and interference from other cells.
Select the parameters of the probe user to be studied. Figure 6.63: Point analysis tool: Interference view The Interference view displays, in the form of a bar graph, the signal level from the best server, a black bar indicating the total noise (I+N) received by the receiver, and bars representing the interference received from each interferer.
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You can change the following options in the Interference view: Sort by interference: You can select the Sort by interference check box if you want Atoll to display the interfers by the effective interference received. Intra-technology: You can select the Intra-technology check box if you want Atoll to display the intra-technology interference.
To get the details about the best server and all the interferers in the form of a report: Click the Report button in the Interference view toolbar. The Analysis Report dialogue appears.
8. Click the Details view. The Details view displays, for each cell received, the cells name, its distance from the receiver, its physical cell ID status, as well as the received signal and received signal interference and the RSRP for all cells. Additionally, the interference is displayed for all cells except the best server. 9. Click the Point Analysis button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar again to end the point analysis.
In this section, the following are explained: "Importing Neighbours" on page 267 "Defining Exceptional Pairs" on page 267 "Configuring Importance Factors for Neighbours" on page 267 "Allocating Neighbours Automatically" on page 268 "Checking Automatic Allocation Results" on page 270 "Allocating and Deleting Neighbours per Cell" on page 273 "Calculating the Importance of Existing Neighbours" on page 275 "Checking the Consistency of the Neighbour Plan" on page 276 "Exporting Neighbours" on page 277.
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8. Click elsewhere in the table when you have finished creating the new exceptional pair. 9. Click OK. You can also create exceptional pairs using the Intra-technology Exceptional Pairs table. You can open this table by right-clicking the LTE Transmitters folder and selecting Neighbours > Intra-technology > Exceptional Pairs from the context menu.
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as neighbours check box when defining an automatic neighbour allocation. For information on automatically allocating neighbours, see "Allocating Neighbours Automatically" on page 268. 5. Click OK. By adding an option to the atoll.ini file, the importance calculation can be based on the distance criterion only. For more information, see the Technical Reference Guide.
6. Select the desired calculation parameters: Force co-site cells as neighbours: Select the Force co-site cells as neighbours check box if you want cells located on the same site as the reference cell to be automatically considered as neighbours. Force adjacent cells as neighbours: Select the Force adjacent cells as neighbours check box if you want cells that are adjacent to the reference cell to be automatically considered as neighbours. A cell is considered adjacent if there is at least one pixel in the reference cells coverage area where the possible neighbour cell is the best server, or where the possible neighbour cell is the second best server (respecting the handover margin). Force symmetry: Select the Force symmetry check box if you want neighbour relations to be reciprocal. In other words, a reference cell will be a possible neighbour to all of the cells that are its neighbours. If the neighbour list of any cell is full, the reference cell will not be added as a neighbour and that cell will be removed from the list of neighbours of the reference cell. Force exceptional pairs: Select the Force exceptional pairs check box if you want to be able to force or forbid neighbour relations defined in the Exceptional Pairs table. For information on exceptional pairs, see "Defining Exceptional Pairs" on page 267. Delete existing neighbours: Select the Delete existing neighbours check box if you want Atoll to delete all current neighbours when allocating neighbours. If you do not select the Delete existing neighbours check box, Atoll will not delete any existing neighbours when automatically allocating neighbours; it will only add new neighbours to the list.
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Figure 6.64: The handover area between the reference cell and the possible neighbour 7. Click Calculate. Atoll begins the process of allocating neighbours. Atoll first checks to see whether the path loss matrices are valid before allocating neighbours. If the path loss matrices are not valid, Atoll recalculates them. Once Atoll has finished calculating neighbours, the new neighbours are visible under Results. Atoll only displays new neighbours. If no new neighbours have been found and if the Deleting existing neighbours check box is cleared, the Results table will be empty. The Results table contains the following information. Cell: The name of the reference cell. Number: The total number of neighbours allocated to the reference cell. Maximum number: The maximum number of neighbours that the reference cell can have. Neighbour: The cell that will be allocated as a neighbour to the reference cell. Importance (%): The importance as calculated with the options selected in "Configuring Importance Factors for Neighbours" on page 267 Cause: The reason Atoll has allocated the possible neighbour cell, as identified in the Neighbour column, to the reference cell, as identified in the Cell column. The possible reasons are: - Co-site - Adjacency - Symmetry - Coverage - Existing Relation type: The type of the neighbour relation: intra-carrier or inter-carrier. Cells whose channels have the same centre frequency are intra-carrier neighbours. Other cells are inter-carrier neighbours. Coverage: The amount of reference cells coverage area that the neighbour overlaps, in percentage and in square kilometres. Adjacency: The area of the reference cell, in percentage and in square kilometres, where the neighbour cell is best server or second best server.
8. Select the Commit check box for each neighbour you want to assign to a cell. You can use many of Atolls table shortcuts, such as filtering and sorting. For information on working with data tables, see "Working with Data Tables" on page 47. At this stage you can compare the automatic allocation results proposed by Atoll with the current neighbour list (existing neighbours) in your document. To compare the proposed and existing neighbour lists: Click Compare. The list of automically allocated neighbours, whose Commit check box is selected, is compared with the existing list of neighbours. A report of the comparison is displayed in a text file called NeighboursDeltaReport.txt, which appears at the end of the comparison. This file lists: The document name and the neighbour allocation type, The number of created neighbour relations (new neighbour relations proposed in the automatic allocation results compared to the existing neighbour relations) and the list of these relations, The number of deleted neighbour relations (neighbour relations not proposed in the automatic allocation results compared to the existing neighbour relations) and the list of these relations, The number of existing neighbour relations (existing neighbour relations that are also proposed in the automatic allocation results) and the list of these relations.
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9. Click Commit. All the neighbours whose Commit check box is selected are assigned to the reference cells. Neighbours are listed in the Intra-technology Neighbours tab of each cells Properties dialogue. A forbidden neighbour will not be listed as a neighbour unless the neighbour relation already exists and the Delete existing neighbours check box is cleared when you start the new allocation. When the options Force exceptional pairs and Force symmetry are selected, Atoll considers the constraints between exceptional pairs in both directions in order to respect symmetry. However, if the neighbour relation is forced in one direction and forbidden in the other, the symmetry cannot be respected. By adding an option to the atoll.ini file, the importance calculation can be based on the distance criterion only. When the option is active, neighbours are allocated for distance reasons. For more information, see the Technical Reference Guide. You can save automatic neighbour allocation parameters in a user configuration. For information on saving automatic neighbour allocation parameters in a user configuration, see "Saving a User Configuration" on page 76.
Atoll also enables you to automatically allocate neighbours to a single base station or transmitter: "Allocating Neighbours to a New Base Station" on page 270 "Allocating Neighbours to a New Transmitter" on page 270.
6.2.11.4.1
6.2.11.4.2
6.2.11.5.1
2. Select Display Options from the context menu. The Neighbour Display dialogue appears.
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3. Under Intra-technology Neighbours, select the Display links check box. 4. Click the Browse button ( appears. ) beside the Display links check box. The Intra-technology Neighbour Display dialogue
5. From the Display type list, choose one of the following: Unique: Select "Unique" if you want Atoll to colour all neighbour links of a cell with a unique colour. Discrete values: Select "Discrete values", and then a value from the Field list, if you want Atoll to colour the cells neighbour links according to a value from the Intra-technology Neighbours table, or according to the neighbour frequency band. Value intervals: Select "Value intervals" to colour the cells neighbour links according the value interval of the value selected from the Field list. For example, you can choose to display a cells neighbours according to the importance, as determined by the weighting factors. You can display the number of handoff attempts for each cell-neighbour pair by first creating a new field of type "Integer" in the Intra-technology Neighbour table for the number of handoff attempts. Once you have imported or entered the values in the new column, you can select this field from the Field list along with "Value Intervals" as the Display type. For information on adding a new field to a table, see "Adding a Field to an Object Types Data Table" on page 48. Each neighbour link display type has a visibility check box. By selecting or clearing the visibility check box, you can display or hide neighbour link display types individually. For information on changing display properties, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 23. 6. Select the Add to legend check box to add the displayed neighbour links to the legend. 7. Click the Browse button ( ) next to Tip text and select the neighbour characteristics to be displayed in the tip text. This information will be displayed on each neighbour link. 8. Click OK to save your settings. 9. Under Advanced, select which neighbour links to display: Outwards non-symmetric: Select the Outwards non-symmetric check box to display neighbour relations where the selected cell is the reference cell and where the neighbour relation is not symmetric. Inwards non-symmetric: Select the Inwards non-symmetric check box to display neighbour relations where the selected cell is neighbour and where the neighbour relation is not symmetric. Symmetric links: Select the Symmetric links check box to display neighbour relations that are symmetric between the selected cell and the neighbour.
10. Click OK to save your settings. 11. Click the arrow ( ) next to the Edit Relations on the Map button ( appears. ) in the Radio Planning toolbar. The menu
12. Select Neighbours from the menu. The neighbours of a cell will be displayed when you select a transmitter. 13. Click the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar.
14. Click a transmitter on the map to display the neighbour relations. When there is more than one cell on the transmitter, clicking the transmitter in the map window opens a context menu allowing you to select the cell you want (see "Selecting One of Several Transmitters" on page 21). Atoll displays the following information (see Figure 6.65) for the selected cell: The symmetric neighbour relations of the selected (reference) cell are indicated by a line. The outward neighbour relations are indicated by a line with an arrow pointing to the neighbour (e.g. see Site1_2(0)) in Figure 6.65.). The inward neighbour relations are indicated by a line with an arrow pointing to the selected cell (e.g. see Site9_3(0)) in Figure 6.65.).
In Figure 6.65, neighbour links are displayed according to the neighbour. Therefore, the symmetric and outward neighbour links are coloured as the corresponding neighbour transmitters and the inward neighbour link is coloured as the reference transmitter as it is neighbour of Site9_3(0) here.
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Figure 6.65: Neighbours of Site 22_3(0) - Display according to the neighbour You can display either forced neighbours or forbidden neighbours by clicking the arrow ( ) next to the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar and selecting either Forced Neighbours or Forbidden Neighbours.
6.2.11.5.2
3. Select Display Options from the context menu. The Neighbour Display dialogue appears. 4. Under Intra-technology Neighbours, select the Display coverage areas check box. 5. Click the Browse button ( dialogue appears. ) beside the Display coverage areas check box. The Intra-technology Neighbour Display
6. From the Display type list, choose one of the following: Unique: Select "Unique" if you want Atoll to colour the coverage area of a cells neighbours with a unique colour. Discrete values: Select "Discrete values", and then a value from the Field list, if you want Atoll to colour the coverage area of a cells neighbours according to a value from the Intra-technology Neighbours table. Value intervals: Select "Value intervals" to colour the coverage area of a cells neighbours according the value interval of the value selected from the Field list. For example, you can choose to display a cells neighbours according to the importance, as determined by the weighting factors.
7. Click the Browse button ( ) next to Tip text and select the neighbour characteristics to be displayed in the tip text. This information will be displayed on each coverage area. 8. Click the arrow ( ) next to the Edit Relations on the Map button ( appears. ) in the Radio Planning toolbar. The menu
9. Select Neighbours from the menu. The neighbours of a cell will be displayed when you select a transmitter. 10. Click the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar.
11. Click a transmitter on the map to display the coverage of each neighbour. When there is more than one cell on the transmitter, clicking the transmitter in the map window opens a context menu allowing you to select the cell you want (see "Selecting One of Several Transmitters" on page 21). 12. In order to restore colours and cancel the neighbour display, click the Edit Relations on the Map button ( Radio Planning toolbar. ) in the
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Allocating or Deleting Neighbours Using the Cells Tab of the Transmitter Properties Dialogue To allocate or delete LTE neighbours using the Cells tab of the transmitters Properties dialogue: 1. On the map, right-click the transmitter whose neighbours you want to change. The context menu appears. 2. Select Properties from the context menu. The transmitters Properties dialogue appears. 3. Click the Cells tab. 4. On the Cells tab, click the Browse button ( 5. Click the Intra-technology Neighbours tab. 6. If desired, you can enter the maximum number of neighbours. 7. Allocate or delete a neighbour. To allocate a new neighbour: a. Under List, select the cell from the list in the Neighbour column in the row marked with the New row icon ( b. Click elsewhere in the table when you have finished creating the new neighbour. When the new neighbour is created, Atoll automatically calculates the distance between the reference cell and the neighbour and displays it in the Distance column, sets the Source to "manual," and sets the Importance to "1." To create a symmetric neighbour relation: a. Click in the left margin of the table row containing the neighbour to select the entire row. b. Right-click the neighbour in the Neighbour column. The context menu appears. c. Select Make Symmetrical from the context menu. A symmetric neighbour relation is created between the cell in the Neighbour column and the cell in the Cell column. To delete a symmetric neighbour relation: a. Click in the left margin of the table row containing the neighbour to select the entire row. b. Right-click the neighbour in the Neighbour column. The context menu appears. c. Select Delete Link and Symmetric Relation from the context menu. The symmetric neighbour relation between the cell in the Neighbour column and the cell in the Cell column is deleted. To delete a neighbour: a. Click in the left margin of the table row containing the neighbour to select the entire row. b. Press Del to delete the neighbour. 8. Click OK. Allocating or Deleting Neighbours Using the Neighbours Table To allocate or delete LTE neighbours using the Neighbours table: 1. Select the Network tab of the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the LTE Transmitters folder. The context menu appear. 3. Select Neighbours > Intra-technology > Open Table from the context menu. The Neighbours table appears. For information on working with data tables, see "Working with Data Tables" on page 47. ). ) beside Neighbours. The cells Properties dialogue appears.
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To allocate a new neighbour: a. In the row marked with the New row icon ( b. Select the neighbour in the Neighbour column. c. Click elsewhere in the table to create the new neighbour and add a new blank row to the table. When the new neighbour is created, Atoll automatically calculates the distance between the reference cell and the neighbour and displays it in the Distance column, sets the Source to "manual," and sets the Importance to "1." To create a symmetric neighbour relation: a. Right-click the neighbour in the Neighbour column. The context menu appears. b. Select Make Symmetrical from the context menu. A symmetric neighbour relation is created between the cell in the Neighbour column and the cell in the Cell column. To make several neighbour relations symmetric: a. Click in the left margins of the table rows containing the neighbours to select the entire rows. You can select contiguous rows by clicking the first row, pressing Shift and clicking the last row. You can select non-contiguous rows by pressing Ctrl and clicking each rows separately. b. Right-click the Neighbours table. The context menu appears. c. Select Make Symmetrical from the context menu. To take into consideration all exceptionnal pairs: a. Right-click the Neighbours table. The context menu appears. b. Select Force Exceptional Pairs from the context menu. You can add or delete either some forced neighbours or some forbidden neighbours using the Intra-technology Exceptional Pairs table. You can open this table, select the exceptional pairs to be considered, right-click the table and select Force Exceptional Pairs in the context menu. To delete a symmetric neighbour relation: a. Click in the left margin of the table row containing the neighbour to select the entire row. b. Right-click the Neighbours table. The context menu appears. c. Select Delete Link and Symmetric Relation from the context menu. The symmetric neighbour relation between the cell in the Neighbour column and the cell in the Cell column is deleted. To delete several symmetric neighbour relations: a. Click in the left margins of the table rows containing the neighbours to select the entire rows. You can select contiguous rows by clicking the first row, pressing Shift and clicking the last row. You can select non-contiguous rows by pressing Ctrl and clicking each rows separately. b. Right-click the Neighbours table. The context menu appears. c. Select Delete Link and Symmetric Relation from the context menu. To delete a neighbour: a. Click in the left margin of the table row containing the neighbour to select the entire row. b. Press Del to delete the neighbour. Allocating or Deleting Neighbours on the Map You can allocate or delete intra-technology neighbours directly on the map using the mouse. To add or remove intra-technology neighbours using the mouse, you must activate the display of intra-technology neighbours on the map as explained in "Displaying Neighbour Relations on the Map" on page 270. To add a symmetric neighbour relation: 1. Click the reference transmitter on the map. Atoll displays its neighbour relations. 2. Press Shift and click the transmitter with which you want to set a neighbour relation. Atoll adds both transmitters to the intra-technology neighbours list. ), select a reference cell in the Cell column.
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To remove a symmetric neighbour relation: 1. Click the reference transmitter on the map. Atoll displays its neighbour relations. 2. Press Shift and click the transmitter you want to remove from the list of neighbours. Atoll removes both transmitters from the intra-technology neighbours. To add an outward neighbour relation: 1. Click the reference transmitter on the map. Atoll displays its neighbour relations. 2. Press Ctrl and click the transmitter with which you want to set a neighbour relation. Atoll adds the reference transmitter to the intra-technology neighbour list of the transmitter. To remove an outward neighbour relation: 1. Click the reference transmitter on the map. Atoll displays its neighbour relations. 2. Press Ctrl and click the transmitter you want to remove from the list of neighbours. Atoll removes the reference transmitter from the intra-technology neighbours list of the transmitter. To add an inward neighbour relation: Click the reference transmitter on the map. Atoll displays its neighbour relations. If the two transmitters already have a symmetric neighbour relation, press Ctrl and click the other transmitter. Atoll converts the symmetric relation to an inward non-symmetric inter-technology neighbour relation. If there is no existing neighbour relation between the two transmitters, first create a symmetric neighbour relation by pressing Shift and clicking the transmitter with which you want to create a symmetric relation. Then press Ctrl and click the other transmitter. Atoll converts the symmetric relation to an inwards non-symmetric inter-technology neighbour relation.
To remove an inwards neighbour relation: 1. Click the reference transmitter on the map. Atoll displays its neighbour relations. 2. Press Shift and click the transmitter you want to remove from the list of neighbours. Atoll removes the transmitter from the intra-technology neighbours list of the reference transmitter. When there is more than one cell on the transmitter, clicking the transmitter in the map window opens a context menu allowing you to select the cell you want (see "Selecting One of Several Transmitters" on page 21). You can add or delete either forced neighbours or forbidden neighbours by clicking the arrow ( ) next to the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar and selecting either Forced Neighbours or Forbidden Neighbours.
6. Coverage conditions: Under Coverage conditions, you can set the coverage conditions between neighbours and their reference cells. Clicking Define opens the Coverage Conditions dialogue. In the Coverage Conditions dialogue, you can change the following parameters:
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Resolution: You can enter the resolution used to calculate the coverage areas of cells for the automatic neighbour allocation. Global min RSRP: Select the Global min RSRP check box if you want to set a global value for the minimum RSRP. If you set a global value here, Atoll will either use this value or the per-cell Min RSRP value, whichever is higher. RSRP margin: Enter the margin, with respect to the best server coverage area of the reference cell, at which the handover process ends. Shadowing taken into account: If desired, select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell edge coverage probability. Indoor coverage: If desired, select the Indoor coverage check box. Atoll will then calculate additional losses for indoor coverage.
7. Click OK to save your modifications and close the Coverage Conditions dialogue. Atoll indicates the number of neighbours to be calculated and displays the neighbours with their initial attributes (importance and reason) in a table. You can use many of Atolls table shortcuts, such as filtering and sorting. For information on working with data tables, see "Working with Data Tables" on page 47. In addition, by clicking Filter, you can define advanced filtering conditions to restrict the neighbours to be calculated. 8. Click Calculate. Atoll begins the process of calculating the importance of the neighbours displayed in the table. Atoll first checks to see whether the path loss matrices are valid before calculating the importance. If the path loss matrices are not valid, Atoll recalculates them. Once Atoll has finished calculating importance, the results are displayed in the table. The table contains the following information. Cell: The name of the reference cell. Neighbour: The neighbour of the reference transmitter. Importance (%): The importance as calculated with the options selected in step 4. Cause: The reason Atoll has allocated value in the Importance column. - Co-site - Adjacency - Symmetry - Coverage Relation type: The type of the neighbour relation: intra-carrier or inter-carrier. Cells whose channels have the same centre frequency are intra-carrier neighbours. Other cells are inter-carrier neighbours. Coverage: The amount of reference transmitters coverage area that the neighbour overlaps, in percentage and in square kilometres. Adjacency: The area of the reference transmitter, in percentage and in square kilometres, where the neighbour transmitter is best server or second best server. Distance: The distance in kilometres between the reference cell and the neighbour.
9. Click Commit to commit the importance values and the reasons for allocation to the Neighbours table.
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Lists > max number: Select the Full lists check box if you want to verify which cells have more than the maximum number of neighbours allowed. The maximum number of neighbours can be either set here for all the cells, or specified for each cell in the Cells table. Missing co-sites: Select the Missing co-sites check box if you want to verify which cells have no co-site neighbours. Missing symmetrics: Select the Missing symmetrics check box if you want to verify which cells have non-symmetric neighbour relations. Exceptional pairs: Select the Exceptional pairs check box if you want to verify which cells have forced neighbours or forbidden neighbours. Distance between neighbours: Select the Distance between neighbours check box and enter the distance between neighbours that should not be exceeded.
6. Click OK to perform the audit. Atoll displays the results of the audit in a new text file: Average number of neighbours: X; where, X is the average number of neighbours (integer) per cell for the plan audited. Empty lists: x/X; x number of cells out of a total of X having no neighbours (or empty neighbours list) Syntax: |CELL|
Full lists (default max number = Y): x/X; x number of cells out of a total of X having Y number of neighbours listed in their respective neighbours lists. Syntax: |CELL| |NUMBER| |MAX NUMBER|
Lists > max number (default max number = Y): x/X; x number of cells out of a total of X having more than Y number of neighbours listed in their respective neighbours lists. Syntax: |CELL| |NUMBER| |MAX NUMBER| If the field Max number of intra-technology neighbours in the Cells table is empty, the Full Lists check and the Lists > max number check use the Default max number value defined in the audit dialogue.
Missing co-sites: X; total number of missing co-site neighbours in the audited neighbour plan. Syntax: |CELL| |NEIGHBOUR|
Non symmetric links: X; total number of non-symmetric neighbour links in the audited neighbour plan. Syntax: |CELL| |NEIGHBOUR| |TYPE| |REASON|
Missing forced: X; total number of forced neighbours missing in the audited neighbour plan. Syntax: |CELL| |NEIGHBOUR|
Existing forbidden: X; total number of forbidden neighbours existing in the audited neighbour plan. Syntax: |CELL| |NEIGHBOUR| |TYPE| |REASON|
Distance between neighbours > Y: X; total number of neighbours existing in the audited neighbour plan that are located at a distance greater than Y. Syntax: |CELL| |NEIGHBOUR| |DISTANCE|
4. When the selected neighbours table opens, you can export the content as described in "Exporting Tables to Text Files" on page 57.
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6.3.1.1.1
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Shadowing taken into account: If desired, select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell edge coverage probability.
5. Once you have created the new interference matrix, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it later: Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined interference matrix and calculate it immediately OK: Click OK to save the defined interference matrix without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
Once calculated, the new interference matrix is available under the Interference Matrices folder and will be available for use the next time you run the AFP. You can modify the properties of an existing interference matrix by selecting Properties from the interference matrix context menu. An existing interference matrix can be calculated again by selecting Calculate from the interference matrix context menu.
6.3.1.1.2
6.3.1.1.3
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Channel allocation status: The value of the Channel allocation status of the cell. Initial physical cell ID: The physical cell ID of the cell before automatic allocation. Physical cell ID: The physical cell ID of the cell after automatic allocation. Initial PSS ID: The PSS ID of the cell before automatic allocation. PSS ID: The PSS ID of the cell after automatic allocation. Initial SSS ID: The SSS ID of the cell before automatic allocation. SSS ID: The SSS ID of the cell after automatic allocation. Cost: The cost of the new allocation plan of the cell. Physical cell ID status: The value of the Physical cell ID status of the cell.
8. Click Commit. The proposed frequency plan is assigned to the cells of the network. When you allocate frequencies to a large number of cells, it is easiest to let Atoll allocate them automatically. However, if you want to assign a frequency to one cell or to modify it, you can do it by accessing the properties of the cell. To allocate the frequency to a cell manually: 1. On the map, right-click the transmitter to whose cell you want to allocate the frequency. The context menu appears. 2. Select Properties from the context menu. The transmitters Properties dialogue appears. 3. Select the Cells tab. 4. Select a Frequency band and Channel number for the cell. 5. You can set the Channel allocation status to Locked if you want to lock the frequency that you assigned. 6. Click OK.
7. Under Relations, you can set the relations to take into account in automatic allocation.
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Interference matrices: Select this check box if you want the AFP to take interference matrices into account for the allocation, and select an interference matrix from the list. For Atoll to take interference matrices into account, they must be available in the Interference Matrices folder on the Network tab of the Explorer window. Interference matrices may be calculated, imported, and edited in the Interference Matrices folder. For more information on interference matrices, see "Interference Matrices" on page 278. Existing neighbours: Select this check box if you want the AFP to take neighbour relations into account for the allocation. The AFP will try to allocate different physical cell IDs to a cell and its neighbours. The AFP can take neighbours into account only if neighbours have already been allocated. If you want the AFP to take both first and second order neighbours into account, you must set an option in the atoll.ini file (see the Administrator Manual). For information on allocating neighbours, see "Planning Neighbours" on page 266. Min reuse distance: Select this check box if you want the AFP to take relations based on distance into account for the allocation. You can enter the Default radius within which two cells must not have the same physical cell ID assigned. A minimum reuse distance can be defined at the cell level (in the cell Properties dialogue or in the Cells table). If defined, a cell-specific reuse distance will be used instead of default the value entered here.
8. Under Results, Atoll displays the Total cost of the current physical cell ID allocation taking into account the parameters set in step 7. You can modify the parameters and click Recalculate cost to see the change in the total cost. 9. Click Calculate. Atoll begins the process of allocating physical cell IDs. Once Atoll has finished allocating physical cell IDs, the IDs are visible under Results. The Results table contains the following information. Site: The name of the base station. Transmitter: The name of the transmitter. Name: The name of the cell. Initial channel number: The channel number of the cell before automatic allocation. Channel number: The channel number of the cell after automatic allocation. Channel allocation status: The value of the Channel allocation status of the cell. Initial physical cell ID: The physical cell ID of the cell before automatic allocation. Physical cell ID: The physical cell ID of the cell after automatic allocation. Initial PSS ID: The PSS ID of the cell before automatic allocation. PSS ID: The PSS ID of the cell after automatic allocation. Initial SSS ID: The SSS ID of the cell before automatic allocation. SSS ID: The SSS ID of the cell after automatic allocation. Cost: The cost of the new frequency allocation of the cell. Physical cell ID status: The value of the Physical cell ID status of the cell.
10. Click Commit. The proposed physical cell ID plan is assigned to the cells of the network. You can have the available physical cell IDs equally distributed in the network. The uniform distribution of physical cell IDs can be activated by an option in the atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual. When you allocate physical cell IDs to a large number of cells, it is easiest to let Atoll allocate them automatically. However, if you want to assign a physical cell ID to one cell or to modify it, you can do it by accessing the properties of the cell. To allocate a physical cell ID to an LTE cell manually: 1. On the map, right-click the transmitter to whose cell you want to allocate a physical cell ID. The context menu appears. 2. Select Properties from the context menu. The transmitters Properties dialogue appears. 3. Select the Cells tab. 4. Enter a Physical cell ID in the cells column. 5. You can set the Physical cell ID status to Locked if you want to lock the physical cell ID that you assigned. 6. Click OK.
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"Grouping Transmitters by Channels or Physical Cell IDs" on page 284. "Analysing the Frequency Allocation Using Coverage Predictions" on page 285. "Checking the Consistency of the Physical Cell ID Plan" on page 285. "Displaying the Physical Cell ID Allocation Histogram" on page 285.
4. Click Search.
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When you select a physical cell ID or an SSS ID, transmitters with cells matching the search criteria are displayed in red. Transmitters that do not match the search criteria are displayed as grey lines. When you select a specific PSS ID , transmitters whose cells use the selected ID are displayed in red. Transmitters with cells that use other IDs are displayed as grey lines. When you choose to search for all PSS IDs, transmitters whose first cells use ID 0 are displayed in red, transmitters whose first cells use ID 1 are displayed in yellow, and transmitters whose first cells use ID 2 are displayed in green. To restore the initial transmitter colours, click the Reset display button in the Search Tool window. By including the physical cell ID of each cell in the transmitter label, the search results will be easier to understand. For information on defining the label, see "Defining the Object Type Label" on page 26. Transmitters with more than one cell may use different PSS IDs in different cells. Therefore, the search for all PSS IDs is only valid for single-cell transmitters.
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7. Click to add the parameter to the Group these fields in this order list. The selected parameter is added to the list of parameters on which the transmitters will be grouped. 8. If you do not want the transmitters to be sorted by a certain parameter, select the parameter in the Group these fields in this order list and click ters will be grouped. . The selected parameter is removed from the list of parameters on which the transmit-
9. Arrange the parameters in the Group these fields in this order list in the order in which you want the transmitters to be grouped: a. Select a parameter and click b. Select a parameter and click to move it up to the desired position. to move it down to the desired position.
10. Click OK to save your changes and close the Group dialogue.
5. Click OK. Atoll displays the results of the audit in a text file called IDCheck.txt, which it opens at the end of the audit. For each selected criterion, Atoll gives the number of detected inconsistencies and details for each inconsistency.
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are several cells that use a given set of frequencies. The cells that use the same frequency are called co-channel cells, and the interference from users with the same channel in the other co-channel cells is called co-channel interference. Unlike thermal noise which can be overcome by increasing the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), co-channel interference cannot be countered by simply increasing the carrier power of a transmitter. This is because an increase in carrier transmission power will increase the interference to neighbouring co-channel cells. To reduce co-channel interference, co-channel cells must be physically separated sufficiently by a distance, called the reuse distance. For a network with a limited number of frequency channels, a large reuse distance can guarantee a high QoS for the system, but the capacity will be decreased. Another type of interference in LTE networks is adjacent channel interference. Adjacent channel interference results from imperfect receiver filters which allow nearby frequencies to interfere with the used frequency channel. Adjacent channel interference can be minimized through careful filtering and channel assignment. In Atoll, a simulation is based on a realistic distribution of users at a given point in time. The distribution of users at a given moment is referred to as a snapshot. Based on this snapshot, Atoll calculates various network parameters such as the downlink and uplink traffic loads, the uplink noise rise, the user throughputs, etc. Simulations are calculated in an iterative fashion. When several simulations are performed at the same time using the same traffic information, the distribution of users will be different, according to a Poisson distribution. Consequently you can have variations in user distribution from one snapshot to another. To create snapshots, services and users must be modelled. As well, certain traffic information in the form of traffic maps or subscriber lists must be provided. Once services and users have been modelled and traffic maps and subscriber lists have been created, you can make simulations of the network traffic. In this section, the following are explained: "Defining Multi-service Traffic Data" on page 286. "Creating a Traffic Map" on page 286. "Exporting a Traffic Map" on page 296. "Working with a Subscriber Database" on page 296. "Calculating and Displaying Traffic Simulations" on page 301. "Making Coverage Predictions Using Simulation Results" on page 315.
These maps can be used for different types of traffic data sources as follows: Sector traffic maps can be used if you have live traffic data from the OMC (Operation and Maintenance Centre). The OMC (Operations and Maintenance Centre) collects data from all cells in a network. This includes, for example, the number of users or the throughput in each cell and the traffic characteristics related to different services. Traffic is spread over the best server coverage area of each transmitter and each coverage area is assigned either the throughputs in the uplink and in the downlink or the number of users per activity status or the total number of users (all activity statuses). For more information, see "Creating a Sector Traffic Map" on page 287. User profile traffic maps can be used if you have marketing-based traffic data.
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User profile traffic maps, where each vector (polygon, line, or point) describes subscriber densities (or numbers of subscribers for points) with user profiles and mobility types, and user profile environment based traffic maps, where each pixel has an assigned environment class. For more information, see "Importing a User Profile Traffic Map" on page 290, "Importing a User Profile Environment Based Traffic Map" on page 292 and "Creating a User Profile Environment Based Traffic Map" on page 292. User density traffic maps (number of users per km2) can be used if you have population-based traffic data, or 2G network statistics. Each pixel has a user density assigned. The value either includes all activity statuses or it corresponds to a particular activity status. For more information, see "Creating User Density Traffic Maps (No. Users/km2)" on page 293, "Importing a User Density Traffic Map" on page 293, "Converting 2G Network Traffic" on page 295 and "Exporting Cumulated Traffic" on page 295
11. Click OK. Atoll creates the traffic map in the Traffic Maps folder.
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You can modify the sector traffic map after it has been created. To modify the sector traffic map: 1. Click the Geo tab of the Explorer window. 2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Traffic Maps folder. 3. Right-click the traffic map based on live data that you want to update. The context menu appears. 4. Select Properties from the context menu. The Sector Traffic Map dialogue appears. 5. Select the Traffic tab. 6. Under Terminals (%), enter the percentage of each type of terminal used in the map. The total percentages must equal 100. 7. Under Mobilities (%), enter the percentage of each mobility type used in the map. The total percentages must equal 100. 8. Under Clutter Distribution, for each clutter class, enter a weight to spread the traffic over the clutter classes and the percentage of indoor users. 9. Click OK. Atoll saves the traffic map with its modifed values. You can update the information, throughput demands and the number of users, on the map afterwards. You can update Sector traffic maps. You must first recalculate the coverage prediction by transmitter. For more information, see "Making a Coverage Prediction by Transmitter" on page 236. Once you have recalculated the coverage prediction, you can update the traffic map. To update the traffic map: 1. Click the Geo tab of the Explorer window. 2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Traffic Maps folder. 3. Right-click the sector traffic map that you want to update. The context menu appears. 4. Select Update from the context menu. The Sector Traffic Map dialogue appears. Select the updated coverage prediction by transmitter and define traffic values for the new transmitter(s) listed at the bottom of the table. Deleted or deactivated transmitters are automatically removed from the table. 5. Click OK. The Sector Traffic Map Properties dialogue appears. 6. Click OK. The traffic map is updated on the basis of the selected coverage prediction by transmitter. If you want to extract and display the exact number of users per unit of surface, i.e., the density of users, taking into account any clutter weighting defined for the sector traffic map, you can create user density traffic maps from sector traffic maps. For more information, see "Creating User Density Traffic Maps from Sector Traffic Maps" on page 295.
