Passive collection of air-to-ground network parameters for network planning and control
A network analytics control module may include processing circuitry configured to receive three dimensional location information and corresponding signal quality information for a particular asset in an air-to-ground (ATG) network, make a service quality inference for the particular asset based at least in part on the received information, and provide an instruction for a network control activity based on the service quality inference.
1. A network analytics control module comprising processing circuitry configured to:
receive an asset location record defining a record of three dimensional location information and corresponding signal quality information for a corresponding beam serving a particular wireless communication asset in an air-to-ground (ATG) network at each recorded three dimensional location;
make a service quality inference for the particular wireless communication asset based at least in part on the asset location record; and
provide an instruction for a network control activity based on the service quality inference.
2. The module of claim 1 , wherein the asset location record comprises:
time correlated three dimensional position information indicative of aircraft locations within the ATG network of an aircraft on which the particular wireless communication asset is located;
time correlated signal strength information for the aircraft within the ATG network; and
a location based performance history for the aircraft associating, based on time, the signal strength information to the three dimensional position information.
3. The module of claim 2 , wherein making the service quality inference comprises comparing data extracted from the location based performance history for a selected asset to composite data associated with other assets from the location based performance history and determining when a difference between the composite data and the data extracted from the location based performance history for the selected asset exceeds a predetermined threshold.
4. The module of claim 3 , wherein providing the instruction comprises issuing a user alert.
5. The module of claim 3 , wherein providing the instruction comprises issuing a network control instruction to change channel parameters.
6. The module of claim 3 , wherein the comparing is performed responsive to a user query.
7. The module of claim 3 , wherein the comparing is performed responsive to an automatically generated query.
8. The module of claim 3 , wherein providing the instruction comprises issuing a network control instruction to change channel frequency.
9. The module of claim 2 , wherein making the service quality inference comprises providing a representation of network usage in three dimensional space from a selected one of an aircraft-based location paradigm and a base station-based location paradigm to enable identification of usage volume at respective locations in the three dimensional space within the ATG network.
10. The module of claim 9 , wherein providing the instruction comprises performing a network optimization activity based on the representation.
11. The module of claim 10 , wherein the network optimization activity comprises adjusting frequency or azimuth for changing a handover overlap point within a sector involved in a handover of the aircraft.
12. The module of claim 9 , wherein the network optimization activity comprises generating a recommendation to add capacity at a location having a usage volume above a predetermined threshold.
13. An air-to-ground (ATG) network comprising:
a plurality of base stations disposed at respective fixed geographic locations;
at least one aircraft;
a beamforming control module comprising processing circuitry configured to provide instructions to direct beam formation from an antenna array of the aircraft or one of the base stations based on three dimensional location information associated with the aircraft; and
a network analysis control module comprising processing circuitry configured to:
receive an asset location record defining a record of the three dimensional location information and corresponding signal quality information for a corresponding beam serving a particular wireless communication asset in an air-to-ground (ATG) network at each recorded three dimensional location;
make a service quality inference for the particular wireless communication asset based at least in part on the asset location record; and
provide an instruction for a network control activity based on the service quality inference.
14. The network of claim 13 , wherein the asset location record comprises:
time correlated three dimensional position information indicative of aircraft locations within the ATG network of an aircraft on which the particular wireless communication asset is located;
time correlated signal strength information for the aircraft within the ATG network; and
a location based performance history for the aircraft associating, based on time, the signal strength information to the three dimensional position information.
15. The network of claim 14 , wherein making the service quality inference comprises comparing data extracted from the location based performance history for a selected asset to composite data associated with other assets from the location based performance history and determining when a difference between the composite data and the data extracted from the location based performance history for the selected asset exceeds a predetermined threshold.
16. The network of claim 15 , wherein providing the instruction comprises issuing a user alert or issuing a network control instruction to change channel parameters or frequency.
17. The network of claim 14 , wherein making the service quality inference comprises providing a representation of network usage in three dimensional space from a selected one of an aircraft-based location paradigm and a base station-based location paradigm to enable identification of usage volume at respective locations in the three dimensional space within the ATG network.
18. The network of claim 17 , wherein providing the instruction comprises performing a network optimization activity based on the representation.
19. The network of claim 18 , wherein the network optimization activity comprises adjusting frequency or azimuth for changing a handover overlap point within a sector involved in a handover of the aircraft.
20. The network of claim 18 , wherein the network optimization activity comprises generating a recommendation to add capacity at a location having a usage volume above a predetermined threshold.