Aster
User Manual
AS261_UM_E0
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Table of Contents
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4.4 Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
4.4.1 Creating a Calibration Copy of Aster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
4.4.2 Calibrating an Aster Instance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
4.4.2.1 Advanced Calibration Parameters (Inputs). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
4.4.2.2 Calibration Algorithm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
4.4.2.3 Calibration Method. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
4.4.3 Verifying Calibration Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
4.4.3.1 Calibration Results Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
4.4.4 Manual Calibration Adjustments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
4.4.5 Committing Calibrated Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
4.5 Validation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
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About Aster
Aster is a fast, accurate, and easy to use radio propagation model and is fully integrated with Atoll. It is provided with pre-
calibrated parameters, can auto-calibrate, and supports all wireless technologies.
Aster can be used with Atoll version 3.2.1 and later, as well as the Atoll distributed calculation server.
Aster can also be partially used with Atoll 3.1.2, i.e. only matrices and profiles can be calcu-
lated with the Aster propagation model. For information, contact Forsk Support.
About Atoll
Atoll is a 64-bit multi-technology wireless network design and optimisation platform. Atoll is open, scalable, flexible, and
supports wireless operators throughout the network life cycle, from initial design to densification and optimisation.
Atoll Microwave is a complete backhaul and microwave link planning solution based on the leading Atoll platform, which
includes a high performance GIS and advanced data and user management features. Atoll Microwave can share its site data-
base with Atoll radio planning and optimisation modules, thus allowing easy data consistency management across the oper-
ator organisation.
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Atoll’s integration and customisation features help operators smoothly streamline planning and optimisation processes. Atoll
supports a wide range of implementation scenarios, from standalone to enterprise-wide server-based configurations. Atoll
has become the industry standard for radio network planning and optimisation.
If you are interested in learning more about Atoll, please contact your Forsk representative to inquire about our training solu-
tions.
About Forsk
Forsk is an independent software company providing operators and vendors with wireless network design and optimisation
products. Atoll, Forsk’s flagship product, is the market-leading wireless network planning and optimisation software on the
market; it allows operators to streamline planning and optimisation activities by combining predictions and live network data.
Forsk distributes and supports Atoll directly from offices and technical support centres in France, USA, and China as well as
through a worldwide network of distributors and partners.
Getting Help
The online help system that is installed with Atoll is designed to give you quick access to the information you need to use the
product effectively. It contains the same material as the Atoll 2.6.1 User Manual.
You can browse the online help from the Contents view, the Index view, or you can use the built-in Search feature.
You can also download manuals from the Forsk web site at:
http://www.forsk.com/support/
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• Forsk US
For North and Central America, contact the Forsk US support team:
• Tel.: 1-888-GO-ATOLL (1-888-462-8655)
• Fax: 1-312-674-4822
• Email: support_us@forsk.com
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 8.00 am to 8.00 pm (Eastern Standard Time)
• Forsk China
For Asia (except Japan), contact the Forsk China support team:
• Tel: +86 20 8557 0016
• Fax: +86 20 8553 8285
• Email: atollsupport@forsk.com.cn
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.30pm (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi.
• Forsk Head Office
For all other regions, contact the Forsk Head Office support team:
• Tel.: +33 562 747 225
• Fax: +33 562 747 211
• Email: support@forsk.com
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 9.00 am to 6.00 pm (GMT +1:00)
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If only one token is available and the number of threads to be used per calculation is
defined to be larger than 4, then the token will be used by the first 4 threads and the
remaining threads will use that token afterwards.
(1)
For current Atoll customers:
• Only owners of a floating license dongle for Atoll can have it updated with Aster protection.
• A single owner of a fixed license dongle for Atoll must acquire an additional dongle for Aster license(s) and plug it
locally or in another host computer accessible on the local network
• Several owners of fixed license dongles for Atoll must acquire additional dongle(s) for Aster license(s). These licenses
can be shared on the local network.
(2) The
Sentinel LDK Run-time must be installed on every host computer where an Aster protection key is plugged. For more
information, see "Sentinel LDK Run-time" on page 10.
A floating protection key can be used when users work with Aster on computers on a network. In a floating license
environment, protection keys are not plugged in to each individual user’s computer, but a shared protection key with multiple
tokens is available to users through a server.
A floating license server is a computer, accessible to other computers on a network, on which the floating license management
software has been installed and a floating protection key plugged in. However, a server-type operating system is not required.
The floating license server can be any user’s accessible local computer where the protection key is plugged.
The floating license management software and the floating protection key control the number of potential Aster users. A
floating license system has a defined maximum number of tokens available. This is the maximum number of computers on
which Aster can be run simultaneously. Each computer that runs Aster takes one token from the floating protection key, even
if more than one Aster session is run on the same computer. The token is released and made available for other users when
all the Aster sessions on the computer are closed.
Depending on the number of Aster licenses you purchased, you may find it useful to be able to authorize specific users to use
an Aster license and block others from using one. To that end, the following lines must added in the Atoll.ini file:
[License]
ASTER = 0
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http://<server>:1947
where <server> is the name or IP address of the individual computer or license server you want to monitor.
Only some of the columns displayed in Sentinel ACC pages are described in this section.
Click Help in the left-hand pane of Sentinel ACC for information on the other columns.
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errorlog = 1
requestlog = 1
broadcastsearch = 0
serveraddr = IPADDR_OR_HOSTNAME
Where IPADDR_OR_HOSTNAME should be replaced by the IP address or the hostname of a computer running an
instance of Sentinel LDK License Manager service.
4. Copy the hasp_62733.ini file into the Atoll installation directory.
Alternatively, if you want the hasp_62733.ini to be specific to the current user, you can
copy the file into %LocalAppData%\SafeNet Sentinel\Sentinel LDK. This location takes
precedence over the Atoll installation directory.
