IMR: MT: AirScope: A Versatile and Programmable UAV Platform for End-to-End Cellular Network Measurements in Rural Environments

由于几个因素，收集农村地区蜂窝网络性能的准确数据具有挑战性。首先，农村地区的人口较为分散，人口密度较低，这使得移动电话提供商难以建立和维护足够的基础设施，而且成本高昂，导致不同农村地区的性能存在差异。其次，农村地区使用网络性能应用程序的人数有限，使得收集的数据代表性较低。最后，具有复杂地形的大型测量区域（农田、丘陵等）使使用现有工具的大规模细胞测量复杂化。尽管存在这些挑战，但在农村地区大规模收集可靠和全面的测量数据至关重要，特别是随着精密农业、远程工作、远程医疗、在线教育等新用例的出现，使用无人机（UAV）为更有效地执行测量提供了新的可能性。该项目的目标是设计、构建和公开发布用于农村地区无人机辅助蜂窝无线电接入网络（RAN）和端到端网络测量的硬件和软件组件。该项目旨在设计和建造几个多功能和可编程的基于无人机的测量平台（称为AirScope），该平台集成了蜂窝调制解调器和自动飞行控制器，适用于超视距（BVLOS）场景。通过集成的硬件和软件设计，命令和控制（C2），遥测和有效载荷数据通过商用蜂窝网络进行通信，从而实现农村地区的无线电接入和端到端蜂窝网络测量。此外，为了提高数据收集工具的效率，将开发和实施一种新的测量感知轨迹设计概念。 广泛的评估活动和数据管理工作将产生一个前所未有的蜂窝测量数据集，可用于广泛的数据驱动的研究项目。该项目将通过创建一套硬件和软件工具，统一这两个领域的知识和实践专长，在无线通信和航空航天工程社区之间引入独特的共生关系。因此，该项目将（i）加强堪萨斯大学的本科生和研究生课程，（ii）让本科生和代表性不足的学生参与研究，（iii）向学童介绍工程领域。此外，该项目的主要成果将是软件实施和硬件开发，这些成果将向更广泛的研究界公开发布。该项目将为决策者和更广泛的用户社区提供一种系统的农村地区蜂窝测量方法。所有项目成果，包括软件和硬件设计、集成步骤、算法和收集的测量数据，都将在项目网站上公开：https://hashemi.ku.edu/airscopeThis项目由网络技术和系统（NetTS）联合资助。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Collecting accurate data on cellular network performance in rural areas is challenging due to several factors. Firstly, rural areas have a more dispersed population and a lower population density, which makes it difficult and expensive for cellular providers to establish and maintain sufficient infrastructure, resulting in variations in performance across different rural areas. Secondly, the limited number of people using network performance apps in rural areas makes the collected data less representative. Lastly, Large measurement areas with difficult terrains (agricultural fields, hills, etc.) complicates at-scale cellular measurement using existing tools. Despite these challenges, it is crucial to collect reliable and comprehensive measurement data at scale in rural areas, particularly with the emergence of novel use cases such as precision-ag, remote work, tele-health, online education, etc. Using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) opens new possibilities to perform measurements more efficiently. The goal of this project is to design, build, and publicly release hardware and software components for UAV-aided cellular radio access network (RAN) and end-to-end network measurements in rural areas. This project is aimed at designing and building several versatile and programmable UAV-based measurement platforms (dubbed AirScope) with integrated cellular modems and automatic flight controller for beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) scenarios. Through an integrated hardware and software design, command and control (C2), telemetry, and payload data are communicated through the commercial cellular network, thereby enabling both radio access and end-to-end cellular network measurements in rural areas. Furthermore, to enhance the efficiency of the data collection tool, a novel concept of measurement-aware trajectory design will be developed and implemented. Extensive evaluation campaign and data curation effort will result in an unprecedented dataset of cellular measurement data that can be used for a wide range of data-driven research projects.This project will introduce a unique symbiosis between the wireless communication and the aerospace engineering communities by creating a set of hardware and software tools that unify the knowledge and practical expertise of these two fields. As a result, this project will (i) enhance the undergraduate and graduate curriculum at the University of Kansas, (ii) involve undergraduate and underrepresented students in research, and (iii) introduce engineering fields to schoolchildren. Furthermore, a major outcome of this project will be software implementations and hardware development, which will be publicly released to the broader research community. This project will result in a systematic cellular measurement methodology for rural areas that be used for policy makers and the broader user community.All project outcomes, including software and hardware designs, integration steps, algorithms, and collected measurement data, will be made publicly available on the project website: https://hashemi.ku.edu/airscopeThis project is jointly funded by the Networking Technology and Systems (NeTS) program and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.