Modelling User Profiles You can model variations in user behaviour by creating different profiles for different times of the day or for different circumstances. For example, a user may be considered a business user during the day, with video conferencing and voice, but no web
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browsing. In the evening the same user might not use video conferencing, but might use multi-media services and web browsing. To create or modify a user profile: 1. Click the Parameters tab of the Explorer window. 2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Traffic Parameters folder. 3. Right-click the User Profiles folder. The context menu appears. 4. Select New from the context menu. The User Profiles: New Element Properties dialogue appears. You can modify the properties of an existing user profile by right-clicking the user profile in the User Profiles folder and selecting Properties from the context menu.
5. You can modify the following parameters: Name: Enter a descriptive name for the user profile. Service: Select a service from the list. For information on services, see "Modelling Services" on page 249. Terminal: Select a terminal from the list. For information on terminals, see "Modelling Terminals" on page 250. Calls/hour: For services of the type "voice," enter the average number of calls per hour for the service. The calls per hour is used to calculate the activity probability. For services of the type "voice," one call lasting 1000 seconds presents the same activity probability as two calls lasting 500 seconds each. For services of the type "data," the Calls/hour value is defined as the number of sessions per hour. A session is like a call in that it is defined as the period of time between when a user starts using a service and when he stops using a service. In services of the type "data," however, he may not use the service continually. For example, with a webbrowsing service, a session starts when the user opens his browsing application and ends when he quits the browsing application. Between these two events, the user may be downloading web pages and other times he may not be using the application, or he may be browsing local files, but the session is still considered as open. A session, therefore, is defined by the volume transferred in the uplink and downlink and not by the time. In order for all the services defined for a user profile to be taken into account during traffic scenario elaboration, the sum of activity probabilities must be lower than 1.
Duration (sec.): For services of the type "voice," enter the average duration of a call in seconds. For services of the type "data," this field is left blank. UL volume (KBytes): For services of the type "data," enter the average uplink volume per session in kilobytes. DL volume (KBytes): For services of the type "data," enter the average downlink volume per session in kilobytes.
6. Click OK. Modelling Environments An environment class describes its environment using a list of user profiles, each with an associated mobility type and a given density (i.e., the number of users with the same profile per km). To get an appropriate user distribution, you can assign a weight to each clutter class for each environment class. You can also specify the percentage of indoor subscribers for each clutter class. In a Monte Carlo simulation, an additional loss (as defined in the clutter class properties) will be added to the indoor users path loss. To create or modify an environment: 1. Click the Parameters tab of the Explorer window. 2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Traffic Parameters folder. 3. Right-click the Environments folder. The context menu appears. 4. Select New from the context menu. The Environments: New Element Properties dialogue appears. You can modify the properties of an existing environment by right-clicking the environment in the Environments folder and selecting Properties from the context menu.
5. Click the General tab. 6. Enter a Name for the new environment. 7. In the row marked with the New row icon ( ), set the following parameters for each user profile/mobility combination that this LTE environment will describe:
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User: Select a user profile. Mobility: Select a mobility type. Density (Subscribers/km2): Enter a density in terms of subscribers per square kilometre for the combination of user profile and mobility type.
8. Click the Clutter Weighting tab. 9. For each clutter class, enter a weight that will be used to calculate a user distribution. The user distribution is calculated using the following equation:
Wk Sk N k = N Area ------------------------Wi Si
where:
Nk
= = =
Number of users in the clutter k Number of users in the zone Area Weight of clutter k Surface area of clutter k (in square km)
N Area = Wk Sk
For example: An area of 10 km with a user density of 100/km. Therefore, in this area, there are 1000 users. The area is covered by two clutter classes: Open and Building. The clutter weighting for Open is "1" and for Building is "4." Given the respective weights of each clutter class, 200 subscribers are in the Open clutter class and 800 in the Building clutter class. 10. If you wish you can specify a percentage of indoor users for each clutter class. During a Monte Carlo simulation, an additional loss (as defined in the clutter class properties) will be added to the indoor users path loss. 11. Click OK.
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Figure 6.66: Traffic map properties dialogue - Traffic tab Define each of the following: User profile: If you want to import user profile information from the file, under Defined, select "By field" and select the source field from the Choice column. If you want to assign a user profile from the Traffic Parameters folder of the Parameters tab, under Defined, select "By value" and select the user profile in the Choice column. Mobility: If you want to import mobility information from the file, under Defined, select "By field" and select the source field from the Choice column. If you want to assign a mobility type from the Traffic Parameters folder of the Parameters tab, under Defined, select "By value" and select the mobility type in the Choice column. Density: If you want to import density information from the file, under Defined, select "By field" and select the source field from the Choice column. If you want to assign a density, under Defined, select "By value" and enter a density in the Choice column for the combination of user profile and mobility type. In this context, the term "density" depends on the type of vector traffic map. It refers to the number of subscribers per square kilometre for polygons, the number of subscribers per kilometre in case of lines, and the number of subscribers when the map consists of points. When you import user profile or mobility information from the file, the values in the file must be exactly the same as the corresponding names in the Traffic Parameters folder of the Parameters tab. If the imported user profile or mobility does not match, Atoll will display a warning. 13. Under Clutter distribution, enter a weight for each class that will be used to calculate a user distribution. The user distribution is calculated using the following equation:
Wk Sk N k = N Area ------------------------Wi Si
where:
Nk
= = =
Number of users in the clutter k Number of users in the zone Area Weight of clutter k Surface area of clutter k (in square km)
N Area = Wk Sk
14. If you wish you can specify a percentage of indoor subscribers for each clutter class. During a Monte Carlo simulation, an additional loss (as defined in the clutter class properties) will be added to the indoor users path loss. 15. Click OK to finish importing the traffic map.
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6.4.2.2.2
6.4.2.2.3
Draw Map
Delete Map
Figure 6.67: Environment map editor toolbar 7. Select the environment class from the list of available environment classes. 8. Click the Draw Polygon button ( 9. Click the Delete Polygon button ( ) to draw the polygon on the map for the selected environment class. ) and click the polygon to delete the environment class polygon on the map.
10. Click the Close button to close the Environment Map Editor toolbar and end editing.
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6.4.2.2.4
Sk
k
You can print the statistics by clicking the Print button. 5. Click Close. If a clutter classes map is available in the document, traffic statistics provided for each environment class are listed per clutter class.
User density traffic maps can be created from sector traffic maps to extract and display the exact number of users per unit of surface, i.e., the density of users, taking into account any clutter weighting defined for the sector traffic maps. For more information, see "Creating User Density Traffic Maps from Sector Traffic Maps" on page 295.
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You can also create a traffic map manually in Atoll by clicking the Create button in the New Traffic Map dialogue. For information, see "Creating a User Profile Environment Based Traffic Map" on page 292. 7. Select the file to import. The file must be in one of the following supported raster formats (16 or 32 bit): BIL, BMP, PlaNET, TIF, JPEG 2000, ISTAR, and Erdas Imagine. 8. Click Open. The File Import dialogue appears. 9. Select Traffic from the Data type list. 10. Click Import. Atoll imports the traffic map. The traffic maps properties dialogue appears. 11. Select the Traffic tab. 12. Under Terminals (%), enter the percentage of each type of terminal used in the map. The total percentage must equal 100. 13. Under Mobilities (%), enter the percentage of each mobility type used in the map. The total percentage must equal 100. 14. Under Services (%), enter the percentage of each service type used in the map. The total percentage must equal 100. 15. Under Clutter distribution, enter for each clutter class the percentage of indoor users. An additional loss will be counted for indoor users during the Monte Carlo simulations. You do not have to define a clutter weighting for traffic maps per user density because the traffic is provided in terms of user density per pixel. 16. Click OK. Atoll creates the traffic map in the Traffic Maps folder.
6.4.2.3.2
6. Click the Create button. The traffic maps property dialogue appears. 7. Select the Traffic tab. 8. Under Terminals (%), enter the percentage of each type of terminal used in the map. The total percentages must equal 100. 9. Under Mobilities (%), enter the percentage of each mobility type used in the map. The total percentages must equal 100. 10. Under Services (%), enter the percentage of each service type used in the map. The total percentages must equal 100. 11. Under Clutter distribution, enter for each clutter class the percentage of indoor users. An additional loss will be counted for indoor users during the Monte-Carlo simulations. You do not have to define a clutter weighting for user density traffic maps because the traffic is provided in terms of user density per pixel. 12. Click OK. Atoll creates the traffic map in the Traffic Maps folder. 13. Right-click the traffic map. The context menu appears. 14. Select Edit from the context menu.
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15. Use the tools available in the Vector Editor toolbar to draw contours. For more information on editing contours, see "Editing Polygons, Lines, and Points" on page 39. Atoll creates an item called Density values in the User Density Map folder. 16. Right-click the item. The context menu appears. 17. Select Open Table from the context menu. 18. In the table, enter a traffic density value (i.e. the number of users per km2) for each contour you have drawn. 19. Right-click the item. The context menu appears. 20. Select Edit from the context menu to end editing.
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7. Define a Resolution in metres. The resolution must be an integer and the minimum resolution allowed is 1. You must enter a resolution before exporting. If you do not enter a resolution, it remains at "0" and no data will be exported.
8. Under Traffic, define the data to be exported in the cumulated traffic. Atoll uses this information to filter the traffic data to be exported. Terminal: Select the type of terminal that will be exported or select "All" to export traffic using any terminal. Service: Select the service that will be exported, or select "Voice services" to export voice traffic, or select "Data services" to export data traffic. Mobility: Select the mobility type that will be exported or select "All" to export all mobility types. Activity: Select one of the following: All activity statuses: Select all sctivity statuses to export all users without any filter by activity status. Uplink: Select Uplink to export mobiles active in the uplink only. Downlink: Select Downlink to export mobiles active in the downlink only. Uplink/Downlink: Select Uplink/Downlink to export only mobiles with both uplink and downlink activity. Inactive: Select Inactive to export only inactive mobiles.
9. In the Select traffic maps to be used list, select the check box of each traffic map you want to include in the cumulated traffic. 10. Click OK. The defined data is extracted from the selected traffic maps and cumulated in the exported file.
An export Resolution.
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If you need to create a large number of subscribers, Atoll allows you to import them from another Atoll document or from an external source. For more information, see "Importing a Subscriber List" on page 299. To create a subscriber list: 1. Click the Network tab of the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the Subscribers folder. The context menu appears. 3. Select New List from the context menu. The Subscriber List N Properties dialogue appears (see Figure 6.68), where N is an incremental digit.
Figure 6.68: New subscriber list dialogue - General tab 4. Select the General tab. The following options are available: Name: The name of the subscriber list. You can change the name of the list if desired. Coordinate system: The current coordinate system used by the subscriber list. You can change the coordinate system of the list by clicking the Change button. Sort: Click the Sort button to sort the data in the subscriber list. For information on sorting, see "Sorting Data" on page 69. Filter: Click the Filter button to filter the data in the subscriber list. For information on filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 71.
5. Click the Display tab. You can modify how subscribers added to the list are displayed. For information on defining the display properties, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 23. 6. Click OK. Atoll creates a new subscriber list. The following parameters are available by default in a new subscriber list: ID: The subscriber ID in the subscriber list. It is an automatically created identification number. X and Y coordinates: The geographical coordinates of the subscriber. A subscribers location is always fixed. Height: The altitude of the subscriber antenna with respect to the ground (DTM). Name: You can assign a descriptive name to each subscriber. User profile: A user profile defines the traffic demand characteristics of subscribers. Atoll determines the terminal used, the service accessed, and the activity status of subscribers during Monte Carlo simulations according to the information in the user profiles. For more information, see "Modelling User Profiles" on page 288. Terminal: The default terminal is the user equipment with an antenna, reception equipment, and noise characteristics. The properties of this terminal are taken into consideration when performing calculations on the subscriber list. Service: The service that the subscriber accesses by default. The properties of this service are taken into consideration when performing calculations on the subscriber list. Mobility: The mobility type associated with the subscriber. It is used to identify the thresholds and graphs to be used for the subscriber in calculations. Clutter: The name of the clutter class where the subscriber is located. This is a non-editable field whose contents are automatically updated. Indoor: This field indicates whether the subscriber is indoor or outdoor.
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Best server: The serving transmitter of the subscriber. You can either define this value manually or let Atoll calculate it for the subscriber. The serving base station is determined according to the received reference signal level from the cell with the highest reference signal power. Reference cell: The reference cell of the serving transmitter of the subscriber. You can either define this value manually or let Atoll calculate it for the subscriber. If more than one cell of the serving base station cover the subscriber, the one with the lowest layer is selected as the reference cell. Distance: The distance of the subscriber from its serving base station. This is a non-editable field whose contents are automatically updated. Azimuth: The orientation of the subscriber antenna in the horizontal plane. Azimuth is always considered with respect to the north. You can either define this value manually or let Atoll calculate it for the subscriber. Atoll points the subscriber antenna towards its serving base station. Downtilt: The orientation of the subscriber antenna in the vertical plane. Mechanical downtilt is positive when it is downwards and negative when upwards. You can either define this value manually or let Atoll calculate it for the subscriber. Atoll points the subscriber antenna towards its serving base station. Lock status: You can choose to lock the subscriber antenna orientation and serving transmitter. Use this option if you do not want Atoll to change the assigned server or the antenna orientation. RSRP (RS EPRE) (DL) (dBm): The RSRP (received reference signal energy per resource element) received at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value is calculated by Atoll during calculations on subscriber lists. RSSI (DL) (dBm): The RSSI received at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value is calculated by Atoll during calculations on subscriber lists. RSRQ (DL) (dB): The RSRQ (reference signal received quality) at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value is calculated by Atoll during calculations on subscriber lists. Received reference signal power (DL) (dBm): The reference signal level received at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value is calculated by Atoll during calculations on subscriber lists. Received SS power (DL) (dBm): The SS signal level received at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value is calculated by Atoll during calculations on subscriber lists. Received PBCH power (DL) (dBm): The PBCH signal level received at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value is calculated by Atoll during calculations on subscriber lists. Received PDCCH power (DL) (dBm): The PDCCH signal level received at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value is calculated by Atoll during calculations on subscriber lists. Received PDSCH power (DL) (dBm): The PDSCH signal level received at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value is calculated by Atoll during calculations on subscriber lists. Reference signal C/(I+N) (DL) (dB): The reference signal C/(I+N) at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists. SS C/(I+N) (DL) (dB): The SS C/(I+N) at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists. PBCH C/(I+N) (DL) (dB): The PBCH C/(I+N) at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists. PDCCH C/(I+N) (DL) (dB): The PDCCH C/(I+N) at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists. PDSCH C/(I+N) (DL) (dB): The PDSCH C/(I+N) at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists. RS total noise (I+N) (DL) (dBm): The sum of the interference and noise experienced at the subscriber location in the downlink on the reference signals. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists. SS & PBCH total noise (I+N) (DL) (dBm): The sum of the interference and noise experienced at the subscriber location in the downlink on the SS and PBCH. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists. PDCCH total noise (I+N) (DL) (dBm): The sum of the interference and noise experienced at the subscriber location in the downlink on the PDCCH. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists. PDSCH total noise (I+N) (DL) (dBm): The sum of the interference and noise experienced at the subscriber location in the downlink on the PDSCH. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists. Bearer (DL): The highest LTE bearer available for the PDSCH C/(I+N) level at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists. BLER (DL): The Block Error Rate read from the subscribers terminal types reception equipment for the PDSCH C (I+N) level at the subscriber loca on in the downlink. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists. Diversity mode (DL): The diversity mode supported by the cell or permutation zone in downlink. Peak RLC channel throughput (DL) (kbps): The maximum RLC channel throughput attainable using the highest bearer available at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists. Effective RLC channel throughput (DL) (kbps): The effective RLC channel throughput attainable using the highest bearer available at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists. Received PUSCH & PUCCH power (UL) (dBm): The PUSCH & PUCCH signal level received at the serving transmitter from the subscriber terminal in the uplink. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists. PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N) (UL) (dB): The PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N) at the serving transmitter of the subscriber in the uplink. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists.
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PUSCH & PUCCH total noise (I+N) (UL) (dBm): The sum of the interference and noise experienced at the serving transmitter of the subscriber in the uplink on the PUSCH. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists. Bearer (UL): The highest LTE bearer available for the PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N) level at the serving transmitter of the subscriber in the uplink. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists. BLER (UL): The Block Error Rate read from the reference cells reception equipment for the PUSCH & PUCCH C/ (I+N) level at the serving transmitter of the subscriber in the uplink. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists. Diversity mode (UL): The diversity mode supported by the cell or permutation zone in uplink. Transmission power (UL) (dBm): The transmission power of the subscribers terminal after power control in the uplink. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists. Allocated bandwidth (UL) (No. of frequency blocks): The number of frequency blocks allocated to the subscriber in the uplink by the eNode-B. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists. Peak RLC channel throughput (UL) (kbps): The maximum RLC channel throughput attainable using the highest bearer available at the serving transmitter of the subscriber in the uplink. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists. Effective RLC channel throughput (UL) (kbps): The effective RLC channel throughput available using the highest bearer available at the serving transmitter of the subscriber in the uplink. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists.
For information on how to select the columns to display in the subscriber list table, see "Selecting the Columns to Display in the Subscriber Lists" on page 300. For more information on the calculations that you can carry out on subscriber lists, see "Performing Calculations on Subscriber lists" on page 300. You can now move the pointer over the map and click once to place a new subscriber at the location of the pointer. Press Esc or click the normal pointer button ( ), to finish adding subscribers on the map. For information on adding subscribers to a list, see "Adding Subscribers to a Subscriber List Using the Mouse" on page 299. You can open the subscriber list table containing all the subscribers and their parameters. To open the subscriber list table: 1. Click the Network tab of the Explorer window. 2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Subscribers folder. 3. Right-click the subscriber list you want to open. The context menu appears. 4. Select Open Table from the context menu. For information on working with data tables, see "Working with Data Tables" on page 47.
6.4.4.1.1
To place subscribers more accurately, before clicking the map, you can zoom in on the map. For information on using the zooming tools, see "Changing the Map Scale" on page 29.
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To import a subscriber list: 1. Click the Network tab of the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the Subscribers folder. The context menu appears. 3. Select Import from the context menu. The Open dialogue appears. 4. Select the ASCII text file you want to open and click Open. The Import dialogue appears. In the Import dialogue, you can change the reference coordinate system for the file being imported by selecting the system from the Coordinates list. Atoll will convert the coordinates of the list to the coordinate system of the document upon import. For more information on importing table data, see "Importing Tables from Text Files" on page 58. You can also export subscriber lists. For information on exporting table data, see "Exporting Tables to Text Files" on page 57.
6.4.4.1.3
c. Change the order of the columns by selecting a column and clicking 7. Click OK to close the Subscribers Properties dialogue.
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7. Click Commit to store the results in the subscriber list. For the list of results that are available after the calculations, see "Creating a Subscriber List" on page 296.
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Figure 6.69: LTE simulation algorithm 2. Best Server Determination Atoll determines the best server for each mobile based on the reference signal level in the downlink. The best serving transmitter is determined according to the received reference signal level from the cell with the highest reference signal power. If more than one cell cover the mobile, the one with the lowest layer is selected as the serving (reference) cell. 3. Downlink Calculations The downlink calculations include the calculation of downlink reference signal, SS, PBCH, PDSCH, and PDCCH C/(I+N), determination of the best available bearer for the PDSCH C/(I+N), allocation of resources (RRM), and calculation of user throughputs. Static inter-cell interference coordination using fractional frequency reuse is performed on the downlink if the cell supports Static DL ICIC. Interference calculation is based on the probabilities of collision between the fractions of the channel bandwidth used by the different cells. 4. Uplink Calculations The uplink calculations include the calculation of PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N), determination of the best available bearer for the PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N), uplink power control and uplink bandwidth allocation, resource allocation (RRM), update of uplink noise rise values for cells, and calculation of user throughputs. Static inter-cell interference coordination using fractional frequency reuse is performed on the uplink if the cell supports Static UL ICIC. Interference calculation is based on the probabilities of collision between the fractions of the channel bandwidth used by the different cells. During uplink noise rise control, if the maximum uplink noise rise is higher than the actual noise rise for a cell, the maximum PUSCH C/(I+N) of its neighbour cells is increased by the difference. This allows the users served by the neighbour cells to transmit at higher powers, i.e., they are allowed to create more interference. If the maximum uplink noise rise is less than the actual noise rise for a cell, the maximum PUSCH C/(I+N) of its neighbour cells is decreased by the difference. This makes the users served by the neighbour cells to transmit lower powers, i.e., they are forced to create less interference. This may also lead to an increase or decrease in the number of users served by the neighbouring cells in the uplink. 5. Radio Resource Management and Cell Load Calculation
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Atoll uses an intelligent scheduling algorithm to perform radio resource management. The scheduling algorithm is explained in detail in the Technical Reference Guide. The scheduler: a. Determines the total amount of resources in each cell b. Selects the first N users from the users generated in the first step, where N is the Max number of users defined in the cell properties. c. Sorts the users in decreasing order by service priority. d. Allocates the resources required to satisfy the minimum throughput demands of the users starting from the first user (with the highest priority service) to the last user. e. If resources still remain in the resource pool after this allocation, allocates resources to the users with maximum throughput demands according to the used scheduling algorithm. At the end of the simulations, an active user can be connected in the direction corresponding to his activity status if: he has a best server assigned (step 2.), he has a bearer in the direction corresponding to his activity status (step 3. and step 4.), he is among the users selected by the scheduler for resource allocation (step 5.), and he is not rejected due to resource saturation (step 5.).
If a user is rejected during step 2., the cause of rejection is "No Coverage". If a user is rejected during step 3. or step 4., the cause of rejection is "No Service". If a user is rejected during step 5., the cause of rejection can either be "Scheduler Saturation," i.e., the user is not among the users selected for resource allocation, or he can be rejected due to "Resource Saturation," i.e., all of the cells resources were used up by other users or if, for a user active in uplink, the minimum uplink throughput demand was higher than the uplink allocated bandwidth throughput.
Max UL traffic load: If you want to enter a global value for the maximum uplink traffic load, click the button ( ) beside the box and select Global threshold. Then, enter a maximum uplink traffic load. If you want to use the maximum uplink traffic load as defined in the properties for each cell, click the button ( ) beside the box and select Defined per cell.
7. You can enter some Comments if you want. 8. On the Source Traffic tab, enter the following: Global scaling factor: If desired, enter a scaling factor to increase user density. The global scaling factor enables you to increase user density without changing traffic parameters or traffic maps. For example, setting the global scaling factor to 2 is the same as doubling the initial number of subscribers (for environment and user profile traffic maps) or the rates/users (for sector traffic maps). Select traffic maps to be used: Select the traffic maps you want to use for the simulation. Select subscriber lists to be used: Select the subscriber lists you want to use for the simulation. You can select traffic maps of any type. However, if you have several different types of traffic maps and want to make a simulation on a specific type of traffic map, you must ensure that you select only traffic maps of the same type. For information on the types of traffic maps, see "Creating a Traffic Map" on page 286.
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When you perform simulations for subscriber lists, Atoll does not base the calculations on subscriber lists on the path loss matrices calculated for transmitters. This is because the path loss matrices are calculated for a given receiver height (1.5 m by default), but each subscriber in a subscriber list can have a different height. Therefore, Atoll recalculates the path loss, received power, and other output, for each subscriber when you perform simulations on subscribers. 9. On the Advanced tab, enter the following: Generator initialisation: Enter an integer as the generator initialisation value. If you enter "0," the default, the user and shadowing error distribution will be random. If you enter any other integer, the same user and shadowing error distribution will be used for any simulation using the same generator initialisation value. Using the same generated user and shadowing error distribution for several simulations can be useful when you want to compare the results of several simulations where only one parameter changes. Under Convergence, enter the following parameters: Max number of iterations: Enter the maximum number of iterations that Atoll should run to make convergence. DL traffic load convergence threshold: Enter the relative difference in terms of downlink traffic load that must be reached between two iterations. UL traffic load convergence threshold: Enter the relative difference in terms of uplink traffic load that must be reached between two iterations. UL noise rise convergence threshold: Enter the relative difference in terms of uplink noise rise that must be reached between two iterations.
10. Once you have defined the simulation, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it to calculate it later: Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined simulation and calculate it immediately OK: Click OK to save the defined simulation without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
All simulations created at the same time are grouped together in a folder on the Network tab of the Explorer window. You can now use the results from completed simulations for LTE coverage predictions. For more information on using simulation results in coverage predictions, see "Making Coverage Predictions Using Simulation Results" on page 315.
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To display the traffic distribution by the activity status: 1. Click the Network tab of the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the Simulations folder. The context menu appears. 3. Select Properties from the context menu. The Simulations Properties dialogue appears. 4. On the Display tab of the dialogue, select "Discrete values" as the Display type and "Activity status" as the Field. 5. Click OK. The traffic distribution is now displayed by activity status (see Figure 6.70).
6.4.5.3.2
6.4.5.3.3
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5. Click OK. The traffic distribution is now displayed by service (see Figure 6.72).
6.4.5.3.4
5. Click OK. The traffic distribution is now displayed by throughput (see Figure 6.73).
6.4.5.3.5
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To display the traffic distribution by uplink transmission power: 1. Click the Network tab of the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the Simulations folder. The context menu appears. 3. Select Properties from the context menu. The Simulations Properties dialogue appears. 4. On the Display tab of the dialogue, select "Value intervals" as the Display type and "Transmission power (UL) (dBm)" as the Field. 5. Click OK. The traffic distribution is now displayed by uplink transmission power (see Figure 6.74).
6.4.5.3.6
Figure 6.75: Displaying the traffic simulation results using tip text
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One tab gives statistics of the simulation results. Other tabs in the simulation properties dialogue contain simulation results as identified by the tab title. The Statistics tab: The Statistics tab contains the following sections: Request: Under Request, is data on the connection requests: Atoll calculates the total number of users who try to connect. This number is the result of the first random trial; radio resource allocation has not yet finished. The result depends on the traffic description and traffic input. During the first random trial, each user is assigned a service and an activity status. The number of users per activity status and the UL and DL throughput demands that all users could theoretically generate are provided. The breakdown per service (total number of users, number of users per activity status, and UL and DL throughput demands) is given. The number of iterations that were run in order to converge. The total number and percentage of users unable to connect: rejected users, and the number of rejected users per rejection cause. The number and percentage of users connected to a cell, the number of users per activity status, and the total UL and DL throughputs they generate. These data are also given per service.
The Sites tab: The Sites tab contains the following information per site: Peak RLC aggregate throughput (DL) (kbps): The sum of peak RLC user throughputs of all the users connected in the downlink in all the cells of the site. Effective RLC aggregate throughput (DL) (kbps): The sum of effective RLC user throughputs of all the users connected in the downlink in all the cells of the site. Aggregate application throughput (DL) (kbps): The sum of application throughputs of all the users connected in the downlink in all the cells of the site. Peak RLC aggregate throughput (UL) (kbps): The sum of peak RLC user throughputs of all the users connected in the uplink in all the cells of the site. Effective RLC aggregate throughput (UL) (kbps): The sum of effective RLC user throughputs of all the users connected in the uplink in all the cells of the site. Aggregate application throughput (UL) (kbps): The sum of application throughputs of all the users connected in the uplink in all the cells of the site. Connection success rate (%): The percentage of users connected to any cell of the site with respect to the number of users covered by the cells of the site. Total number of connected users: The total number of users connected to any cell of the site in downlink, uplink, or downlink and uplink both. Number of connected users (DL+UL): The number of users connected to any cell of the site in downlink and uplink both. Number of connected users (DL): The number of users connected to any cell of the site in downlink. Number of connected users (UL): The number of users connected to any cell of the site in uplink. No service: The number of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection cause was "No service." No service (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection cause was "No service." Scheduler saturation: The number of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection cause was "Scheduler saturation." Scheduler saturation (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection cause was "Scheduler saturation." Resource saturation: The number of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection cause was "Resource saturation." Resource saturation (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection cause was "Resource saturation." Peak RLC aggregate throughput (DL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of peak RLC user throughputs of the users connected in the downlink in all the cells of the site. Effective RLC aggregate throughput (DL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of effective RLC user throughputs of the users connected in the downlink in all the cells of the site. Aggregate application throughput (DL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of application throughputs of the users connected in the downlink in all the cells of the site. Peak RLC aggregate throughput (UL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of peak RLC user throughputs of the users connected in the uplink in all the cells of the site. Effective RLC aggregate throughput (UL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of effective RLC user throughputs of the users connected in the uplink in all the cells of the site. Aggregate application throughput (UL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of application throughputs of the users connected in the uplink in all the cells of the site.
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Connection success rate (%) for each service: For each service, the percentage of users connected to any cell of the site with respect to the number of users covered by the cells of the site.
The Cells tab: The Cells tab contains the following information, per site and transmitter: Traffic load (DL) (%): The traffic loads of the cells calculated on the downlink during the simulation. ICIC ratio (DL) (%): The percentage of the downlink traffic load that corresponds to the ICIC part of the frame. Traffic load (UL) (%): The traffic loads of the cells calculated on the uplink during the simulation. UL noise rise (dB): The noise rise of the cells calculated on the uplink during the simulation. ICIC UL noise rise (dB): The noise rise of the cells calculated on the uplink during the simulation for the ICIC part of the frame. Max PUSCH C/(I+N) (dB): The maximum PUSCH C/(I+N) for the cell. It is updated during uplink noise rise control based on the maximum noise rise constraints of the neighbouring cells. Angular distribution of interference (AAS): The simulation results generated for transmitters using a smart antenna. These results are the angular distributions of the downlink traffic power spectral density. AAS usage (DL) (%): The percentage of the downlink traffic load that corresponds to the traffic carried by the smart antennas. MU-MIMO capacity gain (UL): The uplink capacity gain due to multi-user (collaborative) MIMO. Peak RLC aggregate throughput (DL) (kbps): The sum of peak RLC user throughputs of all the users connected in the downlink. Effective RLC aggregate throughput (DL) (kbps): The sum of effective RLC user throughputs of all the users connected in the downlink. Aggregate application throughput (DL) (kbps): The sum of application throughputs of all the users connected in the downlink. Peak RLC aggregate throughput (UL) (kbps): The sum of peak RLC user throughputs of all the users connected in the uplink. Effective RLC aggregate throughput (UL) (kbps): The sum of effective RLC user throughputs of all the users connected in the uplink. Aggregate application throughput (UL) (kbps): The sum of application throughputs of all the users connected in the uplink. Connection success rate (%): The percentage of users connected to the cell with respect to the number of users covered by the cell. Total number of connected users: The total number of users connected to the cell in downlink, uplink, or downlink and uplink both. Number of connected users (DL+UL): The number of users connected to the cell in downlink and uplink both. Number of connected users (DL): The number of users connected to the cell in downlink. Number of connected users (UL): The number of users connected to the cell in uplink. No service: The number of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was "No service." No service (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was "No service." Scheduler saturation: The number of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was "Scheduler saturation." Scheduler saturation (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was "Scheduler saturation." Resource saturation: The number of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was "Resource saturation." Resource saturation (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was "Resource saturation." Peak RLC aggregate throughput (DL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of peak RLC user throughputs of the users connected in the downlink. Effective RLC aggregate throughput (DL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of effective RLC user throughputs of the users connected in the downlink. Aggregate application throughput (DL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of application throughputs of the users connected in the downlink. Peak RLC aggregate throughput (UL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of peak RLC user throughputs of the users connected in the uplink. Effective RLC aggregate throughput (UL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of effective RLC user throughputs of the users connected in the uplink. Aggregate application throughput (UL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of application throughputs of the users connected in the uplink. Connection success rate (%) for each service: For each service, the percentage of users connected to the cell with respect to the number of users covered by the cell.
