Network capacity management

1. A method comprising:

receiving a request to provide unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) based wireless coverage to a geographical location;

in response to the request, flying, by a UAV, to the geographical location;

defining, by a first wireless interface of the UAV, a wireless coverage area that covers at least part of the geographical location;

establishing, by a second wireless interface of the UAV, a wireless backhaul link to a data network; and

providing, by way of the wireless coverage area, wireless data transfer services to a client device in the geographical location, wherein the wireless data transfer services allow the client device to exchange data communication with the data network via the UAV, and wherein flying to the geographical location comprises: (i) measuring, by the UAV, wireless signal strengths across one or more frequencies between a home geographical location and the geographical location; (ii) dividing a target geographical region in which the wireless signal strengths were measured into segments; (iii) assigning values to each of the segments representing the wireless signal strengths measured therein; and (iv) generating, from the segments and the values associated with the segments, a heat map of the wireless signal strengths across the target geographical region.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the client device is also in coverage range of a cellular wireless coverage area, and wherein the wireless backhaul link provides a greater rate of data communication between the client device and the data network than the cellular wireless coverage area.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein a wireless router is at the geographical location, and wherein the wireless router is providing, via a local-area wireless network, the client device with connectivity to the data network by way of the cellular wireless coverage area, the method further comprising:

transmitting, by the UAV and via the wireless backhaul link, a notification of the wireless coverage area to a server device, wherein reception of the notification causes the server device to transmit operational parameters of the wireless coverage area to the client device by way of the data network, the cellular wireless coverage area, and the local-area wireless network.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the request is for augmented wireless coverage at the geographical location.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the request establishes a regular or semi-regular schedule for UAVs to provide the augmented wireless coverage at future points in time.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the request is one of a plurality of requests from a plurality of client devices for augmented wireless coverage at a plurality of geographical locations, the method further comprising:

dividing the geographical locations from which the requests were received into sectors;

assigning values to each of the sectors representing respective volumes of requests received therefrom; and

generating, from the sectors and the values associated with the sectors, a further heat map of the requests across the geographical locations.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:

based on the further heat map, determining placements for wireless base stations within the geographical locations.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

after providing the wireless data transfer services, flying, by the UAV, to a different target geographical location.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless backhaul link is between the UAV and a terrestrial base station.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the UAV is a first UAV, and wherein the wireless backhaul link is between the first UAV and a second UAV.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the UAV maintains an altitude that is selected based on a remaining flight time of the UAV.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the UAV maintains an altitude that is selected based on wireless transmit power consumed to provide the wireless data transfer services.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

loading the UAV with a portable storage device containing media content, wherein the media content was requested to be delivered to a second geographical location;

flying, by the UAV, to the second geographical location; and

delivering, by the UAV, the portable storage device.

14. An article of manufacture including a non-transitory computer-readable medium, having stored thereon program instructions that, upon execution by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), cause the UAV to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request to provide UAV-based wireless coverage to a geographical location;

in response to the request, flying to the geographical location;

defining, by a first wireless interface of the UAV, a wireless coverage area that covers at least part of the geographical location;

establishing, by a second wireless interface of the UAV, a wireless backhaul link to a data network; and

providing, by way of the wireless coverage area, wireless data transfer services to a client device in the geographical location, wherein the wireless data transfer services allow the client device to exchange data communication with the data network via the UAV, and wherein flying to the geographical location comprises: (i) measuring, by the UAV, wireless signal strengths across one or more frequencies between a home geographical location and the geographical location; (ii) dividing a target geographical region in which the wireless signal strengths were measured into segments; (iii) assigning values to each of the segments representing the wireless signal strengths measured therein; and (iv) generating, from the segments and the values associated with the segments, a heat map of the wireless signal strengths across the target geographical region.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 14 , wherein the request is one of a plurality of requests from a plurality of client devices for augmented wireless coverage at a plurality of geographical locations, the operations further comprising:

dividing the geographical locations from which the requests were received into sectors;

assigning values to each of the sectors representing respective volumes of requests received therefrom; and

generating, from the sectors and the values associated with the sectors, a further heat map of the requests across the geographical locations.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 14 , wherein the UAV was loaded with a portable storage device containing media content, wherein the media content was requested to be delivered to a second geographical location, and wherein the operations further comprise:

flying, by the UAV, to the second geographical location; and

delivering, by the UAV, the portable storage device.

17. A method comprising:

receiving, by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) controller device, a request to provide UAV-based wireless coverage to a geographical location; and

in response to the request, the UAV controller device causing:

a UAV to fly to the geographical location;

a first wireless interface of the UAV to define a wireless coverage area that covers at least part of the geographical location;

a second wireless interface of the UAV to establish a wireless backhaul link to a data network; and

the UAV to provide, by way of the wireless coverage area, wireless data transfer services to a client device in the geographical location, wherein the wireless data transfer services allow the client device to exchange data communication with the data network via the UAV, and wherein flying to the geographical location comprises: (i) measuring, by the UAV, wireless signal strengths across one or more frequencies between a home geographical location and the geographical location; (ii) dividing a target geographical region in which the wireless signal strengths were measured into segments; (iii) assigning values to each of the segments representing the wireless signal strengths measured therein; and (iv) generating, from the segments and the values associated with the segments, a heat map of the wireless signal strengths across the target geographical region.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the request is one of a plurality of requests from a plurality of client devices for augmented wireless coverage at a plurality of geographical locations, the method further comprising:

dividing the geographical locations from which the requests were received into sectors;

assigning values to each of the sectors representing respective volumes of requests received therefrom; and

generating, from the sectors and the values associated with the sectors, a further heat map of the requests across the geographical locations.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the UAV was loaded with a portable storage device containing media content, wherein the media content was requested to be delivered to a second geographical location, the method further comprising:

causing the UAV to fly to the second geographical location; and

causing the UAV to deliver the portable storage device.