DAB+ Coverage Analysis: a New Look at Network Planning using GIS Tools

For many years, the matter of designing a transmitter network, optimized for best signal coverage, has been a subject of intense research. In the last decade, numerous researchers and institutions used GIS and spatial analysis tools for network planning, especially transmitter location. Currently, many existing systems operate in a strictly two-dimensional manner, not taking into account the three-dimensional nature of the analyzed landscape. Moreover, systems that utilize a digital terrain model in their analyzes also resort to a basic viewshed model. Due to recent adoption of mobile LiDAR scanners, the number of three-dimensional terrain information, including location and height of natural and man-made objects, is growing rapidly. In this paper, we propose a novel web-based GIS tool for three-dimensional simulation and analysis of radio signal coverage, dedicated to DAB+ terrestrial broadcasting network planning.