The Mobiles tab: The Mobiles tab contains the following information: X and Y: The coordinates of users who attempt to connect (the geographic position is determined by the second random trial). Height: The height of the user terminal (antenna).
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User profile: The assigned user profile. Atoll uses the assigned service and activity status to determine the terminal and the user profile. Subscriber ID: The ID of the user if the user is generated from a subscriber list and not from a traffic map. Subscriber list: The subscriber list of the user if the user is generated from a subscriber list and not from a traffic map. Service: The service assigned during the first random trial during the generation of the user distribution. Terminal: The assigned terminal. Atoll uses the assigned service and activity status to determine the terminal and the user profile. Mobility: The mobility type assigned during the first random trial during the generation of the user distribution. Activity status: The assigned activity status. It can be Active DL, Active UL, Active DL+UL, or Inactive. Connection status: The connection status indicates whether the user is connected or rejected at the end of the simulation. If connected, the connection status corresponds to the activity status. If rejected, the rejection cause is given. Clutter class: The code of the clutter class where the user is located. Indoor: This field indicates whether indoor losses have been added or not. Best server: The best server of the user. Reference cell: The reference cell of the serving transmitter of the subscriber. Azimuth: The orientation of the users terminal antenna in the horizontal plane. Azimuth is always considered with respect to the North. Atoll points the user antenna towards its best server. Downtilt: The orientation of the users terminal antenna in the vertical plane. Mechanical downtilt is positive when it is downwards and negative when upwards. Atoll points the user antenna towards its best server. Path loss (dB): The path loss from the best server calculated for the user. 2nd best server: The second best server of the user. 2nd best server path loss (dB): The path loss from the second best server calculated for the user. 3rd best server: The third best server of the user. 3rd best server path loss (dB): The path loss from the third best server calculated for the user. RSRP (RS EPRE) (DL) (dBm): The RSRP (received reference signal energy per resource element) received at the user location in the downlink. RSSI (DL) (dBm): The RSSI received at the user location in the downlink. RSRQ (DL) (dB): The RSRQ (reference signal received quality) at the user location in the downlink. Received reference signal power (DL) (dBm): The reference signal level received at the user location in the downlink. Received SS power (DL) (dBm): The SS signal level received at the user location in the downlink. Received PBCH power (DL) (dBm): The PBCH signal level received at the user location in the downlink. Received PDCCH power (DL) (dBm): The PDCCH signal level received at the user location in the downlink. Received PDSCH power (DL) (dBm): The PDSCH signal level received at the user location in the downlink. Reference signal C/(I+N) (DL) (dB): The reference signal C/(I+N) at the user location in the downlink. SS C/(I+N) (DL) (dB): The SS C/(I+N) at the user location in the downlink. PBCH C/(I+N) (DL) (dB): The PBCH C/(I+N) at the user location in the downlink. PDCCH C/(I+N) (DL) (dB): The PDCCH C/(I+N) at the user location in the downlink. PDSCH C/(I+N) (DL) (dB): The PDSCH C/(I+N) at the user location in the downlink. RS total noise (I+N) (DL) (dBm): The sum of the interference and noise experienced at the user location in the downlink on the reference signals. SS & PBCH total noise (I+N) (DL) (dBm): The sum of the interference and noise experienced at the user location in the downlink on the SS and PBCH. PDCCH total noise (I+N) (DL) (dBm): The sum of the interference and noise experienced at the user location in the downlink on the PDCCH. PDSCH total noise (I+N) (DL) (dBm): The sum of the interference and noise experienced at the user location in the downlink on the PDSCH. Bearer (DL): The highest LTE bearer available for the PDSCH C/(I+N) level at the user location in the downlink. BLER (DL): The Block Error Rate read from the user terminals reception equipment for the PDSCH C/(I+N) level at the user location in the downlink. Diversity mode (DL): The diversity mode supported by the cell or permutation zone in downlink. Peak RLC channel throughput (DL) (kbps): The maximum RLC channel throughput attainable using the highest bearer available at the user location in the downlink. Effective RLC channel throughput (DL) (kbps): The effective RLC channel throughput attainable using the highest bearer available at the user location in the downlink. It is calculated from the peak RLC throughput and the BLER. Application channel throughput (DL) (kbps): The application throughput is the net throughput without coding (redundancy, overhead, addressing, etc.). It is calculated from the effective RLC throughput, the throughput scaling factor of the service and the throughput offset. Peak RLC user throughput (DL) (kbps): The maximum RLC user throughput attainable using the highest bearer available at the user location in the downlink. Effective RLC user throughput (DL) (kbps): The effective RLC user throughput attainable using the highest bearer available at the user location in the downlink. It is calculated from the peak RLC throughput and the BLER. Application user throughput (DL) (kbps): The application throughput is the net throughput without coding (redundancy, overhead, addressing, etc.). It is calculated from the effective RLC throughput, the throughput scaling factor of the service and the throughput offset.
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Received PUSCH & PUCCH power (UL) (dBm): The PUSCH & PUCCH signal level received at the serving transmitter from the user terminal in the uplink. PUSCH & PUCCH total noise (I+N) (UL) (dBm): The sum of the interference and noise experienced at the serving transmitter of the user in the uplink on the PUSCH. PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N) (UL) (dB): The PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N) at the serving transmitter of the user in the uplink. Bearer (UL): The highest LTE bearer available for the PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N) level at the serving transmitter of the user in the uplink. BLER (UL): The Block Error Rate read from the reference cells reception equipment for the PUSCH & PUCCH C/ (I+N) level at the serving transmitter of the user in the uplink. Diversity mode (UL): The diversity mode supported by the cell or permutation zone in uplink. Transmission power (UL) (dBm): The transmission power of the user terminal after power control in the uplink. Allocated bandwidth (UL) (No. of frequency blocks): The number of frequency blocks allocated to the user in the uplink by the eNode-B. Peak RLC channel throughput (UL) (kbps): The maximum RLC channel throughput attainable using the highest bearer available at the user location in the uplink. Effective RLC channel throughput (UL) (kbps): The effective RLC channel throughput attainable using the highest bearer available at the user location in the uplink. It is calculated from the peak RLC throughput and the BLER. Application channel throughput (UL) (kbps): The application throughput is the net throughput without coding (redundancy, overhead, addressing, etc.). It is calculated from the effective RLC throughput, the throughput scaling factor of the service and the throughput offset. Peak RLC allocated bandwidth throughput (UL) (kbps): The maximum RLC throughput attainable for the number of frequency blocks allocated to the user using the highest bearer available at the user location in the uplink. Effective RLC allocated bandwidth throughput (UL) (kbps): The effective RLC throughput attainable for the number of frequency blocks allocated to the user using the highest bearer available at the user location in the uplink. It is calculated from the peak RLC throughput and the BLER. Application allocated bandwidth throughput (UL) (kbps): The application throughput is the net throughput without coding (redundancy, overhead, addressing, etc.). It is calculated from the effective RLC throughput, the throughput scaling factor of the service and the throughput offset. Peak RLC user throughput (UL) (kbps): The maximum RLC user throughput attainable using the highest bearer available at the user location in the uplink. Effective RLC user throughput (UL) (kbps): The effective RLC user throughput attainable using the highest bearer available at the user location in the uplink. It is calculated from the peak RLC throughput and the BLER. Application user throughput (UL) (kbps): The application throughput is the net throughput without coding (redundancy, overhead, addressing, etc.). It is calculated from the effective RLC throughput, the throughput scaling factor of the service and the throughput offset. In Atoll, channel throughputs are peak RLC, effective RLC, or application throughputs achieved at a given location using the highest LTE bearer with the entire channel resources. If a user is rejected, his user throughput is zero.
The Initial Conditions tab: The Initial Conditions tab contains the following information: The global network settings: The PDCCH overhead (number of symbol durations per subframe) The PUCCH overhead (average number of frequency blocks) The switching point periodicity The default cyclic prefix ratio The UL power adjustment margin Reference signal EPRE calculation method The generator initialisation value The maximum number of iterations The global scaling factor The uplink and downlink traffic load convergence thresholds The uplink noise rise convergence threshold The names of the traffic maps and subscriber lists used.
The parameters related to the clutter classes, including the default values.
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To display the averaged results of a group of simulations: 1. Click the Network tab of the Explorer window. 2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Simulations folder. 3. Right-click the group of simulations whose results you want to display. 4. Select Average Simulation from the context menu. A properties dialogue appears. One tab gives statistics of the simulation results. Other tabs in the simulation properties dialogue contain the averaged results for all simulations of the group. The Statistics tab: The Statistics tab contains the following sections: Request: Under Request, is data on the connection requests: Atoll calculates the total number of users who try to connect. This number is the result of the first random trial; radio resource allocation has not yet finished. The result depends on the traffic description and traffic input. During the first random trial, each user is assigned a service and an activity status. The number of users per activity status and the UL and DL throughput demands that all users could theoretically generate are provided. The breakdown per service (total number of users, number of users per activity status, and UL and DL throughput demands) is given. The number of iterations that were run in order to converge. The total number and percentage of users unable to connect: rejected users, and the number of rejected users per rejection cause. The number and percentage of users connected to a cell, the number of users per activity status, and the total UL and DL throughputs they generate. These data are also given per service.
The Sites (Average) tab: The Sites (Average) tab contains the following average information per site: Peak RLC aggregate throughput (DL) (kbps): The sum of peak RLC user throughputs of all the users connected in the downlink in all the cells of the site. Effective RLC aggregate throughput (DL) (kbps): The sum of effective RLC user throughputs of all the users connected in the downlink in all the cells of the site. Aggregate application throughput (DL) (kbps): The sum of application throughputs of all the users connected in the downlink in all the cells of the site. Peak RLC aggregate throughput (UL) (kbps): The sum of peak RLC user throughputs of all the users connected in the uplink in all the cells of the site. Effective RLC aggregate throughput (UL) (kbps): The sum of effective RLC user throughputs of all the users connected in the uplink in all the cells of the site. Aggregate application throughput (UL) (kbps): The sum of application throughputs of all the users connected in the uplink in all the cells of the site. Connection success rate (%): The percentage of users connected to any cell of the site with respect to the number of users covered by the cells of the site. Total number of connected users: The total number of users connected to any cell of the site in downlink, uplink, or downlink and uplink both. Number of connected users (DL+UL): The number of users connected to any cell of the site in downlink and uplink both. Number of connected users (DL): The number of users connected to any cell of the site in downlink. Number of connected users (UL): The number of users connected to any cell of the site in uplink. No service: The number of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection cause was "No service." No service (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection cause was "No service." Scheduler saturation: The number of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection cause was "Scheduler saturation." Scheduler saturation (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection cause was "Scheduler saturation." Resource saturation: The number of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection cause was "Resource saturation." Resource saturation (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection cause was "Resource saturation." Peak RLC aggregate throughput (DL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of peak RLC user throughputs of the users connected in the downlink in all the cells of the site. Effective RLC aggregate throughput (DL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of effective RLC user throughputs of the users connected in the downlink in all the cells of the site. Aggregate application throughput (DL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of application throughputs of the users connected in the downlink in all the cells of the site.
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Peak RLC aggregate throughput (UL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of peak RLC user throughputs of the users connected in the uplink in all the cells of the site. Effective RLC aggregate throughput (UL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of effective RLC user throughputs of the users connected in the uplink in all the cells of the site. Aggregate application throughput (UL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of application throughputs of the users connected in the uplink in all the cells of the site. Connection success rate (%) for each service: For each service, the percentage of users connected to any cell of the site with respect to the number of users covered by the cells of the site.
The Cells (Average) tab: The Cells (Average) tab contains the following average information per cell: Traffic load (DL) (%): The traffic loads of the cells calculated on the downlink during the simulation. ICIC ratio (DL) (%): The percentage of the downlink traffic load that corresponds to the ICIC part of the frame. Traffic load (UL) (%): The traffic loads of the cells calculated on the uplink during the simulation. UL noise rise (dB): The noise rise of the cells calculated on the uplink during the simulation. ICIC UL noise rise (dB): The noise rise of the cells calculated on the uplink during the simulation for the ICIC part of the frame. Max PUSCH C/(I+N) (dB): The maximum PUSCH C/(I+N) for the cell. It is updated during uplink noise rise control based on the maximum noise rise constraints of the neighbouring cells. Angular distribution of interference (AAS): The simulation results generated for transmitters using a smart antenna. These results are the angular distributions of the downlink traffic power spectral density. AAS usage (DL) (%): The percentage of the downlink traffic load that corresponds to the traffic carried by the smart antennas. MU-MIMO capacity gain (UL): The uplink capacity gain due to multi-user (collaborative) MIMO. Peak RLC aggregate throughput (DL) (kbps): The sum of peak RLC user throughputs of all the users connected in the downlink. Effective RLC aggregate throughput (DL) (kbps): The sum of effective RLC user throughputs of all the users connected in the downlink. Aggregate application throughput (DL) (kbps): The sum of application throughputs of all the users connected in the downlink. Peak RLC aggregate throughput (UL) (kbps): The sum of peak RLC user throughputs of all the users connected in the uplink. Effective RLC aggregate throughput (UL) (kbps): The sum of effective RLC user throughputs of all the users connected in the uplink. Aggregate application throughput (UL) (kbps): The sum of application throughputs of all the users connected in the uplink. Connection success rate (%): The percentage of users connected to the cell with respect to the number of users covered by the cell. Total number of connected users: The total number of users connected to the cell in downlink, uplink, or downlink and uplink both. Number of connected users (DL+UL): The number of users connected to the cell in downlink and uplink both. Number of connected users (DL): The number of users connected to the cell in downlink. Number of connected users (UL): The number of users connected to the cell in uplink. No service: The number of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was "No service." No service (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was "No service." Scheduler saturation: The number of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was "Scheduler saturation." Scheduler saturation (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was "Scheduler saturation." Resource saturation: The number of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was "Resource saturation." Resource saturation (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was "Resource saturation." Peak RLC aggregate throughput (DL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of peak RLC user throughputs of the users connected in the downlink. Effective RLC aggregate throughput (DL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of effective RLC user throughputs of the users connected in the downlink. Aggregate application throughput (DL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of application throughputs of the users connected in the downlink. Peak RLC aggregate throughput (UL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of peak RLC user throughputs of the users connected in the uplink. Effective RLC aggregate throughput (UL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of effective RLC user throughputs of the users connected in the uplink. Aggregate application throughput (UL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of application throughputs of the users connected in the uplink. Connection success rate (%) for each service: For each service, the percentage of users connected to the cell with respect to the number of users covered by the cell.
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The Initial Conditions tab: The Initial Conditions tab contains the following information: The global network settings: The PDCCH overhead (number of symbol durations per subframe) The PUCCH overhead (average number of frequency blocks) The switching point periodicity The default cyclic prefix ratio The UL power adjustment margin Reference signal EPRE calculation method The generator initialisation value The maximum number of iterations The global scaling factor The uplink and downlink traffic load convergence thresholds The uplink noise rise convergence threshold The names of the traffic maps and subscriber lists used.
The parameters related to the clutter classes, including the default values.
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To change the global scaling factor: 1. Create a simulation or group of simulations as described in "Creating Simulations" on page 303. 2. Click the Source Traffic tab of the properties dialogue. 3. Enter a Global scaling factor. For example, setting the global scaling factor to 2 is the same as doubling the initial number of subscribers (for environment and user profile traffic maps) or the rates/users (for sector traffic maps).
When no simulations are available, you select "(Cells table)" from the Load conditions list, on the Condition tab. However, when simulations are available you can base the coverage prediction on one simulation or a group of simulations. To base a coverage prediction on a simulation or group of simulations, when setting the parameters: 1. Click the Condition tab. 2. From the Load conditions list, select the simulation or group of simulations on which you want to base the coverage prediction.
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When optimising a network that is still in the planning phase, Atoll ACP can calculate how the network can be improved by: Selecting the antenna type for each transmitter: ACP selects the best antenna from the antenna group assigned to this transmitter. Changing the antenna azimuth: ACP sets the antenna azimuth using a defined range on either side of the currently defined azimuth. Changing the mechanical tilt of the antenna: ACP sets the mechanical tilt using a defined range on either side of the currently defined mechanical tilt. Changing the height of the antenna: ACP sets the optimal antenna height using a defined range on either side of the currently defined antenna height. Selecting sites: ACP adds or removes sites that you have indicated as candidates for addition or removal in order to improve existing or new networks.
In this section, the following are explained: "Using Zones with ACP" on page 316 "Using Traffic Maps with ACP" on page 317 "Shadowing Margin and Indoor Coverage" on page 317 "ACP and Antenna Masking" on page 318 "EMF Exposure" on page 319.
6.5.1.1.1
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6.5.1.1.2
6.5.1.1.3
Figure 6.76: ACP traffic parameters When you use selected traffic maps, ACP allows you to define a resolution to extract the data from traffic maps. The resolution should usually be the same as the resolution of the traffic maps. To increase the accuracy of the data-extraction process, you can increase the resolution defined in the Resolution (m) text box. For the moment, traffic profiles are only used to evaluate the traffic weighting to apply to each pixel (by adding the load-scaled traffic distribution on each traffic profile). This information will also be used in the future to better manage cell load.
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6.5.1.4.1
How ACP calculates attenuation depends on the propagation model used by Atoll to generate the path loss. The propagation model parameters which affect processing are automatically extracted by ACP. ACP supports the propagation models commonly used in Atoll. The raster data needed by ACP depends on the propagation model that Atoll used to generate the path loss. Propagation Model All Atoll Hata-based propagation models (Cost-Hata, Okumura-Hata, ITU, etc.) Raster Data Required DEM file DEM file Clutter Height file (optional) Clutter file (optional) DEM file
6.5.1.4.2
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Receiver on Top of Clutter: If the receiver is on top of the clutter, for example, if receivers are located on top of buildings, you can select Receiver on Top of Clutter. The receiver height will then be sum of the clutter height and the receiver height. Use Radial Method: You can select the Use Radial Method check box if you want ACP to use the radial method to extract the profile between the transmitter and the receiver. Direct View: You can select the Direct View check box if you want ACP to trace a direct line between the transmitter and the receiver when calculating the vertical incidence angle, without taking any obstacle into account. Antenna Masking Method: You can select either the native 3D interpolation method or the linear interpolation method as the type of Antenna Masking Method ACP uses.
These parameters can be set individually for each propagation model for which ACP will use the default propagation method.
6.5.1.4.3
The following default propagation classes are provided: Open: The Open propagation class is for areas without obstacles, such as an open area or water. An open area can also be an elevated area such as a bridge. Such areas are transparent, with no diffraction loss. Vegetation: The Vegetation propagation class is used for areas covered with vegetation, such as parks. They can be considered as transparent but with a certain degree of diffraction loss. Building: The Building propagation class is used for opaque objects such as buildings. The signal experiences some loss when going through and also suffer from diffraction loss.
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Figure 6.77: The antenna masking method tab 6. Under Propagation Models, select the check boxes in each column to define how ACP will model each propagation model. By default, all available propagation models are displayed. By selecting the Show only used propagation models check box, ACP will only display the propagation models that are actually used in that document. Antenna masking method: The antenna masking method column indicates whether ACP can use this propagation model natively ("Native"), or whether ACP uses its own default antenna masking method ("Default"). If you want, you can set ACP to use a precalculated mode for each propagation model from the list: Incidence: Select Incidence if you want ACP to only calculate the angles of incidence for this propagation model. Full path loss: Select Full path loss if you want ACP to calculate full path loss matrices for this propagation model.
Use clutter height: Select the check box in the Use clutter height column if you want ACP to take clutter height information from the clutter heights file, if available, or from the clutter classes file. This option is only available if ACP is using its default antenna masking method Receiver on top of clutter: Select the check box in the Receiver on top of clutter column if you want the receiver height to be sum of the clutter height and the receiver height. This option can be used, for example, to model receivers on top of buildings. Use radial method: Select the check box in the Use radial method column if you want ACP to use the radial method to extract the profile between the transmitter and the receiver. Using the radial method improves efficiency. Additional Parameters: In the Additional Parameters column, a Browse button ( ) appears for each propagation model not supported natively for ACP. Click the Browse button to open the Default Propagation Model Parameters dialogue. In the Default Propagation Model Parameters dialogue, define the following parameters for each propagation model for which ACP uses its default method: Direct View: Select the Direct View check box if you want ACP to trace a direct line between the transmitter and the receiver when calculating the vertical incidence angle, without taking any obstacle into account. Antenna Masking Method: Select either the native 3D interpolation method or the linear interpolation method as the type of Antenna Masking Method ACP uses. When you select the linear interpolation method, you can also define the degree of smoothing applied.
7. Click OK.
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For information on the various options and their possible values, see the Administrator Manual.
For information on the various options and their possible values, see the Administrator Manual. 5. Click the User Preferences tab (see Figure 6.1).
Figure 6.1: Setting ACP user preferences Under Setup Preferences: You can define the following settings: Enable EMF exposure module: Select the Enable EMF exposure module check box if you want the ACP to display the options related to EMF exposure. When you have selected the Enable EMF exposure module check box, you will still have to select the option on the Optimisation tab of the Setup dialogue and define the EMF exposure options if you want to optimise the EMF exposure. Calculation setting: Adjust the slider to define whether you want ACP to provide its results more quickly, at the expense of precision, or whether you want ACP to provide more accurate results, at the expense of speed. By selecting a higher speed, you will cause ACP to reduce the number of cells monitored for each pixel, some of which
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might only create a bit of interference at first, but which could possibly create significantly more interference after antenna parameters are changed during the optimisation process. Selecting a higher precision avoids this problem at the expense of more time and computer resources. Under Result Preferences: You can define the following setting for report maps: Default map transparency: Define the default map transparency with the slider.
6. Click the Private Directory tab. On the Private Directory tab (see Figure 6.2), you can define the directory to be used by the ACP to store precalculated path loss matrices as well as the path loss matrices for antenna height optimisation.
Figure 6.2: Defining the directory for path loss matrices 7. Enter the name of the directory or click the arrow to the right of the current directory ( directory. 8. Click OK to save your changes. When the propagation model used is not one natively supported by ACP, for example, complex ray-tracing propagation models, ACP can use precalculated path loss matrices to calculate attenuation. For more information, see "Defining the Antenna Masking Method" on page 320. ) to navigate to the new
Creating a New Optimisation Setup To create a new optimisation setup: 1. Click the Network tab in the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the ACP - Automatic Cell Planning folder. The context menu appears. 3. Select New from the context menu. A dialogue appears in which you can set the parameters for the optimisation setup.
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For information on the parameters available, see "Defining Optimisation Parameters" on page 324. 4. After defining the optimisation setup: Click the Run button to run the optimisation immediately. For information on the optimisation results, see "Viewing Optimisation Results" on page 350. Click the Create Setup button to save the defined optimisation. For information on running the optimisation, see "Running an Existing Optimisation Setup" on page 324.
Running an Existing Optimisation Setup To run an existing optimisation setup: 1. Click the Network tab in the Explorer window. 2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the ACP - Automatic Cell Planning folder. 3. Right-click the optimisation you want to run. The context menu appears. Select Run from the context menu to run the optimisation immediately. For information on the optimisation results, see "Viewing Optimisation Results" on page 350. Select Properties from the context menu to view or modify the parameters of the optimisation setup. For information on the parameters available, see "Defining Optimisation Parameters" on page 324.
Duplicating an Existing Optimisation Setup To duplicate an existing optimisation setup: 1. Click the Network tab in the Explorer window. 2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the ACP - Automatic Cell Planning folder. 3. Right-click the setup you want to duplicate. The context menu appears. 4. Select Duplicate from the context menu. The ACP Duplicate Options dialogue appears. 5. Under Data Synchronisation Option, select one of the following: Partial update: The duplicated ACP setup will have only the data that was changed by the ACP during optimisation. Duplicating the ACP-generated data permits you to create a new setup with up-to-date data even though the data of the original setup is no longer valid. Full update: The duplicated ACP setup will have all the data resynchronised from the database.
6. Run the existing optimisation setup as described in "Running an Existing Optimisation Setup" on page 324.
6.5.3.2.1
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Figure 6.78: The optimisation tab 3. Define the following: Number of Iterations: Set the number of iterations for the optimisation algorithm. ACP calculates a suggested number of iterations by multiplying the total number of parameters to optimise (i.e., cell pilot power, antennas, azimuth, mechanical tilt, antenna height, sites subject to selection) by two. You can accept the number of iterations, or set your own value. Often one-half or one-quarter of the suggested number is sufficient for ACP to find the optimal configuration. Resolution (m): Specify the resolution for the optimisation. Each criterion will be evaluated on each of these pixels. The total number of pixels and the average number per site is indicated. This parameter has a large influence on the accuracy and speed of the optimisation process. You should either set a resolution that is consistent with the path loss and raster data in the Atoll document, or you should set a resolution that will result in between 300 and 3000 positions per site.
4. Under Setup, you can set the following optimisation-related objectives and parameters: "Defining Layer-related Objectives and Parameters" on page 325 "Defining Zone-related Objectives and Parameters" on page 326 "Defining Cost Control-related Objectives and Parameters" on page 327 "Defining Site Classes for Cost Control" on page 328 "Defining EMF Exposure-related Objectives and Parameters" on page 328.
Defining Layer-related Objectives and Parameters On the Optimisation tab of the ACP Setup dialogue, you can define objectives and parameters related to radio layers of the current project. To define layer-related objectives and parameters: 1. Open the dialogue used to define the optimisation as explained in "Creating an Optimisation Setup" on page 323. 2. Click the Optimisation tab (see Figure 6.78 on page 325). 3. In the pane on the left-hand side, click Layers. Under Layers (see Figure 6.78 on page 325), you can define the following for each layer to be optimised: Use: You can select which layers are to be considered in the optimisation process by selecting their check box in the Use column. The signals and interference of the transmitters and sites in the selected layers will be taken into consideration during the optimisation process. If the transmitters and sites in the selected layers are within the area to be optimised (the computation zone or the focus zone, as selected under Zones on the Optimisation tab), these transmitters and cells will be optimised. Selecting layers to be taken into consideration is most useful when you want to take the signal and interference of several layers into consideration, but only want to optimise one of the layers. Selecting the layers here ensures that ACP will take them into consideration. Transmitters and sites in layers which are not selected are treated by
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ACP as if they do not exist: they will not be optimised and their signal and interference will not be taking into consideration during the optimisation of the selected transmitters and sites. If a transmitter on one selected layer that is optimised is linked with a transmitter on another selected layer that is not optimised, the second transmitter will still appear on the Reconfiguration tab and any changes to the first transmitter will be applied to the linked transmitter as well. Name: You can change the name of the layer by clicking it and entering a new name. Reconfiguration: If you want the layer to be taken into consideration for reconfiguration, you can select the check box in the Reconfiguration column. Site Selection: If you want the layer to be taken into consideration for site selection, you can select the check box in the Site Selection column.
The following columns give information about the layer; they can not be edited: Technology: The technology (GSM in this case) used by the layer. Freq. Band/Carrier: The frequency band and carrier (if applicable) used by the layer. Nb Tx/Cell: The number of transmitters in the layer.
Defining Zone-related Objectives and Parameters On the Optimisation tab of the ACP Setup dialogue, you can define objectives and parameters related to the computation and focus zones as well as the hot spot zones of the current project. To define zone-related objectives and parameters: 1. Open the dialogue used to define the optimisation as explained in "Creating an Optimisation Setup" on page 323. 2. Click the Optimisation tab (see Figure 6.78). 3. In the pane on the left-hand side, click Zones. Under Zones (see Figure 6.79), you can define how the zones will be used during optimisation. The zones are used to define geographical objectives and weighting. The zones are taken into consideration in the following order: the hot spots in their defined order, the focus zone, and finally the computation zone. Filtering Zones: Select the Computation Zone check box to preselect the sectors in the computation zone and the Focus Zone check box to preselect the sectors in the focus zone. If there is no focus zone in the project to be optimised, the computation zone is automatically selected. You can always manually reconfigure sectors outside the selected zone on the Reconfiguration tab. Hot Spots: For each new hot spot, enter a Name in the row marked with the New Row icon ( ) and click the Browse button ( ) to open the Zone Definition dialogue. You can import an ArcView SHP file by selecting From
file and clicking the the Browse button ( ). Or, you can use an existing hot spot zone in the Atoll document by selecting From hot spot and selecting the hot spot zone from the list. Or, you can create a hot spot zone composed of all areas in the reconfiguration zones that are included in one or more clutter class by selecing From clutter classes and selecting the check box corresponding to the clutter class or classes you want to study.
Figure 6.79: The Zone Definition dialogue You can change the order in which the hot spots will be taken into consideration, by clicking the layers number in the Order column and then clicking the Up button ( ) or the Down button ( ).
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Figure 6.80: Configuring zones on the Optimisation tab Defining Cost Control-related Objectives and Parameters On the Optimisation tab of the ACP Setup dialogue, you can define objectives and parameters related to cost control. To define zone-related objectives and parameters: 1. Open the dialogue used to define the optimisation as explained in "Creating an Optimisation Setup" on page 323. 2. Click the Optimisation tab (see Figure 6.78). 3. In the pane on the left-hand side, click Cost Control. Under Cost Control (see Figure 6.81), you can define how the costs will be calculated for each optimisation option. ACP will use the defined costs to calculate the optimisations that are the most cost-effective. You can select three types of cost control: No cost control: If you select No cost control, ACP will not take cost into consideration when optimising the network. Maximum cost: If you select Maximum cost, you can enter a maximum cost not to be exceeded and define the costs under Cost Setting. Quality/Cost trade-off: If you select Quality/Cost trade-off, ACP will find a compromise between cost and quality. You can use the slider to define whether ACP should put more emphasis on quality (Low) or cost (High).
Figure 6.81: Configuring costs on the Optimisation tab In the Reconfiguration Cost section, under Cost Setting, define the individual costs for each reconfiguration option. If reconfiguring an option can only be done at the physical location of the transmitter, select the check box in the Site Visit column. The cost will be increased by the defined Site Visit value. The site visit cost is incurred only once per site, independently of the number of reconfigurations that might be made to the same site, including sites supporting more than one technology. In the Site Selection Cost section, under Cost Setting, define the individual costs for each site selection option.
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Defining Site Classes for Cost Control On the Optimisation tab of the ACP Setup dialogue, you can create and define site classes. By setting different costs for each site class and assigning each site to a class, ACP can calculate costs that reflect more realistically the actual costs of each site. To create and define site classes: 1. Open the dialogue used to define the optimisation as explained in "Creating an Optimisation Setup" on page 323. 2. Click the Optimisation tab (see Figure 6.78). 3. In the pane on the left-hand side, click Cost Control. Under Cost Control (see Figure 6.81), you can create site classes and define how the costs will be calculated for each optimisation option and each class. ACP will use the defined costs to calculate the optimisations that are the most cost-effective. To define the costs for a site class: a. Click the arrow beside the Site Classes list and select a site class. b. Define the individual costs for each reconfiguration option as explained in "Defining Cost Control-related Objectives and Parameters" on page 327. To create a site class: a. Click the New Site Class button ( ). The New Site Class dialogue appears.
b. Enter the name for the site class and click OK. The new site class now appears in the list of site classes. c. Define the individual costs for each reconfiguration option of the new site class as explained in "Defining Cost Control-related Objectives and Parameters" on page 327. To delete a site class: a. Click the arrow beside the Site Classes list and select the site class you want to delete. b. Click the Delete Site Class button ( fault" site class. ). The selected site class is immediately deleted. You can not delete the "De-
ACP will not ask you to confirm your decision, so ensure that you have selected the correct site class before clicking the Delete Site Class button.
Defining EMF Exposure-related Objectives and Parameters On the Optimisation tab of the ACP Setup dialogue, you can set the parameters necessary to measure and optimise the EMF exposure caused to the network. The EMF Exposure section of the Optimisation tab is only available if you have selected the Enable EMF exposure module check box on the User Preferences tab of the ACP Properties dialogue. For more information on setting the properties of the ACP module, see "Configuring Setup-specific Settings" on page 322. To define EMF exposure parameters: 1. Open the dialogue used to define the optimisation as explained in "Creating an Optimisation Setup" on page 323. 2. Click the Optimisation tab (see Figure 6.78). 3. In the pane on the left-hand side, click EMF Exposure. Under EMF Exposure, you can define the parameters used to optimise EMF exposure.
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Figure 6.82: Setting EMF exposure parameters 4. Under EMF Exposure, select the Enable EMF exposure calculation check box if you want the ACP to optimise EMF exposure. 5. Use the EMF Exposure importance slider to define the importance of EMF exposure in comparison with the other optimisation objectives: Low: EMF exposure is improved when doing so not have a strong adverse effect on coverage quality. Medium: There is a trade-off between coverage quality and EMF exposure. Critical: EMF exposure is improved at all costs, even if doing so has a strong adverse effect on coverage quality.
