Method and apparatus for qualifying customers and designing a fixed wireless network using mapping data

1. A method for identifying a customer location that can be served by a base-station in a fixed wireless communication system, comprising:

generating a viewshed for an antenna of the base-station;

computing an area of a rooftop at the customer location that is included in the generated viewshed, comprising:

receiving rooftop area information for the at least one customer location;

identifying a polygon defined by an intersection of the viewshed and rooftop area for the customer location; and

computing an area of the polygon; and

identifying the customer location as able to be served by the base-station based on the computed area of the polygon.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving two-dimensional coordinates of a location of the base-station;

receiving an elevation of the base-station antenna;

receiving digital surface model (DSM) data for a geographic area in which the base-station is located;

wherein generating the viewshed for the base-station antenna comprises:

generating the viewshed for the base-station antenna based on the received two-dimensional coordinates of the location of the base-station, the received elevation of the base-station antenna, and the received DSM data; and

providing output containing all points that are visible from base-station antenna.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

receiving a maximum line-of-sight (LOS) distance or range by which to limit generating the viewshed; and

wherein generating the viewshed is further based on the received maximum LOS distance, and wherein providing output containing all points that are visible from base-station antenna comprises providing output containing all points that are visible from base-station antenna limited by the maximum LOS distance.

4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

receiving two-dimensional coordinates of a location, and an elevation, of an antenna at the customer location; and

estimating whether a signal can propagate without obstructions between the base-station antenna and the customer location antenna within a first Fresnel zone, based on the received two-dimensional coordinates of the location of the base-station, the received elevation of the base-station antenna, the received DSM data, and the received location and elevation of the customer location antenna.

5. The method of claim 2 , further comprising

receiving information indicative of a radiation pattern of the base-station antenna; and

wherein generating the viewshed for the base-station antenna comprises generating the viewshed for the base-station antenna excluding any areas corresponding to where the radiation pattern of the base-station antenna falls below a threshold.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising one of: reducing a size of the computed area of the polygon, and removing dis-contiguous regions of the polygon, prior and to computing an area for the polygon.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the customer location as able to be served by the base-station based on the computed area of the polygon comprises identifying the customer location as able to be served by the base-station when the computed area for the polygon exceeds a first defined threshold.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

identifying the customer location as unable to be served by the base-station when the computed area of the polygon fails to meet a second defined threshold; and

identifying the customer location for scheduling an on-site survey to further assess the customer location as able to be served by the base-station when the computed area of the polygon fails to meet the first defined threshold and exceeds the second defined threshold.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein at least one of the first and second defined thresholds are defined based on one of: a distance between the base-station antenna and the rooftop at the customer location, a type of base-station, and a type of proposed communication radio at the customer location.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the customer location as able to be served by the base-station based on the computed area of the polygon further comprises identifying the customer location as able to be served by the base-station based on one or more of: a distance between the base-station antenna and the rooftop at the customer location that is below a defined threshold, a type of base-station, a type of proposed communication radio at the customer location.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

computing a distance between the base-station and the customer location;

computing a distance between the base-station and a rooftop of the customer location;

providing a compass bearing for aligning the customer location antenna to the base-station antenna;

estimating an antenna tilt angle of one or both of the base-station antenna and customer location antenna;

estimating an expected received signal strength between the base-station antenna and the customer location antenna;

providing an expected transmission speed or expected range of transmission speeds between the base-station antenna and the customer location antenna; and

wherein identifying the customer location as able to be served by the base-station based on the computed area of the polygon comprises identifying the customer location as able to be served by the base-station based on one or more of:

the computed area of the polygon;

the computed distance between the base-station and the customer location;

the computed distance between the base-station and a rooftop of the customer location;

the compass bearing for aligning the customer location antenna to the base-station antenna;

the estimated antenna tilt angle of one or both of the base-station antenna and customer location antenna;

the estimated expected received signal strength between the base-station antenna and the customer location antenna; and

the expected transmission speed or expected range of transmission speeds between the base-station antenna and the customer location antenna.

12. Non-transitory computer readable storage media having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor of a system, the instructions cause the system to perform operations for identifying a customer location that can be served by a base-station in a fixed wireless communication system, comprising:

generating a viewshed for an antenna of the base-station;

computing an area of a rooftop at the customer location that is included in the generated viewshed, comprising:

receiving rooftop area information for the at least one customer location;

identifying a polygon defined by an intersection of the viewshed and rooftop area for the customer location; and

computing an area of the polygon; and

identifying the customer location as able to be served by the base-station based on the area of the polygon.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 12 , further comprising:

receiving two-dimensional coordinates of a location of the base-station;

receiving an elevation of the base-station antenna;

receiving digital surface model (DSM) data for a geographic area in which the base-station is located;

wherein generating the viewshed for the base-station antenna comprises:

generating the viewshed for the base-station antenna based on the received two-dimensional coordinates of the location of the base-station, the received elevation of the base-station antenna, and the received DSM data; and

providing output containing all points that are visible from base-station antenna.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 13 , further comprising:

receiving a maximum line-of-sight (LOS) distance or range by which to limit generating the viewshed; and

wherein generating the viewshed is further based on the received maximum LOS distance, and wherein providing output containing all points that are visible from base-station antenna comprises providing output containing all points that are visible from base-station antenna limited by the maximum LOS distance.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 13 , further comprising:

receiving two-dimensional coordinates of a location, and an elevation, of an antenna at the customer location; and

estimating whether a signal can propagate without obstructions between the base-station antenna and the customer location antenna within a first Fresnel zone, based on the received two-dimensional coordinates of the location of the base-station, the received elevation of the base-station antenna, the received DSM data, and the received location and elevation of the customer location antenna.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 13 , further comprising

receiving information indicative of a radiation pattern of the base-station antenna; and

wherein generating the viewshed for the base-station antenna comprises generating the viewshed for the base-station antenna excluding any areas corresponding to where the radiation pattern of the base-station antenna falls below a threshold.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 12 , wherein identifying the customer location as able to be served by the base-station based on the computed area of the polygon comprises identifying the customer location as able to be served by the base-station when the computed area of the polygon exceeds a first defined threshold, and further comprising:

identifying the customer location as unable to be served by the base-station when the computed area of the polygon fails to meet a second defined threshold; and

identifying the customer location for scheduling an on-site survey to further assess the customer location as able to be served by the base-station when the computed area of the polygon fails to meet the first defined threshold and exceeds the second defined threshold.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 11 , further comprising:

computing a distance between the base-station and the customer location;

computing a distance between the base-station and a rooftop of the customer location;

providing a compass bearing for aligning the customer location antenna to the base-station antenna;

estimating an antenna tilt angle of one or both of the base-station antenna and customer location antenna;

estimating an expected received signal strength between the base-station antenna and the customer location antenna;

providing an expected transmission speed or expected range of transmission speeds between the base-station antenna and the customer location antenna; and

wherein identifying the customer location as able to be served by the base-station based on the computed area of the polygon comprises identifying the customer location as able to be served by the base-station based on one or more of:

the computed area of the polygon;

the computed distance between the base-station and the customer location;

the computed distance between the base-station and a rooftop of the customer location;

the compass bearing for aligning the customer location antenna to the base-station antenna;

the estimated antenna tilt angle of one or both of the base-station antenna and customer location antenna;

the estimated expected received signal strength between the base-station antenna and the customer location antenna; and

the expected transmission speed or expected range of transmission speeds between the base-station antenna and the customer location antenna.