6. Under Distribution of Measurement Points, define how the measurement points will be distributed: Resolution XY (m): Define in meters the horizontal resolution of the measurement points. Resolution Z (m): Define in meters the vertical resolution of the measurement points (only for three-dimensional EMF exposure analysis). Building front only: Select the Building front only check box if you only want measurement points to be distributed on the building faade. Indoor distance analysis (m): If you want measurement points to be distributed within the building (i.e., if the Building front only check box is not selected), define the maximum distance up to which measurement points are distributed inside the building. Measurement on zone: Select the zone (computation, focus, or individual hot spot zone) on which measurement points will be distributed and on which the EMF exposure will be optimised.
7. Under Raster and Vector Inputs, set the data that will be used to define the profile of the terrain: File: Under File, click the Browse button ( ) to select a file describing the terrain. The files must be ArcView vector files (SHP). By default, the first entry in the File column is "Native clutter classes and clutter heights." If you want to remove them completely from the table, select the Ignore clutter check box at the bottom of the dialogue. Definition: Under Definition, click the Browse button ( ) corresponding to the file in the File column to map the files data to ACP propagation classes. Used in Measurements: Select the Used in Measurements check box for each entry in the File column that you want to use for EMF exposure optimisation. Once you have defined the EMF exposure parameters, you can back up the configuration by clicking the Back Up Configuration button. In future ACP sessions, the same parameters will be applied automatically 8. In the pane on the left-hand side, click Propagation under EMF Exposure. Under Propagation, you can define the propagation classes used to optimise the EMF exposure , as well as additional EMF exposure parameters.
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Figure 6.83: Defining propagation classes 9. Under Propagation Class Definition, set the following parameters for each propagation class. If you want to create a new propagation class, enter the parameters in the row marked with the New Row icon ( ). Name: The name of the propagation class. Distribution of Measurement Points: The pattern in which measurement points will be distributed in that propagation class. The measurement points can be distributed in either a 3D pattern (for a building, in which measurement points must be made vertically as well) or in a 2D pattern. For a two-dimensional distribution, the points can be placed either at the bottom (for example, in a park) or at the top (for example, for a bridge) to better reflect where people will be. Penetration Loss (dB): Define the loss occuring when the signal enters the object. Linear Loss (dBm): Define a linear loss applied for each meter within an object. The loss is applied only after a given number of meters, specified by the Linear Loss Start Distance (m) parameter. Linear Loss Start Distance (m): Define the distance after which the Linear Loss (dBm) is applied.
10. Under Parameters, define the following: Use diffraction: This option is currently disabled. In other words, measurement points that are not in the line of sight do not experience any diffraction loss. Free space model (worst case): Select the Free space model (worst case) check box if you want the ACP to calculate the worst possible EMF exposure levels under the current conditions. When you select the Free space model (worst case) check box, the ACP treats all objects (i.e., buildings, etc.) as fully transparent and no indoor loss is applied. Calculation radius (m): Define the maximum distance from a transmitter for which its EMF exposure contribution is calculated.
6.5.3.2.2
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Figure 6.84: The objectives tab 3. Under Criteria, in the left-hand pane, under Objectives, click LTE Coverage or LTE CINR to define the RS (received signal) coverage or the RS CINR (received signal level to interference-plus-noise ratio) parameters, respectively. Target Zone: Select the zone on which RS coverage or the RS CINR is to evaluated. Traffic Weighting: If you want define non-uniform traffic, click the Browse button ( ) to open the Traffic Definition dialogue. In the Traffic Definition dialogue, you can select either Traffic generated from maps and select the traffic maps or you can select Traffic generated from file and then click the Browse button ( ) to select a traffic map. Weight: You can set the importance of the RS coverage or RS CINR objective by defining a weight. Giving the RS coverage or RS CINR objective a weight of "0" means that ACP will not consider RS coverage or the RS CINR in determining the success of the optimisation.
4. Under Criteria, in the left-hand pane, under Objectives, click Condition under LTE Coverage or LTE CINR to define how ACP will calculate RS coverage or the RS CINR. In the row marked with the New Row icon ( ), set the following parameters:
In the first column, select the boolean operator (AND, OR, or XOR) that will be used to combine the conditions. Layer: In the Layer column, select the layer that the objective will be evaluated on. Quality: In the Quality column, select the objective. In the next column, select the operator (">" or "<") that will be used to evaluate the objective in relation to the Threshold. Threshold: In the Threshold column, enter the threshold to be used to evaluate the objective. Clicking the Browse button ( ) opens a dialogue where you can define in which zone the objective will be evaluated and a threshold for each zone. Each pixel can belong to more than one zone, however for each pixel the quality is only measured according to the zone with the highest priority (i.e., first the hot spot, then the focus zone, and finally the computation zone).
Once you have defined more than one condition under either LTE Coverage or LTE CINR, you can combine them or change the order in which ACP takes them into consideration. You can combine conditions by selecting them and clicking the Group button. You can then select a boolean operator (AND, OR, or XOR) that will be used to combine the conditions with other defined conditions. You can change the order in which ACP takes them into consideration by selecting the condition and clicking conditions by selecting them and and then clicking the Up button ( ) or the Down button ( ).
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5. Under Criteria, in the left-hand pane, under Objectives, click Target under LTE Coverage or LTE CINR to define the coverage target. a. Enter a value for one of the following: Improve Current Coverage (+- %): If you want to use an improvement of current coverage as the optimisation target, enter the percentage by which the current coverage should be improved. Target Coverage (%): If you want to use a target coverage (defined as a percentage of the target zone), enter the percentage in Target Coverage (%). If you want to use a coverage prediction, the coverage prediction must have already been calculated.
6. If you want to filter the points on which the objective will be measured, click Advanced at the bottom of the dialogue. In the row marked with the New Row icon ( ), set the following parameters:
In the first column, select the boolean operator (AND, OR, or XOR) that will be used to combine the filter conditions. Layer: In the Layer column, select the layer that the measurement points will be evaluated on. Quality: In the Quality column, select the objective. In the next column, select the operator (">" or "<") that will be used to evaluate the objective in relation to the Threshold. Threshold: In the Threshold column, enter the threshold to be used to evaluate the objective. Clicking the Browse button ( ) opens a dialogue where you can define in which zone the objective will be evaluated and a threshold for each zone.
Once you have defined more than one filter condition, you can combine them or change the order in which ACP takes them into consideration. You can combine filter conditions by selecting them and clicking the Group button. You can then select a boolean operator (AND, OR, or XOR) that will be used to combine the filter conditions with other defined conditions. You can change the order in which ACP takes them into consideration by selecting the filter condition and clicking filter conditions by selecting them and and then clicking the Up button ( ( ). ) or the Down button
7. If you are optimising EMF exposure, under Criteria, in the left-hand pane, click EMF Exposure to set the importance of the objectives.
Figure 6.1: Setting EMF exposure parameters Select the check box in the Use column for each zone in the project that you want to be taken into consideration in the EMF exposure optimisation. Enter a Maximum Threshold (Vm) for each selected zone. Define a Weight for each zone. Measurement points will be weighted according to the weight assigned to the zone they are in. For example, if a zone has a weight of "2," then improving the EMF exposure by one measurement point within this zone is of the same importance as improving the EMF exposure by two measurement points in a zone with a weighting of "1." It is important to remember that, if every zone is assigned the same weight, the optimisation is made as if no weight is assigned to any zone. Defining a weight of "0" for a zone means that that zone will not be taken into consideration when trying to reach the set objectives.
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8. Under Criteria, click Zone Weighting to set the importance of the objectives (see Figure 6.85).
Figure 6.85: Setting weighting options 9. Define the weight given to the computation zone, the focus zone, and any hot spot zone. With zone weighting, ACP adds an extra weight to all the pixels of a zone. Because one pixel can belong to several zones (for example, a pixel can be inside both the focus zone and the computation zone and in a hot spot zone, if there is one), the weight applied to that pixel is the weight of the zone with the highest priority: the hot spot zone, if it exists, then the focus zone, finally the computation zone. It is important to remember that, if every zone is assigned the same weight, the optimisation is made as if no weight is assigned to any zone. Defining a weight of "0" for a zone means that that zone will not be taken into consideration when trying to reach the set objectives. Zone weighting is used to focus optimisation on the appropriate areas. The assigned weights are used to weight the traffic parameters, unless the optimisation is based on uniform traffic. However, if no traffic maps are available or if the optimisation is based on uniform traffic, zone weighting can be used to ensure that ACP prioritises the optimisation of areas of high traffic. With multiple layers, you might have a layer that is restricted geographically (for example, the LTE 925 layer might only be available in rural areas). Because ACP always measures the quality target over the entire computation zone, such a situation would lead to a measurement of poor quality in the urban areas, where there are no LTE 925 sectors. By defining a weight of "0" outside of the rural area for this layer, you can restrict the measurement of coverage only to the part of the layer with LTE 925 sectors. This way, the global target (90% of coverage for instance) is measured in a meaningful way. 10. Under Criteria, in the left-hand pane under Parameters, click LTE. You can define the quality parameters for LTE. a. Under LTE, select the Enable indoor coverage check box if you want all pixels to be considered as indoors when the Enable indoor coverage check box is selected. The indoor loss per clutter class will be applied or, if no clutter classes are available, a default value will be applied. You can base the evaluation of the objectives on a calculated coverage prediction or on manual configuration. If you base the coverage prediction settings on a calculated coverage prediction, ACP will use the ranges and colours defined in the selected coverage prediction as the default for its own maps. However, if you have saved the display options of an ACP map as default, or if you are using a configuration file for ACP, these defined ranges and colours will be used as the default, overriding the settings in the selected coverage prediction. For information on setting ACP map display options as the default, see "Changing the Display Properties of ACP Maps" on page 361. For information on saving a configuration file, see "Configuring the Default Settings" on page 322. If you want to use a coverage prediction, the coverage prediction must have already been calculated.
b. Under LTE in the left-hand pane under Parameters, select Overlap. If you select Manual Configuration from the Base prediction settings on list, define an Overlap threshold margin. It will be used for traffic maps. c. Under LTE in the left-hand pane under Parameters, select Signal Level. If you select Manual Configuration from the Base prediction settings on list, define the following options: Select the Enable Shadowing Margin check box if you want to enable a shadowing margin and define a Cell edge coverage probability.
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When selected, the shadowing margin will be taken into account using the defined Cell edge coverage probability. The standard deviations defined in the Atoll clutter are used or, if no clutter information is available, default values are used. d. Under LTE in the left-hand pane under Parameters, select RS C \ RSRP or RS C/N. If you select Manual Configuration from the Base prediction settings on list, define the following options: Select the Enable Shadowing Margin check box if you want to enable a shadowing margin and define a Cell edge coverage probability. When selected, the shadowing margin will be taken into account using the defined Cell edge coverage probability. The standard deviations defined in the Atoll clutter are used or, if no clutter information is available, default values are used. Select a Service and a Terminal. The service and terminal specified are used during the calculation of RS C \ RSRP or RS C/N through gain and losses (i.e., the service body loss, the gain and loss of the terminal antenna, and terminal noise factor).
e. Under LTE in the left-hand pane under Parameters, select RS CINR \ RSRQ. If you select Manual Configuration from the Base prediction settings on list, define the following options: Select the Enable Shadowing Margin check box if you want to enable a shadowing margin and define a Cell edge coverage probability. When selected, the shadowing margin will be taken into account using the defined Cell edge coverage probability. The standard deviations defined in the Atoll clutter are used or, if no clutter information is available, default values are used. Select a Service and a Terminal. The service and terminal specified are used during the calculation of RS CINR \ RSRQ through gain and losses (i.e., the service body loss, the gain and loss of the terminal antenna, and terminal noise factor).
Under Calculation Method, define how the RS CINR will be calculated: Select Using frequency plan if you want the frequency plan to be taken into consideration when calculating the RS CINR. Select Ignoring frequency plan & segmentation if you want the RS CINR \ RSRQ to be calculated without taking the frequency plan and segmentation into consideration.
6.5.3.2.3
Setting LTE Cell Reconfiguration Parameters To set the LTE cell reconfiguration parameters: 1. Open the dialogue used to define the optimisation as explained in "Creating an Optimisation Setup" on page 323. 2. Click the Reconfiguration tab and, on the left-hand side of the Reconfiguration tab, click the LTE Cells tab (see Figure 6.87).
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Figure 6.86: LTE cell reconfiguration options You can limit the cells displayed on the Reconfiguration tab by selecting the zone they are located in from the Display on list. The Display on list only affects the cells displayed and not the cells optimised. The Display on list is available at the top of the Sites, Transmitters, and LTE Cells tabs. Any selection you make from the Display on list on one tab affects what will be displayed on all other tabs. 3. Select the Total power check box for the total power of each selected cell to be set within a defined minimum and maximum value and in the defined number of steps. If desired, you can select the Power max/min as offset check box and define the values for minimum and maximum preamble power as offsets of the current power. 4. Select the Synchronise cell power on co-sector cells check box to ensure that all cells on the same sector are assigned the same cell power. If you are optimising exposimetry, the cell power of co-sector cells is automatically synchronised. In other words, if, in order to meet the exposimetry objectives, the cell power of one cell must be set to a given level, then the cell power of all co-sector cells will be set accordingly. If one of the cells of a sector is not being optimised (if the check box in the Use column is cleared), when cell power is synchronised, its assigned cell power forced to that of the optimised cells. 5. Define the total power settings for each cell. Use: Select the Use check box corresponding to the cell to include it in the optimisation of the total power. Current: The current total power for the cell. Min. and Max.: Set a minimum and maximum preamble power to be respected during the optimisation process. If you selected the Power max/min as offset check box, you will set the Min. Offset and Max. Offset for each cell.
Step (dB): Set a Step in dB that ACP should use with attempting to find the optimal total power. For total power optimisation, the total range is defined with minimum, maximum and step values. There is an absolute maximum possible total power which depends on the other powers used in the cell (for control, traffic, and max cell power).
You can make the same changes to several cells by making the change for one item, selecting the others starting from the changed item and using the Fill Up (Ctrl+U) or Fill Down (Ctrl+D) commands. For more information on the Fill Up or Fill Down commands, see "Pasting the Same Data into Several Cells" on page 54.
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You can select the cells to which the reconfiguration options are going to be applied using the Advanced section of the Reconfiguration tab. For more information, see "Selecting Sites for Reconfiguration" on page 342. You can sort the contents of any column by right-clicking the column and selecting Sort Ascending or Sort Descending from the context menu. Cells that have been filtered out, either by zone or by clearing their check box in the table, will not be optimised but are still present in the network and, therefore, continue to generate interference. Atoll enables you to export the current network reconfiguration options, edit them in a different application and then reimport them into the Reconfiguration tab. For information on importing network reconfiguration options, see "Importing Network Reconfiguration Parameters" on page 338. Setting Transmitter Reconfiguration Parameters To set the transmitter reconfiguration parameters: 1. Open the dialogue used to define the optimisation as explained in "Creating an Optimisation Setup" on page 323. 2. Click the Reconfiguration tab (see Figure 6.87).
Figure 6.87: Transmitter reconfiguration options 3. Select the parameters that will be optimised: Antenna type: Select the Antenna type check box for ACP to adjust the antenna type by selecting the best antenna from the antenna group assigned to each selected transmitter. Electrical tilt: Select the Electrical tilt check box for ACP to select the best electrical tilt from the antenna group assigned to each selected transmitter within the defined range. When ACP selects the best antenna type, it will also choose the best electrical tilt from the antenna group even if it is not optimising the electrical tilt. However, because no range is defined, ACP will select the best electrical tilt from all available. Azimuth: Select the Azimuth check box for ACP to set the antenna azimuth using a defined range on either side of the currently defined azimuth. By default, ACP optimises the antenna azimuth of each sector of a site individually. However, you might want to retain the same inter-sector angle separation. If this is the case, you can select the Azimuth check box corresponding to that site under Lock Site on the Sites tab of the Reconfiguration tab.
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Mechanical tilt: Select the Mechanical tilt check box for ACP to set the mechanical tilt within the defined range and in the defined number of steps. Antenna Height: Select the Antenna Height check box for ACP to set the antenna height within the defined range and in the defined number of steps. If you are optimising EMF exposure, you can not optimise the antenna height. By default, if the Antenna Height check box corresponding to a site under Lock Site on the Sites tab of the Reconfiguration tab is cleared, ACP checks whether a sites antennas are co-located (i.e., have the same coordinates). If so, the height of the antennas is locked. If the antennas are not co-located, the height of the antennas is not automatically locked, permitting ACP to optimise the height of each antenna individually.
The table displays, for each parameter selected, both the current settings for each cell in the selected zone and the currently defined optimisation parameters. If you want ACP to display more information on each transmitter, you can select the Show Advanced Grid check box. ACP will then display, for each transmitter, the antenna masking method, the propagation model used, the name, and status of the site the transmitter is located on. The propagation model displayed is extracted from the Atoll document but can be changed if the propagation model is not recognised by ACP (for more information, see "ACP and Antenna Masking" on page 318). 4. Define the settings to be optimised for each cell. If are optimising the antenna azimuth, you can enter a single value in the Variation column, to define a range on either side of the current azimuth, or you can enter a minimum and maximum value separated by a semi-colon in the format "-min;max", (for example, "-20;40") in the Variation column for an asymmetric antenna. You can make the same changes to several cells by making the change for one item, selecting the others starting from the changed item and using the Fill Up (CTRL+U) or Fill Down (CTRL+D) commands. For more information on the Fill Up or Fill Down commands, see "Pasting the Same Data into Several Cells" on page 54. Linking Transmitters in Multi-layer Networks When you are optimising transmitters in multi-layer environments, ACP automatically links transmitters in the same location but in different layers to ensure that it applies the same reconfiguration to them. ACP links them not only by location, but also by azimuth, mechanical tilt, and antenna height. If ACP does not automatically link two transmitters which should be linked, it is normally because there is too large a difference in one of the parameters of the two transmitters, for example, a few degrees in azimuth, one degree in mechanical tilt, or one meter difference in antenna height. If two transmitters should be linked but were not, you can manually link them. If the site of one of the linked transmitters has either its antenna heights or azimuths locked, i.e., if changes made to one sector of the site are made to all sectors on that site, then corresponding changes will be made to the other linked transmitter. For more information on locking antenna heights or azimuths, see "Setting Transmitter Reconfiguration Parameters" on page 336. To link transmitters: 1. Open the dialogue used to define the optimisation as explained in "Creating an Optimisation Setup" on page 323. 2. Click the Reconfiguration tab and, on the left-hand side of the Reconfiguration tab, click the Transmitters tab. 3. Click Advanced at the bottom of the Reconfiguration tab. The Advanced options appear. 4. Under Advanced, click the Multi-layer Management tab. On the Multi-layer Management tab, you can link transmitters (see Figure 6.88).
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Figure 6.88: Multi-layer management To link transmitters in the same location but on different layers: a. Hold CTRL and click the first transmitter in the table above and then the second transmitter. The Link button on the Multi-layer Management tab is now available. b. Click the Link button. The two transmitters are now linked and ACP will apply the same reconfiguration to them both. To unlink linked transmitters: a. Select the transmitters in the table The Unlink button on the Multi-layer Management tab is now available. b. Click the Unlink button. The transmitters are no longer linked. To unlink all linked transmitters: Click the Unlink All button. ACP resets all linked transmitters.
To automatically all transmitters in the same location but on different layers: Click the Auto Link button. ACP links all transmitters that have the same position, azimuth and mechanical tilt.
Importing Network Reconfiguration Parameters Atoll enables you to export the current network reconfiguration options, edit them in a different application and then reimport them into the Reconfiguration tab. To import reconfiguration parameters: 1. Open the dialogue used to define the optimisation as explained in "Creating an Optimisation Setup" on page 323. 2. Click the Reconfiguration tab. On the left-hand side of the Reconfiguration tab, select the desired tab. 3. Right-click the table and select Export as Text from the context menu. The Save As dialogue appears. 4. Enter a name in the File name box and click Save. The file will be saved as a tab-delimited text file. 5. Open the text file in another application, for example, in a spreadsheet application, and make the modifications desired. 6. Save the file as a text file and return to Atoll. 7. Click Advanced at the bottom of the Reconfiguration tab. The Advanced options appear. 8. Under Advanced, click the Import Facility tab. 9. Click the Import from File button. The Open dialogue appears. 10. Browse to the file and click Open. The Import Data dialogue appears (see Figure 6.89).
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Figure 6.89: Importing site data into the reconfiguration tab 11. Under Format Parameters, enter the number of the first row with data in the First Imported Row box, select the data Separator, and select the Decimal Symbol used in the file. 12. If you want only the transmitters in the imported list to be used on the Reconfiguration tab, select the Use Only Tx(s) in List check box. The Use check box will be cleared for all transmitters that are not in the imported file and they will not be affected by reconfiguration options. 13. In the table, ensure that the column names from the imported file (the Source file) match the column names on the Reconfiguration tab (Destination). You can change the Destination column by clicking the column name and selecting the name from the list. Any values in the imported file for current values can not be imported.
14. Click the Import button to import the file and replace the settings in the Reconfiguration tab.
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Selecting Sites for Addition or Removal You can use the Reconfiguration tab to select the sites that will be added or removed to improve existing or new networks. To set site selection parameters: 1. Open the dialogue used to define the optimisation as explained in "Creating an Optimisation Setup" on page 323. 2. Click the Reconfiguration tab. On the left-hand side of the Reconfiguration tab, select the Sites tab (see Figure 6.90).
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Figure 6.90: Site selection 3. Select the Current Site Selection check box to enable site selection. You can then define how sites will be added or removed. 4. In the table, define how each site will be treated during site selection: a. Select the Locked check box for each site that is not to be affected by site selection. If you have many sites that you do not want to be affected by site selection, you can select and lock them with the Advanced section. For more information on the options in the Advanced section, see "Selecting Sites for Reconfiguration" on page 342. b. Select the Status for each site that is not locked: Only active sites are loaded by ACP. If you want inactive sites to be taken into account during site selection, you must set them as active first in Atoll. When you commit the results of the ACP run, all sites and sectors disabled by the ACP will be set to inactive in Atoll. Existing: An "Existing" site is considered as being active in the initial network. ACP will remove an existing site if the Site Removable check box has been checked and if removing the site will improve network quality. If the Sectors Removable check box has been checked, one or more sectors might be removed if removing them will improve network quality. Candidate: A "Candidate" site is considered as being inactive in the initial network. ACP will add the site during the optimisation process if adding the site will improve network quality. If the Sectors Removable check box has been checked, only one or more sectors might be added if adding them will improve network quality. You can define candidate sites by clicking the New Candidate Setup button. For more information on defining candidate sites, see "Creating Candidate Sites" on page 341. c. Select the Sectors Removable check box for each site that can have sectors removed to improve network quality. d. Select the Site Removable check box for each site that can be removed to improve network quality. e. If desired, assign sites marked as "Candidate" in the Status column to a Group by selecting it from the list. If a candidate site does not belong to a group, no further constraints are imposed on ACP during optimisation. If a candidate site belongs to a group, ACP must respect the constraints of the group. If a site group has no sites belonging to it, it is automatically deleted.
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i.
Under Group, click the field and select New from the list. The New Site Group dialogue appears (see Figure 6.91).
ii. Enter a Group Name and define the minimum and maximum number of sites from this group (from 0 to 1000) that must be respected by ACP during optimisation (Minimum Site Occurrence and Maximum Site Occurrence, respectively). If there is no minimum or maximum that ACP must respect, leave the field blank. iii. Click OK to create the group and return to the Site Selection tab.
Figure 6.91: Creating a new site group Creating Candidate Sites The ACP enables you to create a list of candidate sites that can be added to the network to improve quality. For each candidate, you can specify both the location and the station template the candidate site would be based on if the ACP adds it to the network. As well, the ACP can optimise candidate sites when they are added to the network. During optimisation, the ACP will choose either from the sites defined as candidates on the Sites tab or from the list of candidate sites. To create or edit candidate sites: 1. Open the dialogue used to define the optimisation as explained in "Creating an Optimisation Setup" on page 323. 2. Click the Reconfiguration tab. On the left-hand side of the Reconfiguration tab, select the Sites tab. 3. On the Sites tab, click the New Candidate Setup button. The New Candidate Setup dialogue appears (see Figure 6.92).
Figure 6.92: New candidate setup dialogue 4. Under Zone Configuration, define, if desired, how candidate sites will be treated for each zone: Zone: Select the zone (computation, focus, or hot spot zone defined on the Optimisation tab) from the list. The ACP will add the candidate site according to the quality objectives defined on the Optimisation tab. Default Station Template: Select the station template that any candidate site the ACP adds in the selected zone will be based on. The ACP can optimise each candidate site based on a template. You can set the optimisation parameters for each template by clicking the Template Reconfiguration button. For information on the options, see "Setting Transmitter Reconfiguration Parameters" on page 336. Default Group: Select the group that the candidate site will belong to by default. Radio Layer: If there is more than one radio layer, select the radio layer the candidate site will be added to.
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5. Under New Candidate List, define the individual candidate sites. For each candidate site set the following: Name: Enter a name for the candidate site. Location: Click the Browse button ( ) to define the location of the candidate site. You can define the location either as a set of co-ordinates or you can select an existing site from a list. Station Template: Select the station template the candidate site will be based on. This selection overrides the selection made under Zone Configuration. Group: Select the group the candidate site will belong to. This selection overrides the selection made under Zone Configuration. Antenna Height: The antenna height of the candidate site is updated automatically from the defined default site template or read from the data when you import a CSV file with a list of defined candidate sites. You force the antenna height of all candidate sites to a defined value for each clutter class by clicking the Action button and selecting Update candidate height from clutter height from the menu. Site Class: Select the site class this candidate site will belong to. The site class will be used to determine the cost of implementing this site. The Site Class column does not appear if you have not defined a site class under Cost Control on the Optimisation tab. All candidate sites will belong to the "Default" class site.
Radio Layer: Select the radio layer the candidate site will be added to. This selection overrides the selection made under Zone Configuration.
6. If desired, select the Try to use multi-band antenna when possible check box. The ACP will attempt to use linked transmitters on candidate sites if possible. 7. Click the Action button to update the list of new candidates by selecting one of the following options: Clear List: Select Clear List to delete all current entries in the New Candidate List. Import from File: Select Import from File to import a list of candidate sites, defined as XY coordinates. Import from Current Sites Defined as Location Only: Select Import from Current Sites Defined as Location Only to import as candidate sites sites in the current document that have no transmitters. The sites imported are those in the reconfiguration zone(s) selected on the Optimisation tab. The defined reconfiguration zone(s) is displayed at the top of the Reconfiguration tab as well. Update Candidate Height from Clutter Height: Select Update Candidate Height from Clutter Height to define the height of all candidate sites for each clutter class.
If you are using the ACP on a co-planning project, you have an additional option. This option enables you to, for example, upgrade an existing network from one technology to another. Import from Existing [Technology] Sites: Select Import from Existing [Technology] Sites to import all the sites in the other document as candidate sites in the current document.
Selecting Sites for Reconfiguration You can use the Advanced area of the Reconfiguration tab to select sites. For more information on the Reconfiguration tab, see "Setting Network Reconfiguration Parameters" on page 334. To select sites: 1. Open the dialogue used to define the optimisation as explained in "Creating an Optimisation Setup" on page 323. 2. Click the Reconfiguration tab. On the left-hand side of the Reconfiguration tab, select the Sites tab. 3. Select the Current Site Selection check box. 4. Click Advanced to display the Advanced area (see Figure 6.93).
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Figure 6.93: The advanced section 5. Select the Global Change tab. 6. Select the sites: For entire table: Select For entire table if you want to select all sites in the table. For selected rows: If you want to select a series of rows in the table, select the entries in the Site Name column and then select For selected rows under Advanced. You can select contiguous rows by clicking the first entry, pressing SHIFT and clicking the last entry. You can select non-contiguous rows by pressing CTRL and clicking each entry separately. With technology: If you have a co-planning project with more than one technology, select the With technology check box and then select the technology from the list if you want to select all sites using that technology. With status: Select the With status check box and then select the status from the list if you want to select all sites with that status. With site class: If you have defined site classes, select the With site class check box and then select the site class from the list if you want to select all sites from that site class. If you want to lock the selected sites, you can select the Set "Locked" check box and click Apply. The locked sites will not be affected by the site addition or removal options.
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Creating and Grouping Antennas by Pattern Atoll enables you to create physical antennas by grouping several instances of antennas by their pattern. By setting an option in the ACP.ini file, you can also optimise the additional electrical downtilt (AEDT) of antennas. When you have set this option, you can select which antennas for which you will optimise the AEDT and the range of values that Atoll can chose from during the optimisation process. For information on setting options in the ACP.ini file, see the Administrator Manual. To group antennas by their pattern: 1. Open the dialogue used to define the optimisation as explained in "Creating an Optimisation Setup" on page 323. 2. Click the Antenna tab. On the left-hand side of the Antenna tab, select the Patterns tab (see Figure 6.94). The Antenna tab displays all antennas in the Antenna Pattern Table and the groups under Antenna Element.
Figure 6.94: Antenna tab 3. Click the New button to create a new group under Antenna Element. You can change the name of the new group or of any group by right-clicking the group name twice under Antenna Element, selecting Rename from the context menu, and entering the new name. You can delete one group by selecting it under Antenna Element and clicking the Delete button. You can delete all groups by clicking the Delete All button. 4. Assign antennas to a group to create physical antenna elements or to associate antenna patterns to define a radiation diagramme of a group of antennas with several variations of electrical tilt: a. Select the group under Antenna Element. b. Select the antenna under Antenna Pattern Table and click the right arrow between the columns ( ) to assign it to the selected group. Antennas under Antenna Pattern Table that have been assigned to a group are indicated with an icon ( ). You can assign the same antenna to more than one group. You can remove an antenna from a group by selecting it in the group under Antenna Element and clicking the left arrow between the columns ( ).
When you have grouped the antennas, you can back up the configuration by clicking the Back Up Configuration button. In future ACP sessions, the antennas will then be grouped automatically according to this definition. 5. If you are also optimising additional electrical downtilt, select the check box in the Use AEDT column corresponding to each antenna for which you want to optimise the additional electrical downtilt and define the limits Atoll must respect by entering values in the Min. AEDT and Max. AEDT for each antenna to be optimised.
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Figure 6.95: The antenna pattern table with AEDT enabled Grouping Antennas Automatically You can group antennas automatically using a regular expression, or "regex." The regular expression is retained from one Atoll session to the next. Therefore, once you have set the regular expression for the given antenna naming convention, you will not have to set again for the next Atoll session. The default regex pattern is overwritten when you change it. You can return to the default regular expression by clearing the text box and clicking OK. You can change the default regular expression by editing the appropriate entry in the ACP.ini file. For more information on the options available in the ACP.ini file, see the Administrator Manual. It is recommended to identify both the antenna type and the electrical tilt in the antenna name in Atoll and to separate the antenna type and electrical tilt with a special character, for example, "_". This will make it easier to group antenna groups automatically using a regular expression. To group antennas automatically: 1. Open the dialogue used to define the optimisation as explained in "Creating an Optimisation Setup" on page 323. 2. Click the Antenna tab. On the left-hand side of the Antenna tab, select the Patterns tab (see Figure 6.94 on page 344). 3. Under Automatic Creation, enter a regular expression, or "regex," in the text box.
4. Click the Build from Expression button to create antenna groups according to the defined regular expression. When you have created the antenna groups, you can back up the configuration by clicking the Back Up Configuration button. In future ACP sessions, the antenna groups are then automatically created according to this definition. Defining Multi-band Antennas When you have grouped antennas according to their physical characteristics as explained in "Creating and Grouping Antennas by Pattern" on page 344 and "Grouping Antennas Automatically" on page 345, they are displayed on the Radome tab of the Antenna tab, grouped according to their frequency band. You can merge these groups to create groups of antennas that are multi-band antennas. To define multi-band antennas: 1. Open the dialogue used to define the optimisation as explained in "Creating an Optimisation Setup" on page 323. 2. Click the Antenna tab. On the left-hand side of the Antenna tab, select the Physical Antenna tab (see Figure 6.94 on page 344).
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Figure 6.96: Creating multi-band antennas 3. Create multi-band antennas by merging two or more antenna groups: a. Select two or more antenna groups by holding CTRL and clicking the antenna groups in the Physical Antenna Table. b. Click the Merge button. The antenna groups are now merged and will appear on the Antenna Groups tab. You can break the merged antenna groups up by selecting them in the Physical Antenna Table and clicking the Unmerge button, or by clicking Unmerge All. If you click Unmerge All, all merged antenna groups will be broken up. 4. Under Automatic Creation, enter a regular expression, or "regex," in the text box. Creating Antenna Elements and Physical Antennas Automatically ACP can automatically create representations of antenna elements and physical antennas using a custom field in the Atoll document database. To enable the ACP to automatically create antenna elements and physical antennas: 1. Create a custom column in the Antennas table of the Atoll document database. 2. For each antenna identified in the Antennas table, enter the name of the physical antenna to which the antenna pattern belongs in the custom column. 3. Define the name of the custom column in the ACP.ini file using the "antenna.model" option. For more information on defining options in the ACP.ini file, see the Administrator Manual. When you restart Atoll, and run the ACP on this document, ACP will now automatically create antenna elements and physical antennas based on the entry in the custom field of the Antennas table of the Atoll document database. Creating Antenna Groups ACP creates antenna groups based on their frequency band, but you can create antenna groups based on other common characteristics. The antenna groups are used especially to choose between a directive antenna (of 35 degrees) and a less directive one (of 65 degrees). However, in most circumstances, one antenna group corresponds to one physical antenna. To group antennas: 1. Open the dialogue used to define the optimisation as explained in "Creating an Optimisation Setup" on page 323. 2. Click the Antenna tab. On the left-hand side of the Antenna tab, select the Antenna Groups tab (see Figure 6.97 on page 347). On the Antenna Groups tab, there is already one group called "Default" in the Antenna Groups pane of the tab. The "Default" group is created automatically by ACP and contains all the antenna patterns available for a given frequency.
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Figure 6.97: Creating antenna groups 3. Click the New button to create a new group under Antenna Groups. You can change the name of the new group or of any group by right-clicking the group name twice under Antenna Groups, selecting Rename from the context menu, and entering the new name. You can delete one group by selecting it under Antenna Groups and clicking the Delete button. You can delete all groups by clicking the Delete All button. 4. Assign antennas to groups according to their physical characteristics: a. Select the group under Antenna Groups. b. Select the antenna under Physical Antenna Table and click the right arrow between the columns ( ) to assign it to the selected group. Antennas under Physical Antenna Table that have been assigned to a group are indicated with an icon ( ). You can assign the same antenna to more than one group. You can remove an antenna from a group by selecting it in the group under Antenna Groups and clicking the left arrow between the columns ( ).
When you have created the antenna groups, you can back up the configuration by clicking the Back Up Configuration button. In future ACP sessions, the antenna groups are then automatically created according to this definition.
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To run a saved optimisation setup: 1. Click the Network tab in the Explorer window. 2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the ACP - Automatic Cell Planning folder. 3. Right-click the setup folder that you want to run in the ACP - Automatic Cell Planning folder. The context menu appears. 4. Select Run from the context menu. The optimisation setup runs. As the optimisation setup runs, ACP displays the current status of the process (see Figure 6.98) allowing you to observe the progress. You can pause the optimisation if you desire or stop the optimisation early, The Optimisation dialogue has four tabs: Graphs: The Graphs tab displays a graph with the iterations on the X axis and the optimisation objectives (RS, CINR, and global cost, if you have selected to take cost into consideration) on the Y axis (see Figure 6.98). The values displayed are indicated with a legend. Changes: The Changes tab displays in a graph indicating the quantity of changes made for each reconfiguration parameter selected during setup. The values displayed are indicated with a legend. Quality Maps: The Quality Maps tab displays coverage quality maps for RS and RS CINR improvement. The maps display the computation zone with the network improvement performed to that point. If you based this optimisation on a coverage prediction (see "Setting Objective Parameters" on page 330), the ranges and colours defined in the selected coverage prediction will be used for the quality maps, unless you have already defined display defaults for ACP, either by saving an ACP maps settings as the default (see "Changing the Display Properties of ACP Maps" on page 361) or by using a configuration file (see "Configuring the Default Settings" on page 322). Objectives: The Objectives tab displays the progress in meeting the defined objectives, with the success or failure of meeting the objectives indicated. EMF Exposure Maps: The EMF Exposure Maps tab displays maps indicating EMF exposure improvement performed to that point.
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Figure 6.98: The network coverage improvement graphs and maps When the optimisation has finished, the results are stored in the optimisation folder on the Network tab of the Explorer window. By default, Atoll calls the optimisation folder a "Setup" folder. Each setup folder contains one or more optimisation processes. Each optimisation process folder contains the results of that optimisation. For information on viewing optimisation results, see "Viewing Optimisation Results" on page 350.
Figure 6.99: An optimisation run in the explorer window You can perform an optimisation on a network that has already been optimised. After running the first optimisation and committing the results, you can create and run a second optimisation, with different parameters on the optimised network. The setup on which the optimisation is based is locked after you commit the changes. If you want to use the same setup, you will have to duplicate it and select Partial update from the Setup Duplication Options dialogue.
Figure 6.100: Options available in the context menu 5. Select one of the following from the context menu:
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Properties: Selecting Properties from the context menu opens the optimisations Properties dialogue. You can modify all of the optimisation parameters except for the selection of traffic maps (for information on the optimisation parameters, see "Defining Optimisation Parameters" on page 324). If you want to base an optimisation on different traffic maps, you must create a new optimisation (for information on creating a new optimisation, see "Creating an Optimisation Setup" on page 323). Run: Selecting Run runs the optimisation setup. The results will be contained in a new optimisation folder in the setup folder. If you have changed some data in Atoll, for example, if you added transmitters or change some of the transmitter settings, the data that optimisation results are based on may differ from the current Atoll data. If you run a optimisation based on settings made before the changes, it will not take the changed data into consideration. ACP normally detects changes in the Atoll document data and can lock a group if it is impossible to run an optimisation that is coherent with existing data. ACP can lock a group if, for example, when you commit optimisation results after the path losses have been recalculated and are no longer consistent with the data used to run the optimisation. When this happens you will either have to: Create a new optimisation as explained in "Creating a New Optimisation Setup" on page 323. Duplicate an existing optimisation which will create a new optimisation with the same configuration but with updated parameters. Roll back the previously committed parameters as explained in "The Commit Tab" on page 357.
Delete: Selecting Delete deletes the defined optimisation setup and any results. Storing optimisation results and the group configuration increase the size of the Atoll file. Deleting unused setups in the ACP - Automatic Cell Planning folder will decrease the size of the Atoll file.
Load Configuration: Selecting Load Configuration displays the Open dialogue. You can then select a PRJ file based on the settings of a different optimisation. When you load a configuration based on a different Atoll document, only the settings that are not specific to that document are loaded. Save Configuration: Selecting Save Configuration displays the Save As dialogue. You can then save the optimisation settings in a PRJ file. You can then use this PRJ file to quickly configure an optimisation. Saving a configuration is a quick way to save the settings you have made in an external file. You can then easily create new configurations using these same settings as a basis without having to recreate them.
Duplicate: Selecting Duplicate displays the ACP Duplicate Options dialogue. You can then duplicate the either the ACP-generated data of selected optimisation setup or all of the data of the setup. Duplicating the ACP-generated data permits you to create a new setup with up-to-date data even though the data of the original setup is no longer valid.
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3. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the folder of the setup containing the optimisation results you want to view. 4. Right-click the optimisation. The context menu appears. 5. Select Properties from the context menu. The optimisations Properties dialogue appears. The optimisation results are on individual tabs of the Properties dialogue (with an extra tab, the General tab, that allows you to change the name of the optimisation results): Statistics: The Statistics tab displays a synthesised view of the optimisation results of the objectives (RS coverage and RS CINR), and of the EMF exposure optimisation, if one was made. For more information on the Statistics tab, see "The Statistics Tab" on page 351. Sectors: The Sectors tab displays a table with the reconfigured cells in green, sites and sectors which have been added or removed, and the RS quality, the CINR quality, and the total power per cell before and after optimisation. For more information on the Statistics tab, see "The Sectors Tab" on page 352. Graph: The Graph tab displays a graph with the iterations on the X axis and the optimisation objectives (RS coverage, RS CINR, and global cost, if you have selected to take cost into consideration, and the EMF exposure optimisation, if one was made) on the Y axis. The values displayed are indicated with a legend. For more information on the Graph tab, see "The Graph Tab" on page 354. Quality: The Quality tab displays the computation zone with coverage quality maps for the objectives (RS coverage and RS CINR), as well as for RS C, RS C N, RSCP, RSRQ, overlapping coverage, and for the EMF exposure op misation, if one was made. For more information on the Quality tab, see "The Quality Tab" on page 355. Change Details: The Change Details tab enables you to analyse the improvement caused by each reconfiguration option. For more information on the Change Details tab, see "The Change Details Tab" on page 356. Commit: The Commit tab enables you to commit the set of selected changes. For more information on the Commit tab, see "The Commit Tab" on page 357.
6.5.6.1.1
Figure 6.101: The statistics tab For the RS coverage quality and RS CINR quality, both the initial and final figures are given, as well as the absolute improvement. These figures are given both for the computation zone and the focus zone. If you defined weights for each zone on the Objectives tab of the dialogue used to define the optimisation (see "Setting Objective Parameters" on page 330), ACP indicates that the results are weighted.
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You can see more detailed information by clicking the links (see Figure 6.102): Show Change Statistics: The change statistics showing the reconfiguration and site selection statistics. Show Detailed Hot Spot/Clutter Results: The detailed quality figures on each hot spot and by each clutter class. Show Input: The input settings of this optimisation.
Figure 6.102: The statistics tab - detailed information You can export the results by clicking the Export button. The Save As dialogue that appears allows you to select the format in which you want to save the results: XLS, TXT, HTML, or XML.
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Figure 6.103: The sectors tab The results are displayed in a table. You can access options such as sorting, exporting data using the context menu (see Figure 6.104) sort, column hiding, export, etc.
Figure 6.104: Options available for data in the Sectors tab If you are optimising EMF exposure, on the left-hand side of the Sectors tab, a second tab, the EMF Exposure tab, appears. The EMF Exposure tab displays the initial and final Vm contribution for each transmitter in the optimisation.
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6.5.6.1.3
Figure 6.105: The graph tab The tool bar allows you to: Zoom and span the graph Export to a BMP image file or simple text file Print the graph Show the values along the curves.
Figure 6.106: The graph tab with the values displayed on the selected point
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6.5.6.1.4
Figure 6.107: Coverage maps on the quality tab The maps are displayed with a range of values displayed on the right. If you based this optimisation on a coverage prediction (see "Setting Objective Parameters" on page 330), the ranges and colours defined in the selected coverage prediction will be used for the quality maps, unless you have already defined display defaults for ACP, either by saving an ACP maps settings as the default (see "Changing the Display Properties of ACP Maps" on page 361) or by using a configuration file (see "Configuring the Default Settings" on page 322). This range can be modified using the Map Properties dialogue accessed through the tool bar (see Figure 6.108).
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In addition to the map, a histogram is provided for quick evaluation of the improvement seen across the entire range of values. This histogram displays the statistics within the focus zone if selected. It should be also noted that the statistics are given using traffic weighting when traffic maps are used. They can therefore be different from similar statistics obtained through the Generate Report tool in Atoll which only uses uniform weighting. The default colour range used for display can be changed by setting options in the acp.ini file. For information on the acp.ini file options, see the Administrator Manual.
6.5.6.1.5
Figure 6.109: The change details tab You can select a subset of all changes using a slider and view the corresponding performance improvement on the graph. This can enable you to achieve two goals: To select a subset of changes to be implemented. For example, you might find that implementing only one-third of the recommended changes will provide 80% of the benefit. You could then chose to commit only those changes to the Atoll document. To find the optimal order in which to apply these changes in the field, while at the same time avoiding less than optimal performance, or even degrading the performance, during the implementation phase.
Before selecting a subset of recommended changes, it is important to understand that ACP calculates the set of recommendations globally and that these changes are interdependent. During the finalisation step, ACP calculates the ordered list of changes displayed on the Change Details tab by starting from the initial network configuration and iteratively selecting the change that will have the most effect on the network. If you arbitrarily select a subset of the recommended changes, it is highly likely that the improvement of the network quality will not be as great as projected. It is therefore highly recommended to follow the ordered list of changes as proposed. The data displayed on the other tabs takes all the proposed changes into consideration. If you select only a subset of the proposed changes on the Change Details tab, the statistics displayed on other tabs do not change.
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When you commit the optimisation changes, ACP will only commit the proposed changes selected on the Change Details tab. For information on committing the optimisation changes, see "The Commit Tab" on page 357.
6.5.6.1.6
Figure 6.110: The commit tab You can select one of the following: Commit: Clicking the Commit button will update the Atoll document with the changes displayed on the Commit tab. Once you have committed the changes, you can recalculate the path losses and use any of the functions available in Atoll, including coverage predictions and simulations. After you perform any such calculations, remember to click the Roll Back to Initial State button to return to the original network settings. Roll Back to Initial State: Clicking the Roll Back to Initial State button will revert the Atoll network to its state before the optimisation was run.
When you click either the Commit button or the Roll Back to Initial State button, information about the commit or rollback process is displayed in the Atoll Event Viewer. The Effects of Committing or Rolling Back Changes on Existing Setups When you commit the optimisation results, all existing configuration setups are locked because the network state on which the configuration setup was based is not coherent with the current path losses. ACP automatically detects any incoherence and prevents you from running an optimisation on incoherent data. ACP will unlock the optimisation setups when it becomes possible, for example, when you roll back the data to restore the Atoll state to be coherent with the network state on which the configuration setup was based. It is important to remember that you can commit or roll back other optimisation results even when the setup is locked.
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To view the results of the optimisation in the map window: 1. Click the Network tab in the Explorer window. 2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the ACP - Automatic Cell Planning folder. 3. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the folder of the setup containing the optimisation results you want to view. 4. Right-click the optimisation. The context menu appears. 5. Select New Map from the context menu. The ACP Map Types dialogue appears (see Figure 6.112).
Figure 6.111: Displaying a new map based on ACP results The maps available in the ACP Map Types dialogue are organised by category. 6. Select the category of maps or click the Expand button ( ) to expand the category and then select the sub-category or map. 7. Click OK to create the maps. The maps are created and inserted into the folder of the setup containing the optimisation results (see Figure 6.112).
Figure 6.112: The map types correspond to the available results You can display a map by selecting its check box in the folder of the setup containing the optimisation results. The display properties can be changed for a single map or for all maps. For information on the display properties for ACP maps, see "Changing the Display Properties of ACP Maps" on page 361. The following sections provide more information on the maps: "The Objective Analysis Maps" on page 358 "The LTE Layer Maps" on page 359 "The EMF Exposure Maps" on page 360 "Comparing Maps" on page 360 "Changing the Display Properties of ACP Maps" on page 361 "Exporting ACP Coverage Maps" on page 362.
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You can view whether or not the objective was met on any pixel by letting the pointer rest over the pixel. Whether or not the objective was met is then displayed in a tip text. When the variation between the initial and final coverage is displayed, the tip text also indicates whether the objective was met on that pixel in the initial coverage, final coverage, both, or neither.
6.5.6.2.2
The Quality Analysis Maps The quality analysis maps enable you to display the signal quality maps in the Atoll map window. These maps are the same as those displayed on the Quality tab of the optimisations Properties dialogue. The quality analysis maps are the equivalent of maps created by different Atoll coverage predictions: The RS coverage maps correspond to the Atoll coverage by signal level. For more information, see "Studying Signal Level Coverage" on page 226. The RS CINR coverage maps correspond to Atoll coverage by C (I+N) level. For more informa on, see "Making a Coverage by C/(I+N) Level" on page 254. The overlapping zones maps correspond to the Atoll overlapping zones coverage prediction. For more information, see "Making a Coverage Prediction on Overlapping Zones" on page 237.
Making these maps available within ACP enables you to quickly validate the optimisation results without having to commit the results and then calculate a coverage prediction in Atoll. The ACP maps display results very similar to those that Atoll would display if you committed the optimisation results and calculated Atoll coverage predictions, however, before basing any decision to commit the optimisation results on the maps produced by ACP, you should keep the following recommendations in mind: You should verify the results with a different Atoll coverage prediction, such as the pilot pollution prediction. ACP generated maps are generated using the entire set of proposed changes. They do not take into account the change subset defined on the Change Details tab. Multiple carriers are not supported by ACP; the maps are only provided for the requested carrier. Even after committing the optimisation results, differences can remain between the ACP maps and the maps resulting from Atoll coverage predictions.
You can view the exact RS coverage value on any pixel by letting the pointer rest over the pixel. The RS coverage value is then displayed in a tip text. For the overlapping zones map, you can set the best server threshold on the User Preferences tab of the ACP Properties dialogue (see "Configuring the Default Settings" on page 322) or by setting the CellOverlap parameter in the acp.ini file. For each network quality coverage prediction, ACP offers a map showing the initial network state, the final network state, and a map showing the changes between the initial and final state. The Change Analysis Maps The change analysis maps allow you to analyse the changes recommended by the ACP. The change attributes are displayed on the map using a best server map, because the types of changes that ACP recommends are all related to individual cells. The best server map used is usually the initial best server map but you can use the final best server map for new sites (i.e., sites that have been added during optimisation). The following maps are available: Reconfiguration Types: In the Reconfiguration Types folder, there is a separate map for each reconfiguration option displaying the changes to the network: azimuth, mechanical tilt, and antenna. The changes are displayed for the best server zone. The maps can be displayed individually to display each reconfiguration option separately or together to display all reconfiguration options. Sector Selection Types: In the Sector Selection Types folder, there are maps to display which sites have been added or removed. These maps are only available if the site selection was activated during optimisation. Change Order: The Change Order map displays the order of changes (as displayed on the Change Details tab of the optimisations Properties dialogue). You can define the colours used to display the order of changes by right-clicking the Change Order map in the Change Analysis folder, selecting Properties from the context menu and then changing the colours on the Display tab. By displaying the Change Order map, you can see where the most important changes to be made to the network are located. Change of Electrical Tilt, Mechanical Tilt, Azimuth, Height, Pilot Power, and Change Cost: These maps show the variation of the given parameter. They can be used to see where in the network this reconfiguration option was changed.
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The electrical tilt values are calculated using the vertical antenna pattern. The Change of Electrical Tilt map is made available even when the change was to the antenna type.
Best Server Analysis The best server analysis maps contain maps enabling you to analyse cell-related parameters as related to the best server. The following maps are available: Initial and Final Electrical and Mechanical Tilt Values: These maps show the tilt values on the initial and final network. They can be used, for example, to identify areas with strong tilt values. Initial and Final Antenna Height: These maps show the initial and final antenna heights. Initial and Final Transmitter RS and CINR Coverage: These maps show the percentage of the best server area which is covered according to the defined threshold. The values displayed are the same as those on the Sectors tab of the optimisations Properties dialogue. You can use these maps to quickly identify the cells which potentially have poor quality. Initial and Final Overlapping Ratio: These maps show the percentage of the best server area with overlapping coverage greater than "1," i.e., with several received signals over the defined threshold.
Objective Coverage Analysis The objective coverage analysis maps enable you to display the initial and final coverage of the objectives (coverage and CINR) relative to the defined thresholds. You can view the coverage and CINR values relative to the defined thresholds on any pixel by letting the pointer rest over the pixel. The coverage and CINR value is then displayed in a tip text. The tip text also provides the best server, whose signal is used to calculate the coverage and CINR.
6.5.6.2.3
6.5.6.2.4
Comparing Maps
You can compare the results displayed on one map with the results of another map from the same optimisation or from a different optimisation. To compare a map with a map from the same optimisation: 1. After creating and inserting the coverage analysis maps into the folder of the setup containing the optimisation results as explained in "Viewing Optimisation Results in the Map Window" on page 357, right-click the map you want to compare. The context menu appears. 2. From the context menu, select Compare With and then select one of the maps in the submenu. A new map is created in the optimisation folder and the results of the comparison are displayed in the map window. 3. ACP creates a new map in the optimisation folder and displays it in the map window with the pixels that are displayed on both maps or only on a single map.
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To compare a map with a map from a different map type or with a map from a different optimisation: 1. After creating and inserting the coverage analysis maps into the folder of the setup containing the optimisation results as explained in "Viewing Optimisation Results in the Map Window" on page 357, right-click the map you want to compare. The context menu appears. 2. From the context menu, select Compare With > Others. The ACP Compare Map dialogue appears (see Figure 6.114). By default, the ACP Compare Map dialogue displays only maps from the same optimisation as the map you want to compare.
Figure 6.114: The ACP compare map dialogue 3. Define the maps you choose from: Show predictions from Predictions folder: Select the Show predictions from Predictions folder check box if you want to be able to compare with a map from a coverage prediction you have already created and calculated. Show maps from all ACP setups: Select the Show maps from all ACP setups check box if you want to be able to compare with a map from a different optimisation. Show only maps of same type: Select the Show only maps of same type check box if you want to restrict the maps displayed to maps displaying comparable information.
4. Select the map with which you want to compare the first one and click OK. ACP creates a new map in the optimisation folder and displays it in the map window with the pixels that are displayed on both maps or only on a single map. By first defining a display interval of "1" in both maps and then comparing them, the resulting comparison map will have more meaningful results. For information on defining "Changing the Display Properties of ACP Maps" on page 361.
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Figure 6.115: Setting the display properties for a map 3. Select the Display tab. 4. On the Display tab, you can define the following settings: Colours: For each range of values, you can click the colour button and select the colour that will be used to represent that range. Min. and Max.: You can define the minimum and maximum values that will define that range. Transparency: You can define the transparency of the map using the slider. Add to legend: You can display the range of values of the optimisation map by selecting the Add to legend. check box. Actions: You can modify the ranges of values by clicking the Actions button and selecting one of the following: Select All: Select Select All to select all the ranges on the Display tab. Anything you select after that from the Actions menu (for example, Delete) will be applied to the selected ranges. Delete: Select Delete to delete the selected range or ranges. Insert Before: Select Insert Before to insert a new range before the selected range. Insert After: Select Insert After to insert a new range after the selected range Shading: Select Shading to open the Shading dialogue where you can define all the ranges by setting the first value, the last value, and the step between values, as well as the colour used for the first value and the colour used for the last value. ACP will shade the ranges in between the first and last value with a range of colours going from the first colour to the last. Save as Default: Select Save as Default to set the current settings on the Display tab to the default settings. These settings can then be used for all maps of the same kind. Load from Default: Select Load from Default to change the current settings to those set as the default using Save as Default. Reset to Default: Select Reset to Default to change the current settings back to the ACP defaults. You can also use Reset to Default to return to the ACP defaults when you have created user-defined defaults using Save as Default.
You can display the value on a pixel by resting the pointer on the pixel in the map window. The value on that pixel will be displayed in a tip text.
6.5.6.2.6
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4. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the optimisation. 5. Right-click the map. The context menu appears. 6. Select Export the Coverage from the context menu. The Save As dialogue appears. 7. Enter a File name for the exported coverage map and select the format from the Save as type list. 8. Click Save. The exported coverage map is saved in the selected format. Depending on the file format selected from the Save as type list, Atoll creates an additional file in the same location containing geo-referencing information: BMP file: Atoll creates a BPW file. ArcView grid (TXT) file: Atoll creates a BPW file. BIL file: Atoll creates a HDR file. GRD or GRC file: Atoll creates a TAB file. PNG file: Atoll creates a PGW file. TIF file: Atoll creates a TFW file.
9. Atoll also creates a BPW file in the same location containing geo-referencing information.
5. Right-click the optimisation results. The context menu appears. 6. Select Histogram from the context menu. The histogram appears in a separate window with a legend on the right side.
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For Atoll to be able to use the data in imported files, the imported files must contain the following information: The position of drive test data points. When you import the data, you must indicate which columns give the abscissa and ordinate (XY coordinates) of each point. Information identifying scanned cells (for example, serving cells, neighbour cells, or any other cells). In LTE networks, a cell can be identified by its physical cell ID. Therefore, you must indicate during the import process which column contains the physical cell IDs of cells.
You can import a single drive test data file or several drive test data files at the same time. If you regularly import drive test data files with the same format, you can create an import configuration. The import configuration contains information that defines the structure of the data in the drive test data file. By using the import configuration, you will not need to define the data structure each time you import a new drive test data file. To import one or several drive test data files: 1. Click the Network tab of the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the Drive Test Data folder. The context menu appears. 3. Select Import from the context menu. The Open dialogue appears. 4. Select the file or files you want to open. You can import one or several files. If you are importing more than one file, you can select contiguous files by clicking the first file you want to import, pressing Shift and clicking the last file you want to import. You can select non-contiguous files by pressing Ctrl and clicking each file you want to import. 5. Click Open. The Import of Measurement Files dialogue appears. Files with the extension PLN, as well as some FMT files (created with old versions of TEMS) are imported directly into Atoll; you will not be asked to define the data structure using the Import of Measurement Files dialogue. 6. If you already have an import configuration defining the data structure of the imported file or files, you can select it from the Import configuration list on the Setup tab of the Import of Measurement Files dialogue. If you do not have an import configuration, continue with step 7. a. Under Import configuration, select an import configuration from the Import configuration list. b. Continue with step 10. When importing a drive test data path file, existing configurations are available in the Files of type list of the Open dialogue, sorted according to their date of creation. After you have selected a file and clicked Open, Atoll automatically proposes a configuration, if it recognises the extension. If several configurations are associated with an extension, Atoll chooses the first configuration in the list. The defined configurations are stored, by default, in the file "NumMeasINIFile.ini", located in the directory where Atoll is installed. For more information on the NumMeasINIFile.ini file, see the Administrator Manual.
7. Click the General tab. On the General tab, you can set the following parameters: Name: By default, Atoll names the new drive test data path after the imported file. You can change this name if desired. Under Receiver, set the Height of the receiver antenna and the Gain and Losses. Under Measurement conditions, Units: Select the measurement units used. Coordinates: By default, Atoll imports the coordinates using the display system of the Atoll document. If the coordinates used in the file you are importing are different than the coordinates used in the Atoll document, you must click the Browse button ( ) and select the coordinate system used in the drive test data file. Atoll will then convert the data imported to the coordinate system used in the Atoll document. 8. Click the Setup tab (see Figure 6.116).
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Figure 6.116: The Setup tab of the Import of Measurement Files dialogue a. Under File, enter the number of the 1st measurement row, select the data Separator, and select the Decimal symbol used in the file. b. Click the Setup button to link file columns and internal Atoll fields. The Drive Test Data Setup dialogue appears. c. Under Measurement point position, select the columns in the imported file that give the X-coordinates and the Y-coordinates of each point in the drive test data file. You can also identify the columns containing the XY coordinates of each point in the drive test data file by selecting them from the Field row of the table on the Setup tab.
d. In the Physical cell ID identifier box, enter a string found in the column name identifying the physical cell IDs of scanned cells. For example, if the string "PCI" is found in the column names identifying the physical cell IDs of scanned cells, enter it here. Atoll will then search for the column with this string in the column name. e. Click OK. If you have correctly entered the information under File on the Setup tab, and the necessary values in the Drive Test Data Setup dialogue, Atoll should recognize all columns in the imported file. If not, you can click the name of the column in the table in the Field row and select the column name. For each field, you must ensure that each column has the correct data type in order for the data to be correctly interpreted. The default value under Type is "<Ignore>". Columns marked with "<Ignore>" will not be imported. The data in the file must be structured so that the column identifying the physical cell ID is placed before the data columns for each cell. Otherwise Atoll will not be able to properly import the file.
9. If you want to save the definition of the data structure so that you can use it again, you can save it as an import configuration: a. On the Setup tab, under Import configuration, click Save. The Configuration dialogue appears. b. By default, Atoll saves the configuration in a file called "NumMeasINIfile.ini" found in Atolls installation folder. In case you cannot write into that folder, you can click Browse to choose a different location.
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c. Enter a Configuration name and an Extension of the files that this import configuration will describe (for example, "*.txt"). d. Click OK. Atoll will now select this import configuration automatically every time you import a drive test data path file with the selected extension. If you import a file with the same structure but a different extension, you can select this import configuration from the Configuration list. You do not have to complete the import procedure to save the import configuration and have it available for future use. When importing a measurement file, you can expand the NumMeasINIfile.ini file by clicking the Expand button ( ) in front of the file under Import configuration to display all the available import configurations. When selecting the appropriate configuration, the associations are automatically made in the table at the bottom of the dialogue. You can delete an existing import configuration by selecting the import configuration under Import configuration and clicking the Delete button.
10. Click Import, if you are only importing a single file, or Import all, if you are importing more than one file. The drive test data are imported into the current Atoll document.
In addition, you can display points by more than one criterion at a time using the Advanced option in the Display type list. When you select Advanced from the Display type list, the Shadings dialogue opens in which you can define the following display for each single point of the measurement path: a symbol according to any attribute a symbol colour according to any attribute a symbol size according to any attribute
You can, for example, display a signal level in a certain colour, choose a symbol for each transmitter (a circle, triangle, cross, etc.) and a symbol size according to the altitude.
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Fast display forces Atoll to use the lightest symbol to display the points. This is particularly useful when you have a very large number of points. You can not use Advanced display if the Fast display check box has been selected. You can sort drive test data paths in alphabetical order on the Network tab of the Explorer window by right-clicking the Drive Test Data Path folder and selecting Sort Alphabetically from the context menu. You can save the display settings (such as colours and symbols) of a drive test data path in a user configuration file to make them available for use on another drive test data path. To save or load the user configuration file, click the Actions button on the Display tab of the path properties dialogue and select Save or Load from the Display Configuration submenu.
To filter out measurement points using an advanced filter: 1. Click the Network tab of the Explorer window. 2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Drive Test Data folder. 3. Right-click the drive test data path on which you want to filter out measurement points. The context menu appears. 4. Select Filter from the context menu. The Drive Test Data Filter dialogue appears.
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5. Click More. The Filter dialogue appears. For more information on using the Filter dialogue, see "Advanced Data Filtering" on page 72. You can update heights (of the DTM, and clutter heights) and the clutter class of drive test data points after adding new geographic maps or modifying existing ones by selecting Refresh Geo Data from the context menu of the Drive Test Data folder.
To create a coverage prediction along a drive test data path: 1. Click the Network tab of the Explorer window. 2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Drive Test Data folder. 3. Right-click the drive test data path on which you wish to create the coverage prediction. The context menu appears. 4. Select Calculations > Create a New Prediction from the context menu. The Prediction Types dialogue appears. 5. Under Standard predictions, select Coverage by Signal Level and click OK. The Coverage by Signal Level Properties dialogue appears. 6. Click the Condition tab. At the top of the Condition tab, you can set the range of signal level to be calculated. Under Server, you can select whether to calculate the signal level from all transmitters, or only the best or second-best signal. If you choose to calculate the best or second-best signal, you can enter a Margin. If you select the Shadowing taken into account check box, you can change the Cell edge coverage probability. You can select the Indoor coverage check box to add indoor losses. 7. When you have finished setting the parameters for the coverage prediction, click OK. You can create a new coverage prediction by repeating the procedure from step 1. to step 7. for each new coverage prediction. 8. When you have finished creating new coverage predictions for these drive test data, right-click the drive test data. The context menu appears. 9. Select Calculations > Calculate All the Predictions from the context menu. A new column for each coverage prediction is added in the table for the drive test data. The column contains the predicted values of the selected parameters for the transmitter. The propagation model used is the one assigned to the transmitter for the main matrix (for information on the propagation model, see Chapter 5: Working with Calculations in Atoll). You can display the information in these new columns in the Drive Test Data analysis tool. For more information on the Drive Test Data analysis tool, see "Analysing Measurement Variations Along the Path" on page 369.
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Atoll opens a window listing statistics of comparison between measured and predicted values.
6.6.4.4 Extracting a Field From a Drive Test Data Path for a Transmitter
You can extract information for a selected transmitter from a field of a drive test data path. The extracted information is available in a new column in the drive test data table. To extract a field from a drive test data path: 1. Click the Network tab of the Explorer window. 2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Drive Test Data folder. 3. Right-click the drive test data from which you want to extract a field. The context menu appears. 4. Select Focus on a Transmitter from the context menu. The Field Selection for a Given Transmitter dialogue appears. 5. Under On the transmitter, select the transmitter for which you wish to extract a field. 6. Under For the fields, select the fields that you wish to extract for the selected transmitter. 7. Click OK. Atoll creates a new column in the drive test data path table for the selected transmitter and with the selected values.
Figure 6.117: The Drive Test Data window 2. In the Drive Test Data analysis tool, click the Display button. The Display Parameters dialogue appears (see Figure 6.118).
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Figure 6.118: The drive test data display parameters 3. In the Display Parameters dialogue: Select the check box next to each field you want to display in the Drive Test Data analysis tool. If you want, you can change the display colour by clicking the colour in the Colour column and selecting a new colour from the palette that appears. Click OK to close the Display Parameters dialogue. You can change the display status or the colour of more than one field at the same time by selecting several fields. You can select contiguous fields by clicking the first field, pressing Shift and clicking the last field. You can select non-contiguous fields by pressing Ctrl and clicking each field. You can then change the display status or the colour by right-clicking on the selected fields and selecting the choice from the context menu. The selected fields are displayed in the Drive Test Data analysis tool. 4. You can display the data in the drive test data path in the following ways: Click the values in the Drive Test Data analysis tool. Click the points on the drive test data path in the map window.
The drive test data path appears in the map window as an arrow pointing towards the best server (see Figure 6.117 on page 369) in the same colour as the transmitter. 5. You can display a secondary Y-axis on the right side of the window in order to display the values of a variable with different orders of magnitude than the ones selected in the Display Parameters dialogue. You select the value to be displayed from the right-hand list at the top of the Drive Test Data analysis tool. The values are displayed in the colour defined in the Display Parameters dialogue. 6. You can zoom in on the graph displayed in the Drive Test Data analysis tool in the following ways: Zoom in or out: i. Right-click the Drive Test Data analysis tool. The context menu appears.
ii. Select Zoom In or Zoom Out from the context menu. Select the data to zoom in on: i. Right-click the Drive Test Data analysis tool on one end of the range of data you want to zoom in on. The context menu appears.
ii. Select First Zoom Point from the context menu. iii. Right-click the Drive Test Data analysis tool on the other end of the range of data you want to zoom in on. The context menu appears. iv. Select Last Zoom Point from the context menu. The Drive Test Data analysis tool zooms in on the data between the first zoom point and the last zoom point. 7. Click the data in the Drive Test Data analysis tool to display the selected point in the map window. Atoll will centre the map window on the selected point if it is not presently visible.
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If you open the table for the drive test data you are displaying in the Drive Test Data analysis tool, Atoll will automatically display in the table the data for the point that is displayed in the map and in the Drive Test Data analysis tool (see Figure 6.117 on page 369).
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To switch to co-planning mode: 1. Open the main document. Select File > Open or File > New > From an Existing Database.
2. Link the other document with the open main document. a. Click the main documents map window. The main documents map window becomes active and the Explorer window shows the contents of the main document. b. Select Document > Link With. The Link With dialogue appears. c. Select the document to be linked. d. Click Open. The selected document is opened in the same Atoll session as the main document and the two documents are linked. The Explorer window of the main document now contains a folder named Transmitters in [linked document], where [linked document] is the name of the linked document and another folder named Predictions in [linked document]. By default, only the Transmitters and Predictions folders of the linked document appear in the main document. If you want the Sites folder of the linked document to appear in the main document as well, you can set an option in the atoll.ini file. For information on setting options in the atoll.ini file, see the Administrator Manual. As soon as a link is created between the two documents, Atoll switches to co-planning mode and Atolls co-planning features are now available.
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When you are working on a co-planning document, Atoll facilitates working on two different but linked documents by synchronising the display in the map window between both documents. Atoll syncronises the display for the following: Geographic data: Atoll synchronises the display of geographic data such as clutter classes and the DTM. If you select or deselect one type of geographic data, Atoll makes the corresponding change in the linked document. Zones: Atoll synchronises the display of filtering, focus, computation, hot spot, printing, and geographic export zones. If you select or deselect one type of zone, Atoll makes the corresponding change in the linked document. Map display: Atoll co-ordinates the display of the map in the map window. When you move the map, or change the zoom level in one document, Atoll makes the corresponding changes in the linked document. Point analysis: When you use the Point Analysis tool, Atoll co-ordinates the display on both the working document and the linked document. You can select a point and view the profile in the main document and then switch to the linked document to make an analysis on the same profile but in the linked document.
Displaying Both Networks in the Same Atoll Document After you have switched to co-planning mode as explained in "Switching to Co-planning Mode" on page 372, transmitters and predictions from the linked document are displayed in the main document. If you want, you can display other items or folders from the Explorer window of the linked document to the Explorer window of the main document (e.g., you can display GSM sites and measurement paths in an LTE document). To display sites from the linked document in the main document: 1. Click the linked documents map window. The linked documents map window becomes active and the Explorer window shows the contents of the linked document. 2. Click the Network tab of the Explorer window. 3. Right-click the Sites folder. The context menu appears. 4. Select Make Accessible In from the context menu, and select the name of the main document from the submenu that opens. The Sites folder of the linked document is now available in the main document. The Explorer window of the main document now contains a folder named Sites in [linked document], where [linked document] is the name of the linked document. If you want the Sites folder of the linked document to appear in the main document automatically, you can set an option in the atoll.ini file. For information on setting options in the atoll.ini file, see the Administrator Manual. The same process can be used to link other folders in one document, folders such as CW Measurements, Drive Test Data, Clutter Classes, Traffic Maps, DTM, etc., in the other document. Once the folders are linked, you can access their properties and the properties of the items in the folders from either of the two documents. Any changes you make in the linked document are taken into account in the both the linked and main documents. However, because working document is the main document, any changes made in the main document are not automatically taken into account in the linked document. If you close the linked document, Atoll displays a warning icon ( ) in the main documents Explorer window, and the linked items are no longer accessible from the main document. You can load the linked document in Atoll again by right-clicking the linked item in the Explorer window of the main document, and selecting Open Linked Document. The administrator can create and set a configuration file for the display parameters of linked and main document transmitters in order to enable you to distinguish them on the map and to be able to select them on the map using the mouse. If such a configuration file has not been set up, you can choose different symbols, sizes and colours for the linked and the main document transmitters. For more information on folder configurations, see "Folder Configurations" on page 80. You can also set the tip text to enable you to distinguish the objects and data displayed on the map. For more information on tip text, see "Defining the Object Type Tip Text" on page 26. In order to more easily view differences between the networks, you can also change the order of the folders or items in the Explorer window. For more information on changing the order of items in the Explorer window, see "Working with Layers Using the Explorer" on page 19. Figure 6.119 shows an example of LTE transmitters with labels and displayed in the Legend window, and GSM transmitter data displayed in a tip text.
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When you click the Calculate button, Atollfirst calculates uncalculated and invalid path loss matrices and then unlocked coverage predictions in the main and linked Predictions folders. When you have several unlocked coverage predictions defined in the main and linked Predictions folders, Atoll calculates them one after the other. For information on locking and unlocking coverage predictions, see "Locking Coverage Predictions" on page 192. If you want, you can make Atoll recalculate all path loss matrices, including valid ones, before calculating unlocked coverage predictions in the main and linked Predictions folders. To force Atoll to recalculate all path loss matrices before calculating coverage predictions: Click the Force Calculate button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar.
When you click the Force Calculate button, Atoll first removes existing path loss matrices, recalculates them and then calculates unlocked coverages predictions defined in the main and linked Predictions folders.
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To prevent Atoll from calculating coverage predictions in the linked Predictions folder, you can set an option in the atoll.ini file. For information on setting options in the atoll.ini file, see the Administrator Manual.
6.7.2.2.1
6.7.2.2.2
6.7.2.2.3
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linked documents. The information displayed is defined by the settings you made on the Display tab when you created the coverage prediction (step 3. of "Co-Planning Coverage Analysis Process" on page 375). To get coverage prediction results in the form of tip text: In the map window, place the pointer over the area of the coverage prediction that you want more information on. After a brief pause, the tip text appears with the information defined on all displayed coverage predictions in both the working and the linked documents (see Figure 6.39). The tip text for the working document is on top and the tip text for the linked document, with the linked document identified by name is on the bottom.
6.7.2.2.4
6.7.2.2.5
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3. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Predictions folder. 4. Right-click the coverage prediction of the main document you want to compare. The context menu appears. 5. Select Compare With > [linked coverage prediction] from the context menu, where [linked coverage prediction] is the linked coverage prediction you want to compare with the coverage prediction of the main document. The Comparison Properties dialogue opens. 6. Select the display parameters of the comparison and add a comment if you want. 7. Click OK. The two coverage predictions are compared and a comparison coverage prediction is added to the main documents Predictions folder. For more information on coverage prediction comparison, see "Comparing Coverage Predictions: Examples" on page 244.
In the sections listed above, it is assumed that Atoll is already in co-planning mode, and the Atoll documents corresponding to the two networks have already been linked. For more information on switching to co-planning mode, see "Switching to Coplanning Mode" on page 372.
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4. Double-click the row corresponding to the cell whose properties you want to access. The cells Properties dialogue appears. 5. Click the Inter-technology Neighbours tab. In GSM, the Inter-technology Neighbours tab is found on the transmitters Properties dialogue. Displaying Inter-technology Exceptional Pairs on the Map You can display inter-technology exceptional pairs on the map in order to study the forced and forbidden neighbour relations defined in the Inter-technology Exceptional Pairs table. To display exceptional pairs defined between the main and the linked documents: 1. Click the main documents map window. 2. Click the arrow ( ) next to the Edit Relations on the Map button ( appears. ) in the Radio Planning toolbar. A menu
3. Select Display Options from the menu. The Neighbour Display dialogue appears. 4. Under Inter-technology neighbours, select the Display links check box. 5. Under Advanced, select which exceptional pair links to display: Outwards non-symmetric: Selecting this option displays an exceptional pair link for each cell in the main document that has an exceptional pair defined with a transmitter/cell in the linked document. These links are represented with straight dashed lines of the same colour as the transmitter in the main document. Inwards non-symmetric: Selecting this option displays an exceptional pair link for each transmitter/cell in the linked document that has an exceptional pair defined with a cell in the main document. These links are represented with straight dashed lines of the same colour as the transmitter in the linked document. Symmetric links: Selecting this option displays an exceptional pair link for each cell in the main document that has an exceptional pair defined with a transmitter/cell in the linked document only if the transmitter/cell in the linked document also has the cell of the main document in its exceptional pair list. These links are represented with straight black lines. ) in the Radio Planning toolbar. A menu
6. Click the arrow ( ) next to the Edit Relations on the Map button ( appears.
7. Select Forced Neighbours or Forbidden Neighbours from the menu. The exceptional pair of a cell will be displayed when you select a transmitter. 8. Click the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar. Exceptional pairs are now displayed on the map. Exceptional pairs will remain displayed until you click the Edit Relations on the Map button again. 9. Click a transmitter on the map to show its exceptional pair links. When there is more than one cell on the transmitter, clicking the transmitter in the map window opens a context menu allowing you to select the cell you want (see "Selecting One of Several Transmitters" on page 21). The exceptional pair links can be displayed even if you do not have neighbours allocated. If you select the Display links check box under Intra-technology Neighbours, Atoll displays both inter-technology and intra-technology exceptional pairs on the map. Adding and Removing Inter-technology Exceptional Pairs on the Map You can set inter-technology exceptional pairs using the mouse. Atoll adds or removes forced or forbidden exceptional pairs depending on the display option set, i.e., Forced Neighbours or Forbidden Neighbours. Before you can add or remove exceptional pairs using the mouse, you must activate the display of exceptional pairs on the map as explained in "Displaying Inter-technology Exceptional Pairs on the Map" on page 378. To add a symmetric forced or forbidden exceptional pair: 1. Click the reference transmitter on the map. Atoll displays its neighbour relations. 2. Press Shift and click the transmitter with which you want to set an exceptional pair. Atoll adds both transmitters to the list of inter-technology exceptional pairs of the other transmitter. To remove a symmetric forced or forbidden exceptional pair: 1. Click the reference transmitter on the map. Atoll displays its neighbour relations. 2. Press Shift and click the transmitter that you want to remove from the list of exceptional pairs. Atoll removes both transmitters from the list of inter-technology exceptional pairs of the other transmitter.
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To add an outwards forced or forbidden exceptional pair: 1. Click the reference transmitter on the map. Atoll displays its neighbour relations. 2. Press Ctrl and click the transmitter with which you want to set an exceptional pair. Atoll adds the reference transmitter to the list of inter-technology exceptional pairs of the other transmitter. To remove an outwards forced or forbidden exceptional pair: 1. Click the reference transmitter on the map. Atoll displays its neighbour relations. 2. Press Ctrl and click the transmitter that you want to remove from the list of exceptional pairs. Atoll removes the reference transmitter from the list of inter-technology exceptional pairs of the other transmitter. To add an inwards forced or forbidden exceptional pair: Click the reference transmitter on the map. Atoll displays its neighbour relations. If the two transmitters already have a symmetric exceptional pair relation, press Ctrl and click the other transmitter. Atoll converts the symmetric relation to an inwards non-symmetric exceptional pair relation. If there is no existing exceptional pair relation between the two transmitters, first create a symmetric exceptional pair relation between the two transmitters, and then press Ctrl and click the other transmitter. Atoll converts the symmetric relation to an inwards non-symmetric exceptional pair relation.
To remove an inwards forced or forbidden exceptional pair: 1. Click the reference transmitter on the map. Atoll displays its neighbour relations. 2. Press Shift and click the transmitter that you want to remove from the list of exceptional pairs. Atoll removes the transmitter from the inter-technology exceptional pairs list of the other transmitter. When there is more than one cell on the transmitter, clicking the transmitter in the map window opens a context menu allowing you to select the cell you want (see "Selecting One of Several Transmitters" on page 21).
5. Click OK.
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4. Select Neighbours > Inter-technology > Automatic Allocation from the context menu. The Automatic Neighbour Allocation dialogue appears. 5. Click the Inter-technology Neighbours tab. 6. Define the maximum distance between the reference cell and a possible neighbour in the Max inter-site distance box. 7. Define the maximum number of inter-technology neighbours that can be allocated to a cell in the Max number of neighbours box. This value can be either set here for all the cells, or specified for each cell in the Cells table. 8. Clear the Use overlapping coverage check box in order to base the neighbour allocation on distance criterion and continue with step 9. Otherwise, select the Use overlapping coverage check box if you want to base the neighbour allocation on coverage conditions. a. Click the Define button to change the coverage conditions for the cells in the main document. The LTE Coverage Conditions dialogue appears. In the LTE Coverage Conditions dialogue, you can change the following parameters: Resolution: You can enter the resolution used to calculate the coverage areas of cells for the automatic neighbour allocation. Margin: Enter the margin relative to the reference signal level of the best server. The reference signal level of the neighbour transmitter is either the highest one or within a margin of the highest one. Shadowing taken into account: If desired, select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell edge coverage probability. Indoor coverage: If desired, select the Indoor coverage check box. Atoll will then calculate additional losses for indoor coverage.
b. Click OK to save your modifications and close the Coverage Conditions dialogue. c. Click the Define button to change the coverage conditions for the transmitters/cells in the linked document. If the linked document is a GSM document, the GSM Coverage Conditions dialogue appears. In the GSM Coverage Conditions dialogue, you can change the following parameters: Resolution: You can enter the resolution used to calculate the coverage areas of cells for the automatic neighbour allocation. Min. BCCH signal level: Enter the minimum BCCH signal level which must be provided by the GSM transmitter. Margin: Enter the margin relative to the BCCH signal level of the best server. The BCCH signal level of the neighbour transmitter is either the highest one or within a margin of the highest one. Shadowing taken into account: If desired, select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell edge coverage probability. Indoor coverage: If desired, select the Indoor coverage check box. Atoll will then calculate additional losses for indoor coverage.
If the linked document is a UMTS document, the UMTS Coverage Conditions dialogue appears. In the UMTS Coverage Conditions dialogue, you can change the following parameters: Resolution: You can enter the resolution used to calculate the coverage areas of cells for the automatic neighbour allocation. Min pilot signal level: Enter the minimum pilot signal level which must be provided by the reference cell. Min Ec/Io: Enter the minimum Ec/Io which must be provided by the reference cell. Ec/Io margin: Enter the Ec/Io margin relative to the Ec/Io of the best server. The reference cell is either the best server in terms of pilot quality or a cell of the active set. Max Ec/Io: Select the Max Ec/Io option and enter the maximum Ec/Io which must not be exceeded by the reference cell. DL load contributing to Io: You can select whether Atoll should use a Global value (% Pmax) of the downlink load for all the cells, or the downlink loads Defined per cell. Shadowing taken into account: If desired, select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell edge coverage probability. Indoor coverage: If desired, select the Indoor coverage check box. Atoll will then calculate additional losses for indoor coverage.
If the linked document is a CDMA document, the CDMA Coverage Conditions dialogue appears. In the CDMA Coverage Conditions dialogue, you can change the following parameters: Resolution: You can enter the resolution used to calculate the coverage areas of cells for the automatic neighbour allocation. Min pilot signal level: Enter the minimum pilot signal level which must be provided by the reference cell. Min Ec/Io: Enter the minimum Ec/Io which must be provided by the reference cell. Ec/Io margin: Enter the Ec/Io margin relative to the Ec/Io of the best server. The reference cell is either the best server in terms of pilot quality or a cell of the active set. Max Ec/Io: Select the Max Ec/Io option and enter the maximum Ec/Io which must not be exceeded by the reference cell.
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DL load contributing to Io: You can select whether Atoll should use a Global value (% Pmax) of the downlink load for all the cells, or the downlink loads Defined per cell. Shadowing taken into account: If desired, select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell edge coverage probability. Indoor coverage: If desired, select the Indoor coverage check box. Atoll will then calculate additional losses for indoor coverage.
If the linked document is a TD-SCDMA document, the TD-SCDMA Coverage Conditions dialogue appears. In the TD-SCDMA Coverage Conditions dialogue, you can change the following parameters: Resolution: You can enter the resolution used to calculate the coverage areas of cells for the automatic neighbour allocation. Min pilot signal level: Enter the minimum pilot signal level which must be provided by the reference cell. Margin: Enter the margin relative to the pilot signal level of the best server. DL load contributing to Io: You can select whether Atoll should use a Global value (% Pmax) of the downlink load for all the cells, or the downlink loads Defined per cell. Shadowing taken into account: If desired, select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell edge coverage probability. Indoor coverage: If desired, select the Indoor coverage check box. Atoll will then calculate additional losses for indoor coverage.
d. Click OK to save your modifications and close the Coverage Conditions dialogue. e. In the % min covered area box, enter the minimum percentage of the cells coverage area that the neighbours coverage area should also cover to be considered as a neighbour. 9. Under Calculation options, define the following: CDMA carriers: If the linked document is a UMTS, CDMA, or TD-SCDMA document, select the carriers on which you want to calculate the allocation. You can choose one or more carriers; Atoll will allocate only the cells using the selected carriers as neighbours. Force co-site as neighbours: Selecting the Force co-site as neighbours check box will include the co-site transmitters/cells in the neighbour list of the LTE cell. The check box is automatically selected when the neighbour allocation is based on distance. Force exceptional pairs: Selecting the Force exceptional pairs check box will apply the inter-technology exceptional pair criteria on the neighbours list of the LTE cell. Delete existing neighbours: Selecting the Delete existing neighbours check box will delete all existing neighbours in the neighbours list and perform a clean neighbour allocation. If the Delete existing neighbours check box is not selected, Atoll keeps the existing neighbours in the list.
10. Click the Calculate button to start calculations. 11. Once the calculations finish, Atoll displays the list of neighbours in the Results section. The results include the names of the neighbours, the number of neighbours of each cell, and the reason they are included in the neighbours list. The reasons include: Reason Exceptional pair Co-site Distance % of covered area and overlapping area Existing Description Neighbour relation is defined as an exceptional pair. The neighbour is located at the same site as the reference cell. The neighbour is within the maximum distance from the reference cell. Neighbour relation that fulfils coverage conditions. The neighbour relation existed before calculating the automatic allocation. When Force exceptional pairs is selected Force co-site as neighbours is selected Use Coverage Overlapping is not selected Use Coverage Overlapping is selected Reset is not selected
12. Select the check box in the Commit column of the Results section to choose the inter-technology neighbours you want to assign to cells. At this point you can compare the automatic allocation results proposed by Atoll with the current neighbour list (existing neighbours) in your document. To compare the proposed and existing neighbour lists:
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Click Compare. The list of automically allocated neighbours, whose Commit check box is selected, is compared with the existing list of neighbours. A report of the comparison is displayed in a text file called NeighboursDeltaReport.txt, which appears at the end of the comparison. This file lists: The document name and the neighbour allocation type The number of created neighbour relations (new neighbour relations proposed in the automatic allocation results compared to the existing neighbour relations) and the list of these relations The number of deleted neighbour relations (neighbour relations not proposed in the automatic allocation results compared to the existing neighbour relations) and the list of these relations The number of existing neighbour relations (existing neighbour relations that are also proposed in the automatic allocation results) and the list of these relations.
13. Click the Commit button. The allocated neighbours are saved in the Inter-technology Neighbours tab of each cell. 14. Click Close.
3. Select Display Options from the menu. The Neighbour Display dialogue appears. 4. Under Inter-technology Neighbours, select the Display links check box. 5. Under Advanced, select the neighbour links to display: Outwards non-symmetric: Shows a neighbour link for each cell in the main document that has a neighbour defined with a transmitter/cell in the linked document. These links are represented with straight dashed lines of the same colour as the transmitter in the main document. Inwards non-symmetric: Shows a neighbour link for each transmitter/cell in the linked document that has a neighbour defined with a cell in the main document. These links are represented with straight dashed lines of the same colour as the transmitter in the linked document. Symmetric links: Shows a neighbour link for each cell in the main document that has a neighbour defined with a transmitter/cell in the linked document only if the transmitter/cell in the linked document also has the cell of the main document in its neighbours list. These links are represented with straight black lines. ) in the Radio Planning toolbar. A menu
6. Click the arrow ( ) next to the Edit Relations on the Map button ( appears. 7. Select Neighbours as the type of neighbour links to display.
8. Click the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar. Neighbours are now displayed on the map until you click the Edit Relations on the Map button again. 9. Click a transmitter on the map to show its neighbour links. When there is more than one cell on the transmitter, clicking the transmitter in the map window opens a context menu allowing you to select the cell you want (see "Selecting One of Several Transmitters" on page 21). If you select the Display links check box under Inter-technology Neighbours, Atoll displays both inter-technology and intratechnology neighbours on the map. The figure below shows the intra- and inter-technology neighbours of the transmitter Site22_2.
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Allocating or Deleting Inter-technology Neighbours Using the Cells Tab of the Transmitter Properties Dialogue To allocate or delete inter-technology neighbours between transmitters/cells in the linked document and cells in the main document using the Cells tab of the transmitters Properties dialogue: 1. On the main documents map window, right-click the transmitter whose neighbours you want to change. The context menu appears. 2. Select Properties from the context menu. The transmitters Properties dialogue appears. 3. Click the Cells tab. 4. On the Cells tab, there is a column for each cell. Click the Browse button ( ) beside Neighbours in the cell for which you want to allocate or delete neighbours. The cells Properties dialogue appears. 5. Click the Inter-technology Neighbours tab. 6. If desired, you can enter the Maximum number of neighbours. 7. Allocate or delete a neighbour. To allocate a new neighbour: a. Under List, select the cell from the list in the Neighbour column in the row marked with the New row icon ( b. Click elsewhere in the table to complete creating the new neighbour. When the new neighbour is created, Atoll automatically calculates the distance between the reference cell and the neighbour and displays it in the Distance column, and sets the Source to "manual." To create a symmetric neighbour relation: a. Click in the left margin of the table row containing the neighbour to select the entire row. b. Right-click the neighbour in the Neighbour column. The context menu appears. c. Select Make Symmetrical from the context menu. A symmetric neighbour relation is created between the cell in the Neighbour column and the cell in the Cell column. To delete a symmetric neighbour relation: a. Click in the left margin of the table row containing the neighbour to select the entire row. b. Right-click the neighbour in the Neighbour column. The context menu appears. ).
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c. Select Delete Link and Symmetric Relation from the context menu. The symmetric neighbour relation between the cell in the Neighbour column and the cell in the Cell column is deleted. To delete a neighbour: a. Click in the left margin of the table row containing the neighbour to select the entire row. b. Press Del to delete the neighbour. 8. Click OK. In GSM, the Inter-technology Neighbours tab is available in each transmitters Properties dialogue. Allocating or Deleting Inter-technology Neighbours Using the Inter-technology Neighbours Table To allocate or delete inter-technology neighbours between transmitters/cells in the linked document and cells in the main document using the Inter-technology Neighbours table: 1. Click the main documents map window. 2. Click the Network tab of the Explorer window. 3. Right-click the LTE Transmitters folder. The context menu appears. 4. Select Neighbours > Inter-technology > Open Table from the context menu. The Inter-technology Neighbours table appears. 5. Enter one inter-technology neighbour per row of the table. Each cell can have more than one inter-technology neighbour. 6. Allocate or delete a neighbour. To allocate an inter-technology neighbour: a. In the row marked with the New row icon ( b. Select the neighbour in the Neighbour column. c. Click elsewhere in the table to create the new neighbour and add a new blank row to the table. When the new neighbour is created, Atoll automatically calculates the distance between the reference cell and the neighbour and displays it in the Distance column and sets the Source to "manual." 7. To create a symmetric neighbour relation: a. Right-click the neighbour in the Neighbour column. The context menu appears. b. Select Make Symmetrical from the context menu. A symmetric neighbour relation is created between the cell in the Neighbour column and the cell in the Cell column. To make several neighbour relations symmetric: a. Click in the left margins of the table rows containing the neighbours to select the entire rows. You can select contiguous rows by clicking the first row, pressing Shift and clicking the last row. You can select non-contiguous rows by pressing Ctrl and clicking each rows separately. b. Right-click the Neighbours table. The context menu appears. c. Select Make Symmetrical from the context menu. To take all exceptionnal pairs into consideration: a. Right-click the Neighbours table. The context menu appears. b. Select Force Exceptional Pairs from the context menu. You can add or delete either forced neighbours or forbidden neighbours using the Intertechnology Exceptional Pairs table. You can open this table, select the exceptional pairs to be considered, right-click the table and select Force Exceptional Pairs in the context menu. To delete a symmetric neighbour relation: a. Click in the left margin of the table row containing the neighbour to select the entire row. b. Right-click the Neighbours table. The context menu appears. c. Select Delete Link and Symmetric Relation from the context menu. The symmetric neighbour relation between the cell in the Neighbour column and the cell in the Cell column is deleted. ), select a reference cell in the Cell column.
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To delete several symmetric neighbour relations: a. Click in the left margin of the table rows containing the neighbours to select entire rows. You can select contiguous rows by clicking the first row, pressing Shift and clicking the last row. You can select non-contiguous rows by pressing Ctrl and clicking each rows separately. a. Right-click the Neighbours table. The context menu appears. b. Select Delete Link and Symmetric Relation from the context menu. To delete a neighbour: a. Click in the left margin of the table row containing the neighbour to select the entire row. b. Press Del to delete the neighbour. In GSM, neighbours are allocated by transmitter (i.e., by sector). Allocating and Removing Inter-technology Neighbours on the Map You can allocate inter-technology neighbours directly on the map using the mouse. Atoll adds or removes neighbours to transmitters if the display option is set to Neighbours. Before you can add or remove inter-technology neighbours using the mouse, you must activate the display of inter-technology neighbours on the map as explained in "Displaying Inter-technology Neighbours on the Map" on page 382. To add a symmetric neighbour relation: 1. Click the reference transmitter on the map. Atoll displays its neighbour relations. 2. Press Shift and click the transmitter with which you want to set a neighbour relation. Atoll adds both transmitter to the list of inter-technology neighbours of the other transmitter. To remove a symmetric neighbour relation: 1. Click the reference transmitter on the map. Atoll displays its neighbour relations. 2. Press Shift and click the transmitter you want to remove from the list of neighbours. Atoll removes both transmitter from the list of inter-technology neighbours of the other transmitter. To add an outwards neighbour relation: 1. Click the reference transmitter on the map. Atoll displays its neighbour relations. 2. Press Ctrl and click the transmitter with which you want to set a neighbour relation. Atoll adds the reference transmitter to the list of inter-technology neighbour of the other transmitter. To remove an outwards neighbour relation: 1. Click the reference transmitter on the map. Atoll displays its neighbour relations. 2. Press Ctrl and click the transmitter you want to remove from the list of neighbours. Atoll removes the reference transmitter from the list of inter-technology neighbours of the other transmitter. To add an inwards neighbour relation: 1. Click the reference transmitter on the map. Atoll displays its neighbour relations. 2. There can be two cases: If the two transmitters already have a symmetric neighbour relation, press Ctrl and click the other transmitter. Atoll converts the symmetric relation to an inwards non-symmetric inter-technology neighbour relation. If there is no existing neighbour relation between the two transmitters, first create a symmetric neighbour relation by pressing Shift and clicking the transmitter with which you want to create a symmetric relation. Then press Ctrl and click the other transmitter. Atoll converts the symmetric relation to an inwards non-symmetric inter-technology neighbour relation.
To remove an inwards neighbour relation: 1. Click the reference transmitter on the map. Atoll displays its neighbour relations. 2. Press Shift and click the transmitter you want to remove from the list of neighbours. Atoll removes the transmitter from the inter-technology neighbours list of the other transmitter. When there is more than one cell on the transmitter, clicking the transmitter in the map window opens a context menu allowing you to select the cell you want (see "Selecting One of Several Transmitters" on page 21).
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b. Click OK to save your modifications and close the Coverage Conditions dialogue. c. Click the Define button to change the coverage conditions for the transmitters/cells in the linked document. If the linked document is a GSM document, the GSM Coverage Conditions dialogue appears. In the GSM Coverage Conditions dialogue, you can change the following parameters: Resolution: You can enter the resolution used to calculate the coverage areas of cells for the automatic neighbour allocation. Min BCCH signal level: Enter the minimum BCCH signal level which must be provided by the GSM transmitter. Margin: Enter the margin relative to the BCCH signal level of the best server. The BCCH signal level of the neighbour transmitter is either the highest one or within a margin of the highest one. Shadowing taken into account: If desired, select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell edge coverage probability. Indoor coverage: If desired, select the Indoor coverage check box. Atoll will then calculate additional losses for indoor coverage.
If the linked document is a UMTS document, the UMTS Coverage Conditions dialogue appears. In the UMTS Coverage Conditions dialogue, you can change the following parameters: Resolution: You can enter the resolution used to calculate the coverage areas of cells for the automatic neighbour allocation. Min pilot signal level: Enter the minimum pilot signal level which must be provided by the reference cell. Min Ec/Io: Enter the minimum Ec/Io which must be provided by the reference cell. Ec/Io margin: Enter the Ec/Io margin relative to the Ec/Io of the best server. The reference cell is either the best server in terms of pilot quality or a cell of the active set. Max Ec/Io: Select the Max Ec/Io option and enter the maximum Ec/Io which must not be exceeded by the reference cell. DL load contributing to Io: You can select whether Atoll should use a Global value (% Pmax) of the downlink load for all the cells, or the downlink loads Defined per cell.
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Shadowing taken into account: If desired, select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell edge coverage probability. Indoor coverage: If desired, select the Indoor coverage check box. Atoll will then calculate additional losses for indoor coverage.
If the linked document is a CDMA document, the CDMA Coverage Conditions dialogue appears. In the CDMA Coverage Conditions dialogue, you can change the following parameters: Resolution: You can enter the resolution used to calculate the coverage areas of cells for the automatic neighbour allocation. Min pilot signal level: Enter the minimum pilot signal level which must be provided by the reference cell. Min Ec/Io: Enter the minimum Ec/Io which must be provided by the reference cell. Ec/Io margin: Enter the Ec/Io margin relative to the Ec/Io of the best server. The reference cell is either the best server in terms of pilot quality or a cell of the active set. Max Ec/Io: Select the Max Ec/Io option and enter the maximum Ec/Io which must not be exceeded by the reference cell. DL load contributing to Io: You can select whether Atoll should use a Global value (% Pmax) of the downlink load for all the cells, or the downlink loads Defined per cell. Shadowing taken into account: If desired, select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell edge coverage probability. Indoor coverage: If desired, select the Indoor coverage check box. Atoll will then calculate additional losses for indoor coverage.
If the linked document is a TD-SCDMA document, the TD-SCDMA Coverage Conditions dialogue appears. In the TD-SCDMA Coverage Conditions dialogue, you can change the following parameters: Resolution: You can enter the resolution used to calculate the coverage areas of cells for the automatic neighbour allocation. Min pilot signal level: Enter the minimum pilot signal level which must be provided by the reference cell. Margin: Enter the margin relative to the pilot signal level of the best server. DL load contributing to Io: You can select whether Atoll should use a Global value (% Pmax) of the downlink load for all the cells, or the downlink loads Defined per cell. Shadowing taken into account: If desired, select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell edge coverage probability. Indoor coverage: If desired, select the Indoor coverage check box. Atoll will then calculate additional losses for indoor coverage.
d. Click OK to save your modifications and close the Coverage Conditions dialogue. 10. If you cleared the Use overlapping coverage check box, enter the maximum distance between the reference cell and a possible neighbour in the Max inter-site distance box. Atoll indicates the number of neighbours to be calculated and displays the neighbours with their initial attributes (importance and reason) in a table. You can use many of Atolls table shortcuts, such as filtering and sorting. For information on working with data tables, see "Working with Data Tables" on page 47. In addition, by clicking Filter, you can define advanced filtering conditions to restrict the neighbours to be calculated. 11. Click Calculate. Atoll begins the process of calculating the importance of the neighbours displayed in the table. Atoll first checks to see whether the path loss matrices are valid before calculating the importance. If the path loss matrices are not valid, Atoll recalculates them. Once Atoll has finished calculating importance, the results are displayed in the table. The table contains the following information. Cell: The name of the reference cell. Neighbour: The neighbour of the reference transmitter. Importance (%): The importance as calculated with the options selected in step 4. Cause: The reason Atoll has calculated the value in the Importance column. Co-site Symmetry Coverage
Distance: The distance in kilometres between the reference cell and the neighbour.
12. Click Commit to commit the importance values and the reasons for allocation to the Neighbours table.
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6. Click OK to perform the audit. Atoll displays the results of the audit in a new text file: Average number of neighbours: X; where, X is the average number of neighbours (integer) per cell for the plan audited. Empty lists: x/X; x number of cells out of a total of X having no neighbours (or empty neighbours list) Syntax: |CELL|
Full lists (default max number = Y): x/X; x number of cells out of a total of X having Y number of neighbours listed in their respective neighbours lists. Syntax: |CELL| |NUMBER| |MAX NUMBER|
Lists > max number (default max number = Y): x/X; x number of cells out of a total of X having more than Y number of neighbours listed in their respective neighbours lists. Syntax: |CELL| |NUMBER| |MAX NUMBER| If the field Max number of inter-technology neighbours in the Cells table is empty, the Full Lists check and the Lists > Max Number check use the Default Max Number value defined in the audit dialogue.
Missing co-sites: X; total number of missing co-site neighbours in the audited neighbour plan. Syntax: |CELL| |NEIGHBOUR|
Non symmetric links: X; total number of non-symmetric neighbour links in the audited neighbour plan. Syntax: |CELL| |NEIGHBOUR| |TYPE| |REASON|
Missing forced: X; total number of forced neighbours missing in the audited neighbour plan. Syntax: |CELL| |NEIGHBOUR|
Existing forbidden: X; total number of forbidden neighbours existing in the audited neighbour plan. Syntax: |CELL| |NEIGHBOUR| |TYPE| |REASON|
Distance between neighbours > Y: X; total number of neighbours existing in the audited neighbour plan that are located at a distance greater than Y. Syntax: |CELL| |NEIGHBOUR| |DISTANCE|
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Figure 6.121: New sector Before and after applying the configuration The azimuths and mechanical tilts of secondary antennas and remote antennas are not included when you select Update Folder Configuration and have to be set up manually.
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The setup has been modified to include the linked network. You can modify the parameters for the optimisation setup by right-clicking it on the Network tab of the Explorer window and selecting Properties from the context menu. For information on the parameters available, see "Defining Optimisation Parameters" on page 324. After defining the co-planning optimisation setup: Click the Run button to run the optimisation immediately. For information on running the optimisation, see "Running an Optimisation Setup" on page 347. For information on the optimisation results, see "Viewing Optimisation Results" on page 350. Click the Create Setup button to save the defined optimisation to be run later.
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To unlink the documents and end co-planning mode: 1. Select File > Open to open the main document. Atoll informs you that this document is part of a multi-technology environment and asks whether you want to open the other document. 2. Click Yes to open the linked document as well. 3. Select Document > Unlink to unlink the documents and end co-planning mode. The documents are no longer linked and co-planning mode is ended.
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Adjacent channel suppression factor (dB): Enter the adjacent channel interference suppression factor in dB. Interference received from adjacent channels is reduced by this factor during the calculations. Sampling frequency (MHz): Enter the sampling frequency used for the channel bandwidth. Duplexing method: Select the duplexing method used in the frequency band from the list. TDD-specific parameters are hidden in the interface when there is no TDD frequency band defined in the Frequency Bands table. These parameters include Switching point periodicity and Special subframe configuration (see "The Global Network Settings" on page 392) and TDD frame configuration (see "Cell Description" on page 205).
Number of frequency blocks (RB): Enter the number of frequency blocks (i.e., the number of resource block widths in the frequency domain) used for the channel bandwidth. ).
7. When you have finished adding frequency bands, click the Close button (
You can also access the properties dialogue of each individual frequency band by double-clicking the left margin of the row with the frequency band.
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in DwPTS after excluding the RS, PDCCH, and PSS overheads are used for data transmission, i.e. PDSCH. UpPTS is only used for SRS and PRACH. Reference signal EPRE: The reference signal EPRE can be either calculated automatically using the maximum power and the EPRE offsets for different downlink channels defined per cell, or entered manually per cell by the user. Serving (reference) cell layer selection method: The reference cell layer selection method is used for determining the reference cell in case of transmitters supporting more than one cell. The best serving transmitter for a pixel, subscriber, or mobile is determined according to the received reference signal level from the cell with the highest reference signal power. If more than one cell of the same transmitter cover the pixel, subscriber, or mobile, the reference cell is determined according to the selected method: Random: In coverage prediction calculations and in calculations on subsriber lists, the cell with the lowest layer is selected as the serving (reference) cell. In Monte Carlo simulations, a random cell is selected as the serving (reference) cell. Distributive: In coverage prediction calculations and in calculations on subsriber lists, the cell with the lowest layer is selected as the serving (reference) cell. In Monte Carlo simulations, mobiles are distributed among cell layers one by one, i.e., if more than one cell layer covers a set of mobiles, the first mobile is assigned to the lowest cell layer, the 2nd mobile to the second lowest cell layer, and so on.
The reference cell once assigned to a mobile does not change during Monte Carlo simulations. Adaptive MIMO switching criterion: You can select whether the MIMO mode selection will be based on the reference signal C/N or C/(I+N). Depending on the selected criterion, Atoll compares either the reference signal C/N or C/(I+N) with the AMS threshold defined for the cell. Uplink power adjustement margin: The margin (in dB) that will be added to the bearer selection threshold, for safety against fast fading, when performing power control in uplink.
Figure 6.122 and Figure 6.123 give examples of downlink and uplink FDD resource blocks for the single antenna case using the normal cyclic prefix.
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Figure 6.124: LTE Global Parameters 7. Select the Calculation Parameters tab. In this tab you can set: Calculation limitation: In this section, you can enter the Min interferer C/N threshold. Receiver: In this section, you can enter the receiver Height. System: In this section, select the Max range check box if you want to apply a maximum system range limit, and enter the maximum system range in the text box to the right.
8. Click OK. The global parameters are used during coverage predictions and simulations for the entire network.
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Figure 6.125: Reception Equipment - Bearer Selection Thresholds i. Click the Best bearer thresholds button. The C/(I+N) Thresholds (dB) dialogue appears (see Figure 6.126).
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Figure 6.126: C/(I+N) Thresholds (dB) dialogue For more information on the default values of the bearer selection thresholds, see "Bearer Selection Thresholds" on page 407. For converting receiver equipment sensitivity values (dBm) into bearer selection thresholds, see "Calculating Bearer Selection Thresholds From Receiver Sensitivity Values" on page 407. Quality Graphs: On this tab (see Figure 6.127), you can modify the quality indicator graphs for different bearers for different mobility types. These graphs depict the performance characteristics of the equipment under different radio conditions. For more information on bearers, quality indicators, and mobility types, see "Defining LTE Radio Bearers" on page 395, "Defining LTE Quality Indicators" on page 396, and "Modelling Mobility Types" on page 249, respectively.
Figure 6.127: Reception Equipment - Quality Indicator Graphs i. Click the Quality graph button. The Quality Graph dialogue appears (see Figure 6.128).
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Figure 6.128: Quality Indicator Graph dialogue MIMO: On this tab (see Figure 6.129), you can modify the SU-MIMO and diversity gains for different bearers, mobility types, BLER values, and numbers of transmission and reception antenna ports. The MIMO throughput gain is the increase in channel capacity compared to a SISO system. For more information on bearers and mobility types, see "Defining LTE Radio Bearers" on page 395 and "Modelling Mobility Types" on page 249, respectively. For more information on the different MIMO systems, see "Multiple Input Multiple Output Systems" on page 402. No MIMO gain (diversity, SU-MIMO, and MU-MIMO) is applied if the numbers of transmission and reception antennas are both equal to 1.
Figure 6.129: Reception Equipment - MIMO gains i. Enter the Diversity gain for a combination of Mobility, Radio bearer index, Max BLER, Number of transmission antenna ports, and Number of reception antenna ports.
ii. Click the Max MIMO gain graphs button to open the Max MIMO Gain dialogue for a combination of Mobility, Radio bearer index, Max BLER, Number of transmission antenna ports, and Number of reception antenna ports (see Figure 6.130). iii. Enter the graph values. iv. Click OK.
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You can define the diversity and SU-MIMO gains for any combination of mobility type, bearer, and BLER, as well as the default gains for "All" mobility types, "All" bearers, and a Max BLER of 1. During calculations, Atoll uses the gains defined for a specific combination if available, otherwise it uses the default gains.
Figure 6.130: Max MIMO Gain dialogue 7. Click OK. The Properties dialogue closes. The settings are stored. 8. Click the Close button ( ) to close the Reception Equipment table.
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to achieve its maximum throughput demand or the total amount of resources divided by the total number of users in the cell, which ever is smaller. Max C/I: This scheduling method allocates the resources required by the users to achieve their maximum throughput demands in the order of their PDSCH C/(I+N) in downlink and of their PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N) in uplink. This means that users who are under good radio conditions will get the resources they require. The end result of this scheduling method is that the aggregate cell throughputs are maximised.
For all the scheduling methods, resources are allocated to support the maximum throughput demand until either the maximum throughput demands of all the users are satisfied or the scheduler runs out of resources. The Schedulers table lists the available schedulers. You can add, remove, and modify scheduler properties, if you want. To define LTE schedulers: 1. Click the Parameters tab of the Explorer window. 2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the LTE Network Settings folder. 3. In the LTE Network Settings folder, right-click Schedulers. The context menu appears. 4. Select Open Table. The Schedulers table appears. 5. In the table, enter one scheduler per row. For information on working with data tables, see "Working with Data Tables" on page 47. For each scheduler, enter: Name: Enter a name for the scheduler. This name will appear in the cell properties. Scheduling method: Select the scheduling method used by the scheduler for allocating resources to support the maximum throughput demands. Target throughput for voice services: Select the throughput that the scheduler will target to satisfy for all voicetype services. Target throughput for data services: Select the throughput that the scheduler will target to satisfy for all datatype services. Bearer selection criterion: Select the criterion for the selection of the best bearer. - Bearer index: The best bearer selected for throughput calculations is the one with the highest bearer index among the bearers available in the reception equipment. - Peak RLC throughput: The best bearer selected for throughput calculations is the one with the highest peak RLC throughput (including SU-MIMO gains) among the bearers available in the reception equipment. - Effective RLC throughput: The best bearer selected for throughput calculations is the one with the highest effective RLC throughput (including SU-MIMO gains) among the bearers available in the reception equipment. Uplink bandwidth allocation target: Select the aim of the uplink bandwidth allocation. - Full bandwidth: All the frequency blocks are used for the PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N) calculations, i.e., no bandwidth reduction is performed. - Maintain connection: The number of frequency blocks is reduced one by one in order to increase the PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N) so that the mobile is able to get at least the lowest bearer. The definition of the lowest bearer depends on the Bearer selection criterion, i.e., lowest index, lowest peak RLC throughput, or lowest effective RLC throughput. - Best bearer: The number of frequency blocks is reduced in order to increase the PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N) so that the mobile is able to get the highest bearer available. The definition of the highest bearer depends on the Bearer selection criterion, i.e., highest index, highest peak RLC throughput, or highest effective RLC throughput. When Bearer selection criterion is set to Effective RLC throughput, Atoll calculates the effective RLC throughput for all possible combinations of [number of frequency blocks, bearers], and keeps the number of frequency blocks and the bearer which provide the highest effective RLC throughput. You can open a schedulers properties dialogue by double-clicking the corresponding row in the Schedulers table. In the properties dialogue, a MUG tab is available for Proportional fair schedulers. In the MUG tab, you can enter the throughput gains due to multi-user diversity for different mobility types and the maximum PDSCH and PUSCH C/(I+N) above which the gains are not applied to throughput. 6. Click the Close button ( ) to close the Schedulers table.
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5. The LTE UE Categories table has the following columns: Name: Name of the UE category. Max number of transport block bits per TTI (DL): The maximum number of transport block bits per subframe in the downlink. This parameter defines the highest downlink throughput that a terminal can support. Max number of transport block bits per TTI (UL): The maximum number of transport block bits per subframe in the uplink. This parameter defines the highest uplink throughput that a terminal can support. Highest supported modulation (UL): The highest modulation supported in the uplink. Max number of reception antenna ports: The maximum number of antenna ports supported by a terminal in the downlink. ) to close the LTE UE Categories table.
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7. Double-click the equipment entry in the Smart Antenna Equipment table once your new equipment has been added to the table. The equipments Properties dialogue opens. 8. Under the General tab, you can modify the parameters that you set previously. 9. To modify the properties of the smart antenna model assigned to the smart antenna equipment, click the Parameters button under Smart antenna models. The smart antenna models properties dialogue appears. a. Click the General tab. On the General tab, you can change the default Name of the smart antenna model. b. Click the Properties tab (see Figure 6.131). On the Properties tab, you can define: Number of elements: The number of antenna elements in the smart antenna system. Single element pattern: The antenna model to be used for each antenna element. You can select an antenna model from the list. The list contains the antennas available in the Antennas folder.
Figure 6.131: Smart antenna model properties c. Click OK. The smart antenna model properties are saved. 10. Click OK. The smart antenna equipment properties are saved. 11. Click the Close button ( ) to close the Smart Antenna Equipment table.
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As SU-MIMO improves the channel capacity or throughputs, the PDSCH or PUSCH C/(I+N) of a user is first determined. Once the C/(I+N) is known, Atoll calculates the user throughput based on the bearer available at the user location. The obtained user throughput is then increased according to the SU-MIMO capacity gain and the SU-MIMO gain factor of the users clutter class. The capacity gains defined in Max SU-MIMO gain graphs are the maximum theoretical capacity gains using SU-MIMO. SU-MIMO requires rich multipath environment, without which the gain is reduced. In the worst case, there is no gain. Therefore, it is possible to define an SU-MIMO gain factor per clutter class whose value can vary from 0 to 1 (0 = no gain, 1 = 100 % gain). For information on setting the SU-MIMO gain factor for each clutter class or for all clutter classes, see "Defining Clutter Class Properties" on page 119. The SU-MIMO capacity gain vs. C/(I+N) graphs available in Atoll by default have been generated based on the maximum theoretical SU-MIMO capacity gains obtained using the following equations:
CC MIMO G MIMO = --------------------CC SISO
TX RX Where CC MIMO = Min ( N Ant, N Ant ) Log 2 1 + ------------------------------------------ is the channel capacity at a given C/(I+N) for a MIMO system TX RX
C (I + N)
using N Ant transmission and N Ant reception antenna ports. CC SISO = Log 2 ( 1 + C ( I + N ) ) is the channel capacity for a single antenna system at a given C/(I+N). C/(I+N) is used as a ratio (not dB) in these formulas. You can replace the default SU-MIMO capacity gain graphs with graphs extracted from simulated or measured values. Adaptive MIMO Switch This is a technique for switching from SU-MIMO to transmit or receive diversity as the reference signal conditions get worse than a given threshold. AMS can be used in cells to provide SU-MIMO gains to users that have better reference signal C/N or C/(I+N) conditions than a given AMS threshold, and diversity gains to users that have worse reference signal C/N or C/(I+N) conditions than the threshold. AMS provides the optimum solution using transmit and receive diversity and SU-MIMO features to their best. During calculations in Atoll, a user (pixel, mobile, or subscriber) using a MIMO-capable terminal, and connected to a cell that supports AMS, will benefit from the gain to be applied, diversity or SU-MIMO, depending on the users reference signal C/N or C/(I+N) and the AMS threshold defined in the cell properties. Diversity gain is applied to the users PDSCH or PUSCH C/(I+N) if the users reference signal C/N is less than the AMS threshold, and SU-MIMO is used if the reference signal C/N or C/(I+N) is higher than the AMS threshold. Multi-User MIMO or Collaborative MIMO MU-MIMO (Multi-User MIMO) or Collaborative MIMO is a technique for spatially multiplexing two user who have sufficient radio conditions at their locations. This technique is used in uplink so that a cell with more than one reception antenna port can receive uplink transmissions from two different users over the same frequency-time allocation. This technique provides considerable capacity gains in uplink, and can be used with single-antenna user equipment, i.e., it does not require more than one antenna at the user equipment as opposed to SU-MIMO, which only provides considerable gains with more than one antenna at the user equipment. In Atoll, you can set whether a cell supports MU-MIMO in uplink by selecting the corresponding diversity support mode in cell properties (see "Cell Description" on page 205). MU-MIMO capacity gains result from the scheduling and RRM process. Using MU-MIMO, schedulers are able to allocate resources over two spatially multiplexed parallel frames in the same frequencytime resource allocation plane. MU-MIMO can only work under good radio conditions and if the cell has more than one reception antenna port. Therefore, the reference signal C/N must be higher than the MU-MIMO threshold defined by cell in order for the scheduler to be able to multiplex users in uplink. During the calculations of Monte Carlo simulations in Atoll, each new user connected to the first antenna port creates virtual resources available on the second antenna port. These virtual resources can then be allocated to a second user connected to the second antenna port without increasing the overall load of the cell. This way, each new mobile consumes the virtual resources made available be the previous mobile, and may make new virtual resources available on the other antenna port. The MU-MIMO capacity gain resulting from this uplink collaborative multiplexing is the ratio of the traffic loads of all the mobiles connected to both parallel frames in uplink to the uplink traffic load of the cell. MU-MIMO is only possible for mobiles that support MIMO and at which the reference signal C/N is greater than the MU-MIMO threshold defined for their serving cell. The MU-MIMO capacity gain can be defined per cell by the user or it can be an output of the Monte Carlo simulations. This gain is used during the calculation of uplink throughput coverage predictions. The channel throughput is multiplied by this gain for pixels where MU-MIMO is used as the diversity mode.
TX
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To create a new ICIC configuration: 1. Click the Parameters tab of the Explorer window. 2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the LTE Network Settings folder. 3. In the LTE Network Settings folder, right-click ICIC Configurations. The context menu appears. 4. Select Open Table. The ICIC Configurations table appears. 5. In the ICIC Configurations table, each row describes an ICIC configuration. For the new ICIC configuration, enter: Name: The name of the ICIC configuration. Total number of frequency blocks: The total number of frequency blocks to which the ICIC configuration correspond. Group 0 frequency blocks: The frequency blocks assigned to the ICIC part of the frame for PSS ID 0. Group 1 frequency blocks: The frequency blocks assigned to the ICIC part of the frame for PSS ID 1. Group 2 frequency blocks: The frequency blocks assigned to the ICIC part of the frame for PSS ID 2. You can enter non-consecutive frequency block numbers separated with a comma, or you can enter a range of frequency blocks separating the first and last index with a hyphen (for example, entering "1-5" corresponds to "1, 2, 3, 4, 5"). 6. Click the Close button ( ) to close the ICIC Configurations table.
Atoll always takes shadowing into consideration when calculating a Monte Carlo simulations. Atoll uses the values defined for the model standard deviations per clutter class when calculating the signal level coverage predictions. Atoll uses the values defined for the C/I standard deviations per clutter class when calculating the interference- based coverage predictions. You can display the shadowing margins per clutter class. For information, see "Displaying the Shadowing Margins per Clutter Class" on page 404.
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5. Click Calculate. The calculated shadowing margin is displayed. 6. Click Close to close the dialogue.
Figure 6.132: Interference received by mobiles on the downlink Interference received by cells on the uplink: Interference can be received by cells of an LTE network on the uplink from external base stations and mobiles in the vicinity. Interference from external base stations (also called downlink-to-uplink interference) may be created by insufficient separation between the downlink frequency used by the external network and the uplink frequency used by your LTE network. Such interference may also come from co-existing TDD networks. Interference from external mobiles (also called uplink-to-uplink interference) may be created by the use of same or nearby frequencies for uplink in both networks. Unless the exact locations of external mobiles is known, it is not possible to separate interference received from external base stations and mobiles on the uplink. The effect of this interference is modelled in Atoll using the Inter-technology UL noise rise definable for each cell in the LTE network. This noise rise is taken into account in uplink interference-based calculations in Monte Carlo simulations but not in coverage predictions. For more information on the Inter-technology UL noise rise, see "Cell Description" on page 205.
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Obtaining User Throughputs for All the Subscribers of a Subscriber List This procedure is only recommended if you have a proper subscriber list and have complete knowledge of the services they use.
Atoll generates a realistic user distribution containing active and inactive users during Monte Carlo simulations. The status of these users is determined through the users service usage parameters defined in the user profile. In Atoll, subscribers in a subscriber list must have a user profile assigned to them in order to be taken into account in Monte Carlo simulations. In Monte Carlo simulations based on subscriber lists, Atoll determines active users from among the users listed in the subscriber list and carries out RRM and resource allocation for calculating user throughputs. If you wish to determine user throughputs for all the subscribers in a subscriber list, you can run a Monte Carlo simulation with the subscriber list as input after modifying the user profiles assigned to the subscribers such that the probability of activity for all the subscribers is 100 %. 1. Create a subscriber list with subscribers having an activity probability of 100%: a. Create as many user profiles as there are services used by the subscribers in the list. b. Assign only one service to each user profile. c. Assign the following service usage parameters to the user profiles that you create: i. For Voice services, set: Calls/hour = 1. Duration (sec.) = 3600.
ii. For Data services: Calls/hour = 1. UL volume (KBytes) = Service uplink average requested throughput x 3600/8. DL volume (KBytes) = Service downlink average requested throughput x 3600/8.
d. Assign these user profiles to subscribers in the subscriber list. 2. Create a Monte Carlo simulation based only on this subscriber list. The simulation results will contain all the subscribers in the subscriber list with their respective user throughputs determined by Atoll after the scheduling process. Working With User Densities Instead of User Profiles If you do not currently have reliable LTE multi-service traffic, you can provide Atoll with user density information per service, for example, traffic data from adapted GSM Erlang maps. In this case, you do not have to create user profiles. As well, Atoll does not have to determine the user activity probabilities to create traffic scenarios during simulations. The distribution of traffic during simulations will only depend on the user densities per service. If you know the user densities for each service, you can set user activity probabilities to 100 % in your LTE document, as shown below: 1. For Voice services, set: Calls/hour = 1. Duration (sec.) = 3600.
2. For Data services: Calls/hour = 1. UL volume (KBytes) = Service uplink average requested throughput x 3600/8.
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The above settings will set the user activity probabilities to 100 %. If you create a traffic map based on environment classes, the user density values that you define in your environment classes will be the actual user densities. This means that, for X users/km defined in the environment class for a given user profile, the Monte Carlo simulator will generate exactly X users/ km for each service of the user profile. In this way, you can know beforehand the exact number of active users, and their services, generated during the simulations. This procedure should only be used when appropriate traffic data is not available. Bearer Selection Thresholds The default values of the bearer selection thresholds, the BLER quality graphs, and the bearer efficiency values in Atoll have been extracted from the 3GPP TR 36.942 V8.0.0 (see Figure 6.134). These values correspond to to an ideal (AWGN) radio channel, and are too optimistic compared to actual radio channels. It is recommended to use more realistic values when available.
Figure 6.134: Link Adaptation in LTE The spectral efficiency is the number of useful data bits that can be transmitted using any modulation and coding scheme per Hz, the transition points between any two modulation and coding schemes give the default bearer selection thresholds in Atoll, and the normalised values from the slopes of the graphs, that represent the reduction in the spectral efficiency, give the block error rate. Calculating Bearer Selection Thresholds From Receiver Sensitivity Values You can convert the receiver sensitivity values, from your equipment data sheet, into bearer selection thresholds using the following conversion method:
SF NUsed CNR = RS + 114 NF 10 Log ----------------------------- N Total
Where RS is the receiver sensitivity in dBm, NF is the noise figure of the receiver in dB, SF is the sampling frequency in MHz, N Used is the number of subcarriers corresponding to the number of frequency blocks, N Total is the total number of subcarriers, i.e., the FFT size. In the above explanation, the term receiver refers to the base station in uplink and to the mobile/user equipment in the downlink. Relation Between Bearer Efficiency And Spectral Efficiency Spectral efficiency of a modulation and coding scheme is defined as the number of useful bits that can be transmitted per second over 1 Hz wide channel. Spectral efficiency is hence given in terms of bps/Hz. In Atoll, the efficiency of bearers (modulation and coding schemes) are defined in the Radio Bearers table. The bearer efficiency is given in terms of bits/symbol. Remember that in Atoll symbol refers to one resource element, the data transmission unit which is 1 symbol duration long and 1 subcarrier width wide, as shown in Figure 6.135.
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Figure 6.135: Symbol Bearer efficiency is similar to spectral efficiency. The only difference is in the units used. Here is a simple example that compares spectral efficiency and bearer efficiency, and shows that the two are the same. Spectral efficiency is given by:
SE = ( 1 BLER ) r Log 2 ( M ) bps Hz
Where BLER is the Block Error Rate, r is the coding rate for the bearer, and M is the number of modulation states. For simplification, we set BLER = 0, and use QPSK1/2, i.e., four modulation states and r = 0.5. With these values, we get a spectral efficiency of 1 bps/Hz for QPSK1/2. In other words, a communication channel using QPSK1/2 modulation and coding scheme can send 1 bps of useful data per unit bandwidth. In order to compare the bearer efficiency and spectral efficiency of QPSK1/2, lets say that QPSK1/2 has a bearer efficiency of 1 bits/symbol. Here as well, the number of bits refers to useful data bits. The width of a subcarrier in LTE is F = 15 kHz ,
1 from which we can calculate the useful symbol duration as well: T U = ------- = 66.67 sec . In one second, there can be F 1 sec 66.67 sec = 15000 symbol durations. If 15000 symbols are transmitted using QPSK1/2, this gives us a data rate of 15000 Symbols/sec 1 bits/Symbol = 15000 bps , which is the data rate achievable using one subcarrier of 15 kHz. We can
find
the
spectral
efficiency
by
normalizing
the
data
rate
to
unit
bandwidth.
This
gives:
In order to compare equivalent quantities, we have ignored some system parameters, such as the cyclic prefix, and have considered that the entire frame is transmitted in one direction, uplink or downlink. Modelling VoIP Codecs VoIP codecs are application-layer elements in the OSI system model. Atoll models application throughputs using a throughput offset and a scaling factor with respect to the RLC layer throughputs. You can model different VoIP codecs by creating a new service for each VoIP codec, and setting the target throughput to the application throughput for the scheduler used. Here are two examples of the most common VoIP codecs, and how they can be modelled in Atoll: G.711 VoIP Codec The actual voice data rate needed by the G.711 codec is 64 kbps, but with the lower layer headers and other added bits, the needed RLC data rate could be between 66.4 and 107.2 kbps. In this example, we show how to model the codec with header bits that lead to 85.6 kbps RLC data rate. a. Create a new service with the following parameters: Name: VoIP (G.711) Type: Voice Min throughput demand (DL) and Min throughput demand (UL): 64 kbps Max throughput demand (DL) and Max throughput demand (UL): 64 kbps Average requested throughput (DL) and Average requested throughput (UL): 64 kbps Scaling factor: 74.77 % Offset: 0 kbps
b. Set the Target throughput for voice services to "2 - Application Throughput" for the scheduler being used. In this way, Atoll will allocate resources to the users of this service such that they get 64 kbps application throughput, and around 85.6 kbps of effective RLC throughput. G.729 VoIP Codec The actual voice data rate needed by the G.729 codec is 8 kbps, but with the lower layer headers and other added bits, the needed RLC data rate could be between 9.6 and 29.6 kbps. In this example, we show how to model the codec with header bits that lead to 29.6 kbps required data rate. a. Create a new service with the following parameters: Name: VoIP (G.729) Type: Voice Min throughput demand (DL) and Min throughput demand (UL): 8 kbps
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Max throughput demand (DL) and Max throughput demand (UL): 8 kbps Average requested throughput (DL) and Average requested throughput (UL): 8 kbps Scaling factor: 27.03 % Offset: 0 kbps
b. Set the Target throughput for voice services to "2 - Application Throughput" for the scheduler being used. In this way, Atoll will allocate resources to the users of this service such that they get 8 kbps application throughput, and around 29.6 kbps of effective RLC throughput. Working with EARFCNs instead of Channel Numbers In Atoll, carriers are assigned channel numbers in the frequency bands table. These channel numbers do not necessarily have to be unique, i.e., a channel number can be reused in different bands. The 3GPP defines unique EARFCNs (E-UTRA Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Numbers) for all the frequency bands. Each EARFCN has a fixed width of 100 kHz, whereas channels (or carriers) in Atoll can have different widths. If you want to work with EARFCNs instead of channel numbers, you can set EARFCNs as channel numbers in the frequency bands table similar to as shown in the example below: Frequency band: 2110 FDD - 5 MHz (E-UTRA Band 1) Downlink EARFCN range: 0 - 599 Uplink EARFCN range: 18000 - 18599 First channel (EARFCN): 0 Last channel (EARFCN): 550 Excluded channels (EARFCNs): 1-49, 51-99, 101-149, 151-199, 201-249, 251-299, 301-349,351-399,401-449, 451-499, 501-549, 551-599
For FDD frequency bands, the downlink and uplink EARFCNs are offset by 18000, so you can use either the downlink or the uplink EARFCNs as channel numbers in Atoll. Modelling the Co-existence of Networks In Atoll, you can study the effect of interference received by your network from other LTE networks. The interfering LTE network can be a different part of your own network, or a network belonging to another operator. To study interference from co-existing networks: 1. Import the interfering network data (sites, transmitters, and cells) in to your document as explained in "Creating a Group of Base Stations" on page 216. 2. For the interfering networks transmitters, set the Transmitter type to Inter-network (Interferer only) as explained in "Transmitter Description" on page 202. During calculations, Atoll will consider the transmitters of type Inter-network (Interferer only) when calculating interference. These transmitters will not serve any pixel, subscriber, or mobile, and will only contribute to interference. Modelling the interference from co-existing networks will be as accurate as the data you have for the interfering network. If the interfering network is a part of your own network, this information would be readily available. However, if the interfering network belongs to another operator, the information available might not be accurate. Moreover, for other operators networks, and if the interfering networks use OFDM but are not LTE networks, their modelling will not be accurate using LTE transmitters and cells. The number of subcarriers used in the interfering networks might be very different. Displaying LTE Frame Details Atoll can calculate and display the numbers of resource elements corresponding to different LTE physical signals and logical channels in downlink and uplink. To calculate and list details on LTE frames: 1. Click the Network tab of the Explorer window. 2. Right-click the LTE Transmitters folder. The context menu appears. 3. Select Cells > Frame Details from the context menu. The Frame Details dialogue appears. The Frame Details command is also available in the context menu of a transmitter or a group of transmitters. The Frame Details dialogue lists only the cells belonging to the transmitter or folder from which it is selected. Filters are also taken into account. 4. Click the Downlink tab. 5. Under Display, you can select to display the Numbers of resource elements and the Percentages of resource elements belonging to the downlink physical signals and logical channels.
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6. Click Calculate. Atoll calculates the numbers of resource elements corresponding to different parts of the downlink LTE frame for each listed cell. The following information is available: Total: The total number of resource elements in the downlink subframes. RS: The number and percentage of resource elements used to transmit the cell specific reference signals. An average number of transmitted reference signals is considered in Atoll. More specifically, when four antenna ports are used, eight reference signals are transmitted on two antenna ports and four are transmitted on the other two antenna ports. In this case, Atoll considers an average of six transmitted reference signals per antenna port. SSS: The number and percentage of resource elements belonging to the SSS. PSS: The number and percentage of resource elements belonging to the PSS. PBCH: The number and percentage of resource elements belonging to the PBCH. PDCCH+PCFICH+PHICH: The number and percentage of resource elements belonging to the PDCCH (which is considered to include the PCFICH and PHICH). PDSCH: The number and percentage of resource elements remaining in the PDSCH after removing the reference signals, synchronisation signals, and control channel overheads. Unused: The number and percentage of resource elements not used for transmission.
7. Click the Uplink tab. 8. Under Display, you can select to display the Numbers of resource elements and the Percentages of resource elements belonging to the uplink physical signals and logical channels. 9. Click Calculate. Atoll calculates the numbers of resource elements corresponding to different parts of the uplink LTE frame for each listed cell. The following information is available: Total: The total number of resource elements in the uplink subframes. DRS: The number and percentage of resource elements belonging to the DRS. SRS: The number and percentage of resource elements belonging to the SRS. PUCCH: The number and percentage of resource elements belonging to the PUCCH. PUSCH: The number and percentage of resource elements remaining in the PUSCH after removing the reference signals and control channel overheads
10. Click Close. The Frame Details dialogue window closes. For more information on the LTE logical and transport channels, see "Glossary of LTE Terms" on page 410. For more information on the LTE frame structure, see "The Global Network Settings" on page 392.
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Traffic Loads: The uplink and downlink traffic loads are the percentages of the uplink and the downlink frames in use (allocated) to the traffic (mobiles) in the uplink and in the downlink, respectively. Resources: In Atoll, the term "resource" is used to refer to the average number of resource units, expressed in % (as traffic loads, when the average is performed over a considerably long duration) of the total number of resource units in a superframe of 1 sec. Uplink Noise Rise: Uplink noise rise is a measure of uplink interference with respect to the uplink noise:
I UL + N UL NR UL = ------------------------ , or NR UL = 10 Log ( I UL + N UL ) 10 Log ( N UL ) in dB. This parameter is one of the two N UL
methods in which uplink interference can be expressed with respect to the noise. The other parameter often used
UL instead of the uplink noise rise is the uplink load factor: L UL = ------------------------ . Usually, the uplink load factor is kept as a
I I UL + N UL
linear value (in %) while the uplink noise rise is expressed in dB. The two parameters express exactly the same information, and can be inter-converted as follows:
I I+NN I I+N N I N I+N 1 N I ----------- = --------------------- => ----------- = ----------- ----------- => ----------- = 1 ----------- => ----------- = 1 ----------- => ----------- = --------------------I+N I+N I+N I+N I+N I+N I+N N I I+N I+N 1 ----------I+N 1 => NR = ------------
1L
The following table shows the relation between interference, load factor, and noise rise. Interference (I) 0 =N =9xN = 99 x N Load Factor (%) 0 50 90 99 Noise Rise 1 2 10 100 Noise Rise (dB) 0 3.01 10 20
The reason why uplink interference is expressed in terms of noise rise (in dB) in Atoll instead of load factor (in %) is that the load factor varies somewhat exponentially with the increase in interference. Frame: An LTE frame is 10 ms long. The duration of a frame is a system-level constant. Each frame comprises 10 1 mslong subframes, with each subframe containing 2 0.5 ms-long slots. Each slot can have 7 or 6 symbol durations for normal or extended cyclic prefix, respectively, and for a 15 kHz subcarrier width. A slot can have 3 symbol durations for extended cyclic prefix used with a 7.5 kHz subcarrier width. LTE includes specific frame structures for FDD and TDD systems as shown in Figure 6.136. For TDD systems, two switching point periodicities can be used; half-frame or full frame. Half-frame periodicity provides the same half-frame structure as a TD-SCDMA subframe. The PBCH, PSS, and SSS are carried by subframes 0 and 5, which means that these 2 subframes are always used in downlink. A subframe is synonymous with TTI (transmission time interval), i.e., the minimum unit of resource allocation in the time domain.
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Figure 6.136: LTE frame structures (DL: blue, UL: orange, DL or UL: green) Resource Element, Symbol, or Modulation Symbol: In Atoll a symbol refers to one resource element or one modulation symbol, which is 1 symbol duration long and 1 subcarrier width wide, as shown in Figure 6.135. Symbol Duration: In Atoll a symbol duration refers to one OFDM symbol, which is the duration of one modulation symbol over all the subcarriers/frequency blocks being used. Subcarrier: An OFDM channel comprises many narrowband carriers called subcarriers. OFDM subcarriers are orthogonal frequency-domain waveforms generated using fast fourier transforms (see Figure 6.137). Frequency Block: It is the minimum unit of resource allocation in the frequency domain, i.e., the width of a resource block, 180 kHz. It is a system-level constant. A frequency block can either contain 12 subcarriers of 15 kHz each (see Figure 6.137) or 24 subcarriers of 7.5 kHz each. Resource Block: It is the minimum unit of resource allocation, i.e., 1 frequency block by 1 slot (see Figure 6.137). Schedulers are able perform resource allocation every subframe (TTI, transmission time interval), however, the granularity of resource allocation 1 slot in time, i.e., the duration of a resource block, and 1 frequency block in frequency.
Figure 6.137: LTE resource blocks LTE Logical Channels: LTE logical channels include (see Figure 6.138): - Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH) (DL): Carries broadcast control information. - Paging Contol Channel (PCCH) (DL): Carries paging control information. - Common Control Channel (CCCH) (DL and UL): Carries common control information. - Dedicated Control Channel (DCCH) (DL and UL): Carries control information dedicated to users. - Dedicated Traffic Channel (DTCH) (DL and UL): Carries user traffic data. - Multicast Control Channel (MCCH) (DL): Carries multicast control information. - Multicast Traffic Channel (MTCH) (DL): Carries multicast traffic data. LTE Transport Channels: LTE transport channels include (see Figure 6.138): - Broadcast Channel (BCH) (DL): Carries broadcast information. - Paging Channel (PCH) (DL): Carries paging information. - Downlink Shared Channel (DL-SCH) (DL): Carries common and dedicated control information and user traffic data. It can also be used to carry broadcast and multicast control information and traffic in addition to the BCH and MCH. - Uplink Shared Channel (UL-SCH) (UL): Carries common and dedicated control information and user traffic data. - Multicast Channel (MCH) (DL): Carries multicast information.
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Random Access Channel (RACH) (UL): Carries random access requests from users.
LTE Physical Layer Channels: LTE physical layer channels include (see Figure 6.138): - Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) (DL): Carries broadcast information. - Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) (DL): Carries paging information, common and dedicated control information, and user traffic data. It can also be used to carry broadcast and multicast control information and traffic in addition to the PBCH and PMCH. Parts of this channel carry the primary and secondary synchronisation signals (PSS and SSS), the downlink reference signals, the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), the physical HARQ indicator channel (PHICH), and the physical control format indicator channel (PCFICH). - Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) (UL): Carries common and dedicated control information and user traffic data. - Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) (UL): Carries control information. - Physical Multicast Channel (PMCH) (DL): Carries multicast information. - Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) (UL): Carries random access requests from users.
Figure 6.138: LTE logical, transport, and physical layer channels (DL: blue, UL: orange, DL or UL: green) Inter-cell interference coordination: It is a means to improve the signal quality at cell edges by using different frequencies or resource blocks for resource allocation in potentially mutually interfering cells. There are two categories of interference coordination techniques used in OFDMA systems: - Static ICIC using Fractional Frequency Reuse (FFR): Static interference coordination is a fractional frequency allocation problem. Fractions of a channel bandwidth are allocated to different sectors to be used at cell edges. The allocation does not change over time and the same fractions of the channel bandwidth are used by the sectors. - Dynamic ICIC using Interference-aware scheduling: Dynamic interference coordination is a scheduler problem. There is no fixed fractional frequency allocation per sector. The resource blocks allocated to users located at cell edges are determined by the schedulers of each eNode-B dynamically for each subframe. The aim is to not use the same resource blocks at cell edges of potentially mutually interfering cells (i.e., coordinate the allocation of resources) thus avoiding interference.
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Index
Numerics
2G network traffic, converting (LTE) 295 3-D antenna pattern defining attenuation 145 defining azimuth 145 defining tilt angle 145 importing 145 3GPP multi-RAT template 92
A
ACP antenna azimuth, reconfiguration 316, 336 antenna height, reconfiguration 316, 337 antenna masking 318 antenna type, reconfiguration 316, 336 antennas, AEDT 344 antennas, creating by pattern 344 antennas, grouping automatically 345, 346 best server analysis maps 360 candidates, creating 341 change analysis maps 359 comments, adding to optimisation 347 computation zone, using 316 configuration, loading 350 configuration, saving 350 configuring 320 co-planning optimisation process, creating 390 co-planning optimisation process, importing second technology
390
default settings, configuring 322 default settings, storage 320 defining optimisation (LTE) 324 definition 315 electrical tilt, reconfiguration 316, 336 EMF exposure 319 EMF exposure maps 360 filtering zone, using 317 hot spot, using 317 hot spots, importing 326 indoor coverage 317 iterations, defining number of 325 iterations, defining resolution 325 maps, comparing 360 maps, display properties 361 mechanical tilt, reconfiguration 316 multi-band antennas, defining 345 multi-layer networks, linking transmitters 337 optimisation process, cost control 327 optimisation process, creating 323
optimisation process, creating in co-planning 389 optimisation process, EMF exposure 328 optimisation process, layers 325 optimisation process, running 324 optimisation process, site classes 328 optimisation process, zones 326 optimisation properties, changing 350 optimisation, deleting 350 optimisation, running 350 optimisation, running saved 348 pilot power, reconfiguration 335 propagation model, default 318 propagation models 318 propagation models, defining 320 propagation models, natively supported 318 propagation models, precalculated path loss matrices 320 propagation models, precalculated pathloss matrices 319 quality analysis maps 359 reconfiguration options 316 reconfiguration options (LTE) 334 reconfiguration, importing parameters 338 results, viewing in histogram 363 results, viewing in map window 358 results, viewing in Properties dialogue 350 shadowing margin 317 site selection 316 site selection, defining 339 total power, reconfiguration 316 traffic maps, using (LTE) 317 weighting 333 zones, using 316 ACP coverage maps exporting (LTE) 362 activity status displaying traffic distribution by (LTE) 304 antenna azimuth, reconfiguring with ACP 316, 336 beamwidth, defining 144 changing azimuth on the map 22 changing relative position on the map 22 creating 143 electrical tilt, reconfiguring with ACP 316, 336 gain 143 height, reconfiguring with ACP 316, 337 importing 3-D patterns 145 importing Planet-format 144 mechanical tilt, reconfiguring with ACP 316 model, reconfiguring with ACP 316, 336 pasting antenna pattern 143 pattern electrical tilt 143
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smart, creating (LTE) 401 smoothing vertical pattern 147 antenna patterns printing 64, 147 archiving all modifications to the database 101 only site data to the database 101 attenuation 3-D antenna pattern 145 audit of inter-technology neighbour plan (LTE) 388 audit of neighbour allocation plan (LTE) 276 audit of physical cell ID plan (LTE) 285 automatic backup 103 configuring 104 recovering a backup 104 Automatic Cell Planning, see "ACP" azimuth 3-D antenna pattern 145 antenna, changing on the map 22
B
backup 103 configuring 104 recovering a backup 104 base station components of subsystem 147 copying into document (LTE) 216 creating (LTE) 201 creating with template (LTE) 210 definition (LTE) 201 displaying information (LTE) 217 duplicating (LTE) 215 equipment, assigning (LTE) 203 importing (LTE) 216 beamwidth defining antenna 144 best bearer coverage prediction (LTE) 256
C
C/(I+N) level coverage prediction (LTE) 254 calculation process, explanation (LTE) 232 calculations 155 subscriber list (LTE) 300 CDMA Rho factor, transmitter equipment 149 CDMA2000 1xRTT 1xEV-DO template 92 cell creating (LTE) 209 definition (LTE) 205 modifying (LTE) 209 updating load values with simulation (LTE) 314 column headers formatting 51 columns changing width 51 displaying 52 freezing 53
hiding 52 moving 53 unfreezing 53 computation zone ACP 316 drawing 34 drawing (LTE) 233 editing 39 explanation (LTE) 228 Fit to Map Window 35 Fit to Map Window (LTE) 233 importing 35 importing (LTE) 233 polygon, creating from 35 polygon, creating from (LTE) 233 configuration loading ACP 350 saving ACP 350 Connection Properties 98 connection status displaying traffic distribution by (LTE) 305 context menu 19 renaming objects 19 conventional beamformer modelling (LTE) 401 coordinate system 94 setting 95 coordinates, searching by 84 co-planning co-planning mode, ending (LTE) 390 co-planning mode, switching to (LTE) 372 inter-technology exceptional pairs, displaying (LTE) 378 inter-technology exceptional pairs, setting (LTE) 377 inter-technology exceptional pairs, setting on the map (LTE) 378 inter-technology neighbour allocation (LTE) 377 inter-technology neighbours, allocating automatically (LTE) 379 inter-technology neighbours, allocating per cell (LTE) 383 inter-technology neighbours, allocating using Neighbours table (LTE) 384 inter-technology neighbours, displaying (LTE) 382 inter-technology neighbours, setting on the map (LTE) 385 legend window, displaying (LTE) 375 LTE 372 neighbours, configuring importance of (LTE) 379 networks, coverage areas, comparing (LTE) 376 networks, coverage areas, studying differences (LTE) 376 networks, coverage predictions, analysing (LTE) 375 networks, coverage predictions, updating (LTE) 374 networks, displaying both in same document (LTE) 373 unlinking documents (LTE) 390 Cost-Hata propagation model 164 creating environment formula 165 defining default environment formula 165 modifying environment formula 165 taking diffraction into account 165 coverage of neighbours, displaying (LTE) 272 coverage prediction analysing results (LTE) 239
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assigning a default propagation model 175 based on drive test data path (LTE) 368 best bearer (LTE) 256 by transmitter (LTE) 236 C/(I+N) level (LTE) 254 calculating 191, 192 calculating several 191 cloning 190 comparing (LTE) 244 creating 189 creating from existing 190 displaying results with tooltips (LTE) 239 duplicating 190 effective service area (LTE) 258 effective signal (LTE) 251 exporting in user configuration 194 exporting results 42 forcing calculation 192 geographic export zone, defining (LTE) 266 geogrphic export zone, defining 38 histogram, viewing (LTE) 244 legend, adding values to (LTE) 239 locking coverage predictions 192, 193 new 189 on overlapping zones (LTE) 237 printing results (LTE) 266 quality indicator (LTE) 262 report, displaying (LTE) 242 report, displaying using focus zone 35 report, displaying using focus zone (LTE) 241 report, displaying using hot spot zone 35 report, displaying using hot spot zone (LTE) 241 restricting base stations studied by computation zone (LTE) 224 restricting base stations studied by filter (LTE) 224 results, exporting (LTE) 266 service area analysis (LTE) 256 signal level - single station (LTE) 226 signal level (LTE) 235 statistics, viewing (LTE) 244 stopping calculation 192 template, saving as 193 throughput (LTE) 259 tooltips, comparing coverage predictions with (LTE) 375 using simulation results (LTE) 315 coverage predictions 189 exporting results (LTE) 264 cursors 46 CW Measurement Analysis Tool printing data 64 CW measurements drive test data path, generating from (LTE) 371 cyclic prefix ratio (LTE) 392
D
Data tab 17 data tables adding a field 48
changing column width 51 changing row height 51 copying data 54 deleting a field 49 displaying columns 52 editing 49 exporting data 57 filtering 69 filtering by selection 71 filtering by several criteria 72 filtering, examples 73 formatting column headers 51 formatting table columns 51 freezing columns 53 hiding columns 52 importing data 58 moving columns 53 opening 47 opening record properties from table 50 pasting data 54 printing 60 restoring after filtering 73 sorting 69 sorting by one column 70 sorting by several columns 70 unfreezing columns 53 viewing properties 47 XML files, exporting to 59 XML files, importing from 59 database archiving all modifications 101 archiving only site data 101 connecting to 98 Connection Properties 98 creating a document from 97 refreshing document 100 resolving data conflicts 101 working with 96 defining 188, 194 defraction smoothing vertical antenna pattern 147 display changing properties 23 defining display type 24 display type, automatic 25 display type, discrete values 24 display type, unique 24 display type, value intervals 24 display coordinate system 94 Distance Measurement tool 32 document creating from database 91, 97 creating from template 91, 92 geographic data 91 information needed to create 91 radio data 91 radio equipment 91
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refreshing from the database 100 setting basic parameters 94 document templates, see "templates" drive test data analysis tool exporting (LTE) 371 printing (LTE) 371 drive test data path analysing variations (LTE) 369 exporting (LTE) 371 exporting to CW measurements (LTE) 371 extracting a field for a transmitter (LTE) 369 filtering out points (LTE) 367 importing (LTE) 363 refresh geo data (LTE) 368 using in coverage prediction (LTE) 368 DTM maps representing different areas 130
E
effective service area coverage prediction (LTE) 258 effective signal coverage prediction (LTE) 251 EMF exposure ACP, studying with 319 environment creating (LTE) 289 modifying (LTE) 289 equipment creating (LTE) 396 modifying (LTE) 396 Equipment Specifications dialogue (LTE) 203 equipment, repeater, see "repeater equipment" Erceg-Greenstein (SUI) propagation model 167 assigning environment formulas 168 creating environment formula 168 defining default environment formula 168 modifying environment formula 168 taking diffraction into account 168 exceptional pairs inter-technology, displaying (LTE) 378 inter-technology, setting (LTE) 377 inter-technology, setting on the map (LTE) 378 exceptional pairs, defining neighbour (LTE) 267 Explorer window 17 Data tab 17 Geo tab 18 layers 19 Modules tab 18 using tabs 17 exporting coverage prediction results (LTE) 264
F
feeder defining cables 148 length, defining (LTE) 203 feeder, assigning (LTE) 203 field adding to a table 48 deleting from a table 49
filter site list, using for 79 transmitter list, using for 79 filtering data tables by selection 71 data tables by several criteria 72 examples 73 restoring after filtering 73 using a polygon 33, 82 with views 81 filtering zone deleting 38 drawing 33 Fit to Map Window 34 importing 34 polygon, creating from 34 Find on Map 83 searching by coordinates 84 searching by text property 84 using to display frequencies (LTE) 283 using to display physical cell IDs (LTE) 283 focus zone creating 35 creating (LTE) 241 editing 39 explanation 35 Fit to Map Window 36 Fit to Map Window (LTE) 242 importing 36 importing (LTE) 242 polygon, creating from 36 polygon, creating from (LTE) 242 population statistics (LTE) 243 using to display coverage prediction report 35 folder configuration 80 applying a saved configuration 80 creating 80 deleting 81 exporting 81 importing 81 reapplying current configuration 80 Frame details (LTE) 409 frame duration (LTE) 394 frequencies allocating manually (LTE) 281 automatically allocating (LTE) 280 displaying allocation (LTE) 282 displaying on transmitter (LTE) 284 grouping transmitters by (LTE) 284 using Find on Map with (LTE) 283 frequency bands defining (LTE) 391
G
gain defining antenna 143 Geo tab 18
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geographic export zone creating 38 creating (LTE) 266 Fit to Map Window 38 importing 38 polygon, creating from 38 global scaling factor (LTE) 314 grouping 65 by a property 65, 66 by several properties 66 examples 67 with views 81 GSM/GPRS/EGPRS template 92
interference reduction factor using assistant (MW) 152 Inter-technology DL Noise Rise (LTE) 208 Inter-technology UL Noise Rise (LTE) 207 ITU 1546 propagation model 170 ITU 370-7 propagation model (Vienna 93) 166, 167 ITU 526-5 propagation model 169 ITU 529-3 propagation model assigning environment formulas 166 creating environment formula 167 defining default environment formula 166 modifying environment formula 167 taking diffraction into account 166
H
hexagonal design definition (LTE) 210 histogram results, viewing ACP 363 histogram, physical cell ID 285 histogram, viewing coverage prediction (LTE) 244 hot spot zone creating 35 creating (LTE) 241 editing 39 explanation 35 Fit to Map Window 36 Fit to Map Window (LTE) 242 importing 36 importing (LTE) 242 population statistics (LTE) 243 using to display coverage prediction report 35 HSDPA template 92 HSUPA template 92
L
label 26 Lambert Conformal-Conic projection 94 layers 19 legend adding object type 27 displaying 27 displaying Legend window 32 displaying window in co-planning (LTE) 375 printing Legend window 64 legend, displaying (LTE) 239 lines editing 39 Longley-Rice propagation model 170 LTE 199 cyclic prefix ratio 392 frame duration 394 glossary 410 template 92 LTE radio bearer defining 395 definition 286 LTE schedulers defining 400 scheduling methods 399 LTE, definition 199
I
ICIC configuration creating (LTE) 404 ICIC configuration (LTE) 403 indoor coverage ACP 317 calculating 188, 194 coverage prediction, activating in (LTE) 227 defining when modelling environment (LTE) 290 defining when modelling user profile traffic map (LTE) 291 simulation results (LTE) 310 indoor losses 188, 194 interference matrices calculating (LTE) 278 editing (LTE) 279 exporting (LTE) 279 importing (LTE) 279 LTE 278 viewing probabilities (LTE) 279
M
map centring on a selected object 31 exporting as image 45 measuring distances 32 moving 30 printing 60 refreshing display 83 saving as image 45 Map toolbar 86 masthead amplifier, see "TMA" matrix, see "path loss matrix" measurement units, setting 96 measuring distances on the map 32 Microwave Link Analysis printing 64
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MIMO adaptive MIMO switch (LTE) 403 collaborative MIMO (LTE) 403 MU-MIMO (LTE) 403 number of antenna ports, defining (LTE) 204 receive diversity (LTE) 402 spatial multiplexing (LTE) 402 spatial multiplexing gains (LTE) 398 SU-MIMO (LTE) 402 transmit diversity (LTE) 402 transmit diversity gains (LTE) 398 mobility type creating (LTE) 250 definition (LTE) 286 modifying (LTE) 250 modifying network settings (LTE) 394 Modules tab 18 multi-band network, creating (LTE) 217 multi-RAT template 92 multi-user environment 96
O
objects changing transparency 25 deleting 20 displaying 18 displaying properties 20 grouping 65 grouping by a property 65, 66 grouping by several properties 66 grouping, examples 67 hiding 18 label 26 tip text 26 visibility scale 25 Okumura-Hata model 163, 164 Okumura-Hata propagation model 163, 164 assigning environment formulas 163 creating environment formula 164 defining default environment formula 163 modifying environment formula 164 taking diffraction into account 163 optimisation creating and defining site classes 328 creating new ACP process 323 creating new co-planning ACP process 390 defining ACP optimisation (LTE) 324 defining cost control 327 defining EMF exposure parameters 328 defining layers 325 defining zones 326 deleting 350 importing second technology 390 properties, changing 350 running 350 running ACP process 324 running saved ACP 348 overlapping zones coverage prediction (LTE) 237
N
neighbours allocating automatically (LTE) 268 allocating on the map (LTE) 274 allocating per cell (LTE) 273 allocating using Cells tab of Transmitter Properties (LTE) 273 allocating using Neighbours table (LTE) 273 audit of allocation (LTE) 276 audit of inter-technology (LTE) 388 comparing existing and allocated (LTE) 269 configuring importance (LTE) 267 configuring importance in co-planning (LTE) 379 defining exceptional pairs of (LTE) 267 deleting on the map (LTE) 274 deleting per cell (LTE) 273 deleting using Cells tab of Transmitter Properties (LTE) 273 deleting using Neighbours table (LTE) 273 displaying (LTE) 270 displaying coverage (LTE) 272 exporting (LTE) 277 importing (LTE) 267 intertechnology, allocating (LTE) 377 inter-technology, allocating automatically (LTE) 379 inter-technology, allocating per cell (LTE) 383 inter-technology, allocating using Neighbours table (LTE) 384 inter-technology, comparing existing and allocated (LTE) 381 inter-technology, displaying (LTE) 382 inter-technology, setting on the map (LTE) 385 possible (LTE) 266 network settings calculation parameters (LTE) 394 global parameters (LTE) 392 modifying (LTE) 394 network, creating multi-band (LTE) 217 noise figure 149
P
Page Setup, see "printing" Panoramic window 16, 30 Path loss calculation 161, 162 Systematic 161, 162 path loss calculation radial 161, 162 path loss matrices adjusting using CW measurements 180, 181 defining area to be adjusted with measurement data 179 tuning using measurement data 178, 179 path loss matrix calculation process (LTE) 232 checking validity (LTE) 230 exporting 185 resolution (LTE) 212 storing 176
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storing (LTE) 229 validity, checking 177 pattern electrical tilt 143 physical cell IDs allocating manually (LTE) 282 audit of plan (LTE) 285 automatically allocating (LTE) 281 displaying allocation (LTE) 282 displaying on transmitter (LTE) 284 grouping transmitters by (LTE) 284 histogram (LTE) 285 using Find on Map with (LTE) 283 physical cell IDs (LTE) 281 pilot power reconfiguration with ACP 335 Planet importing antennas 144 point analysis opening Point Analysis Tool window 186 shadowing, calculating 188 starting 186 Point Analysis window Interference tab (LTE) 265 printing 64 Profile view (LTE) 225 Reception tab (LTE) 240 Results tab (LTE) 266 points editing 39 polygon deleting polygon filter 38 drawing a polygon filter 33 editing 39 focus zone, using as 36 focus zone, using as (LTE) 242 geographic export zone, using as 38 printing zone, using as 62 using as computation zone 35 using as computation zone (LTE) 233 using as filter 33, 82 using as filtering zone 34 population statistics including in report (LTE) 243 integrable data (LTE) 243 possible neighbours, definition (LTE) 266 predictions overview 189 printing antenna patterns 64, 147 coverage prediction results (LTE) 266 CW Measurement Analysis Tool 64 data tables and reports 60 defining print layout 62 docking windows 64 Legend window 64 map 60 Microwave Link Analysis 64
Point Analysis window 64 print preview 64 recommendations 61 Test Mobile Data Analysis Tool 64 printing zone drawing 61 Fit to Map Window 62 importing 62 polygon, creating from 62 Profile 161, 162 Systematic extraction 161, 162 profile radial extraction 161, 162 projection coordinate system 94 Lambert Conformal-Conic projection 94 Universal Transverse Mercator projection 94 propagation model ACP, default 318 ACP, natively supported 318 ACP, using precalculated path loss matrices with 320 ACP, using precalculated pathloss matrices with 319 ACP, using with 318 all transmitters, assigning to (LTE) 231 assigning a default model for predictions 175 assigning to all transmitters 174 assigning to group of transmitters 174 Cost-Hata 164 Cost-Hata, diffraction 165 Erceg-Greenstein (SUI) 167 Erceg-Greenstein (SUI), diffraction 168 group of transmitters, assigning to (LTE) 231 ITU 1546 170 ITU 370-7 (Vienna 93) 166, 167 ITU 526-5 169 ITU 529-3, diffraction 166 Longley-Rice 170 Okumura-Hata 163, 164 Okumura-Hata, diffraction 163 Sakagami extended 171 signature 172 Standard Propagation Model 156 Standard Propagation Model, correction factor for hilly regions
162
Standard Propagation Model, defining parameters 160 Standard Propagation Model, diffraction 158 Standard Propagation Model, recommendations 157 transmitter, assigning to (LTE) 232 WLL 169 properties changing display 23 grouping objects by 65, 66 switching between property dialogues 20
Q
quality indicator coverage prediction (LTE) 262 quality indicators defining (LTE) 396
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R
radial 161, 162 Radio toolbar 85 reconfiguration importing ACP parameters 338 redo 83 reflection smoothing vertical antenna pattern 147 refresh 83 from the database 100 refresh geo data (LTE) 368 remote antenna copying into document (LTE) 222 defining properties (LTE) 222 importing (LTE) 222 placing on the map (LTE) 222 remote antenna table, opening (LTE) 221 renaming 19 repeater cascading (LTE) 218 copying into document (LTE) 219 defining properties (LTE) 219 definition (LTE) 217 importing (LTE) 219 placing on the map (LTE) 218 repeater table, opening (LTE) 218 repeater equipment creating (LTE) 218, 221 modifying (LTE) 218, 221 report, displaying a coverage prediction (LTE) 242 reports printing 60 resolution path loss matrix (LTE) 212 row height changing 51 rulers displaying 32
S
Sakagami extended propagation model 171 scale level, choosing 30 SC-FDMA, definition (LTE) 199 searching for map objects 83, 84 secondary antenna, assigning (LTE) 204 service creating (LTE) 249 definition (LTE) 286 displaying traffic distribution by (LTE) 305 modifying (LTE) 249 parameters used in predictions (LTE) 249 shadowing 188, 194 point analysis, calculating in 188 shadowing (LTE) 404 shadowing margin ACP 317 clutter class, displaying per (LTE) 404
signal level coverage prediction single station (LTE) 226 signal level coverage prediction (LTE) 235 simulation average results of group (LTE) 311 cell load values, updating (LTE) 314 creating (LTE) 303 displaying results with tooltips (LTE) 307 estimating a traffic increase (LTE) 314 global scaling factor (LTE) 314 results of single (LTE) 307 traffic simulation algorithm (LTE) 301 using results for coverage predictions (LTE) 315 site creating (LTE) 208 definition (LTE) 200 modifying (LTE) 208 moving on the map 21 moving to a higher location 21 parameters (LTE) 201 properties, accessing from the Explorer window 20 properties, accessing from the map 20 site list 77 adding 78, 79 adding site 78 creating 77 editing 79 filter, using as 79 slow fading, see "shadowing" smart antenna assigning (LTE) 204 conventional beamformer modelling (LTE) 401 creating (LTE) 401 snapshot, definition (LTE) 286 SOFDMA, definition (LTE) 199 sorting sorting tables by one column 70 sorting tables by several columns 70 with views 81 SPM Parameters tab window 161, 162 Standard Propagation Model 156, 161, 162 calculating diffraction 158 correction factor for hilly regions 162 defining parameters 160 recommendations 157 sample values for constants 158 typical values for losses per clutter class 160 Standard toolbar 85 station template copying properties from another template (LTE) 214 creating (LTE) 211 creating base station (LTE) 210 deleting (LTE) 215 modifying (LTE) 211 modifying a field (LTE) 215 statistics, viewing coverage prediction (LTE) 244 subscriber database (LTE) 296
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subscriber list adding subscribers with the mouse (LTE) 299 calculations (LTE) 300 creating (LTE) 296 importing (LTE) 299 symmetric neighbours, displaying (LTE) 270
T
table columns formatting 51 Table toolbar 87 tables, see "data tables" TDD frame configuration (LTE) 206 TD-SCDMA template 92 template coverage prediction, using as 193 templates 92 3GPP multi-RAT 92 CDMA2000 1xRTT 1xEV-DO 92 GSM/GPRS/EGPRS 92 LTE 92 TD-SCDMA 92 UMTS HSDPA HSUPA 92 WiMAX 92 terminal creating (LTE) 250 definition (LTE) 286 modifying (LTE) 250 Test Mobile Data Analysis Tool printing 64 throughput displaying traffic distribution by (LTE) 306 for all subscribers of a list (LTE) 406 throughput coverage prediction (LTE) 259 tilt angle 3-D antenna pattern 145 tip text 26 TMA defining 148 TMA, assigning (LTE) 203 tool tips, see "tip text" toolbar icons 85 Map 86 Radio 85 Standard 85 Table 87 Vector Editor 86 Windows 87 tooltips comparing coverage predictions, co-planning (LTE) 375 displaying coverage prediction results (LTE) 239 displaying simulation results with (LTE) 307 total losses, updating 149 total power reconfiguration with ACP 316
traffic distribution displaying by activity status (LTE) 304 displaying by connection status (LTE) 305 displaying by service (LTE) 305 displaying by throughput (LTE) 306 displaying by uplink transmission power (LTE) 306 traffic increase, estimating (LTE) 314 traffic load, setting (LTE) 253 traffic map converting 2G (LTE) 295 cumulated traffic, exporting (LTE) 295 data sources (LTE) 286 importing traffic map based on user profile densities (LTE) 290 live data, creating from (LTE) 287 marketing-based (LTE) 288 sector (LTE) 287 statistics on user profile environment based traffic map (LTE) 293 user density (LTE) 293 user density traffic map, importing (LTE) 293 user density, creating (LTE) 294 user density, creating from sector traffic maps (LTE) 295 user profile environment based, creating (LTE) 292 user profile environment based, importing (LTE) 292 traffic maps ACP, using with (LTE) 317 traffic simulation algorithm (LTE) 301 transmitter coverage prediction by transmitter (LTE) 236 creating (LTE) 208 definition (LTE) 200 displaying frequencies (LTE) 284 displaying physical cell IDs (LTE) 284 extracting a field from a drive test data path (LTE) 369 grouping by frequencies (LTE) 284 grouping by physical cell IDs (LTE) 284 modifying (LTE) 208 setting as active (LTE) 233 transmitter equipment CDMA Rho factor 149 defining 148 noise figure, updating 149 transmitter equipment, assigning (LTE) 203 transmitter list 77 adding 78, 79 adding transmitter 78 creating 77 editing 79 editing filter 79 transmitters automatic display type 25 transparency, changing 25
U
ue categories defining (LTE) 400 UMTS HSDPA HSUPA template 92
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undo 83 Universal Transverse Mercator projection 94 uplink noise rise, setting (LTE) 253 uplink power control displaying traffic distribution by (LTE) 306 user configuration 76 coverage prediction, exporting 194 creating 76 exporting 76 importing 77 user densities using instead of user profiles (LTE) 406 user density traffic map creating from sector traffic maps (LTE) 295 user profile creating (LTE) 288 modifying (LTE) 288 user profile densities importing traffic map based on (LTE) 290 user profile environment based traffic map creating (LTE) 292 importing (LTE) 292 statistics on (LTE) 293 user profiles user densities, replacing with (LTE) 406
V
Vector Editor toolbar 86 Vienna 93 model 166, 167 views creating 81 visibility scale 25
W
WiMAX template 92 windows cascading 16 docking 16 floating 16 Windows toolbar 87 wireless local loop propagation model 169 WLL (Wireless Local Loop) propagation model 169
X
XML exporting data tables to 59 importing data tables from 59
Z
zooming choosing a scale 30 in on a specific area 30
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User Manual
LTE
version 3.1.0
AT310_UML_E0 February 2011
Head Office
7, rue des Briquetiers 31700 Blagnac - France Tel: +33 562 747 210 Fax: +33 562 747 211
US Office
200 South Wacker Drive - Suite 3100 Chicago, IL 60606 - USA Tel: +1 312 674 4846 Fax: +1 312 674 4847
China Office
Suite 302, 3/F, West Tower, Jiadu Commercial Building, No. 66 Jianzhong Road, Tianhe Hi-Tech Industrial Zone, Guangzhou, 510665, P. R. of China Tel: +86 20 8553 8938 Fax: +86 20 8553 8285
www.forsk.com