Where:
• <vendor id> corresponds to <VendorID>
• <hasp id> corresponds to <KeyID>
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2.3.1 ASODM Model with both Clutter Heights and Clutter Classes
In this case, the Clutter Heights folder in the Geo explorer contains a clutter heights layer and the Clutter Classes folder
contains a clutter class layer. This is the recommended setup and the best accuracy in propagation modeling is reached when
the maximum pixel size in either layer is 5m or less. When both layer types are available, the following scenarios are be
considered:
• "Clutter Heights with Higher or Same Resolution as Clutter Classes" on page 16
• "Clutter Classes with Higher Resolution than Clutter Heights" on page 16
• "Multiple Clutter Class Layers with Different Resolutions" on page 16
• "Partial Clutter Heights Information" on page 16
A proprietary algorithm insures that the transition zones are handled properly from areas
where clutter height and clutter class information is available to areas where only clutter
class information is available.
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Another advantage of using the isHeightReadOnly option is that you can define several
Aster instances where a given clutter class will have a different default height from one
instance to another.
In the following example, 5 clutter classes are defined in Atoll with a high resolution clutter class layer. Since the clutter class
layer has a high resolution, Atoll maps each clutter class to one of the 8 deterministic propagation classes described in
"Propagation Classes" on page 22:
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Both ESRI Shapefiles (SHP) and MapInfo (TAB) vector formats are supported.
The corresponding data files are the dBF file and the DAT file, respectively.
The TAB format provides better performance with Aster.
The ASODM model is first initialised from the geo raster layers as shown in the previous sections. Vector layers are not
mandatory to build the ASODM model but they improve its accuracy.
If vector data is available, then it is used to refine the accuracy of the model. Vector data takes priority over raster data when
defining the propagation class of a pixel in the polygon. A proprietary algorithm insures that the transition zones are handled
correctly from areas where vector layers are available to areas where only raster layers are available.
Vector usage is enabled when the Use vectors check box is selected on the Geo tab of Aster properties. You can define one
or more vector files and configure the properties of each vector file.
For each polygon defined by a vector layer, an "above-surface object" is built with height and type attributes, which are found
in the corresponding data file:
• Height is directly recovered from the data file. The height is considered as above ground level by default and, if
needed, it can also be defined as above sea level by selecting the Height defined above mean sea level (AMSL) check
box in the corresponding Polygon Definition dialog box.
• Type is obtained from a mapping between the data file attributes and the propagation classes.
A specific propagation class is assigned to each pixel falling within a polygon of the vector layer and the pixel is given the height
defined by the polygon.
Propagation classes that are applied to pixels that are not in a polygon of the vector layer are either:
• The propagation classes set by the raster layers when these pixels are located outside the vector support area. In this
case, the vector support area is automatically detected.
• Reset to the "Open" deterministic propagation class when the pixels are located inside the vector support area,
because vectors are assumed to have a properly defined support area without any holes. This propagation class takes
priority over the clutter-level propagation class.
When a vector layer is available, only the pixels located inside the zone defined by the vector layer can be reset to Open. All
other pixels keep the propagation class set by the clutter classes raster layer.
If a statistical propagation class is assigned to a vector, and if the Clutter Classes folder in
the Geo explorer contains a high resolution clutter class layer, then the propagation class
type for the pixels that are inside the polygon is mapped by associating the clutter class
layer with the Aster propagation classes. In this case, vector data does not take priority
over raster data when defining the propagation class of a pixel in the polygon.
This is not a common scenario because vector data is typically used to refine the accuracy
of the model and therfore is usually assigned to a deterministic propagation class.
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Penetration loss and indoor loss, used for in-building interpolation in the deterministic
"Building" propagation classes 4 to 6, are defined by the Indoor Attenuation set of
parameters. They are also used for propagation through obstacles in all classes except
"Open" and "Water". You can also define different losses for in-building interpolation
and propagation in the Aster.ini or AsterMmWave.ini file.
For propagation through obstacles in all classes except "Open" and "Water", the LoS
Attenuation set of parameters is used.
• Indoor calculations only: When this option is set to "Yes", Aster performs indoor-only calculation above minimal
receiver heights. This is useful in 3D coverage prediction calculations performed by Atoll’s Multi-storey add-in as
it performs successive 2D layer calculations at different heights.
In the following example, the signals will be computed indoor and outdoor at ground level (receiver height < 2m)
and only indoor in storeys above 2m:
• Indoor antennas:
• Enable outdoor relocation: Select this check box to relocate indoor antennas to outdoor. Antennas are often
interpreted as being indoors because of error and mismatches between geo information and transmitter data. You
can either correct the geo data or automatically relocate indoor antennas to an outdoor location, such as on a
building facade or a rooftop.
Strategy: Click this button to open the Indoor Antenna Relocation Strategy dialog box. In this dialog box, you can
modify the automatic relocation algorithm. For more information, see "Configuring Antenna Relocation" on
page 29.
• Indoor calculation within antenna building: Select how Aster calculates path loss inside the building where the
indoor antenna is located:
• At antenna height: No interpolation is made and the signals will be computed from indoor losses per metre,
assuming that the receiver is at the same height as the antenna.
• At receiver height: No interpolation is made and the signals will be computed from indoor losses per metre,
assuming that the receiver is at the defined height.
• Receiver on top of building: Select this option to consider that the receiver is placed on top of a building instead of
inside. If this option is selected, building penetration is ignored and the default receiver height is no longer used.
• LOS calculation only: Select this option to restrict Aster calculations to line-of-sight vertical attenuation only. When
this option is enabled, propagation is mostly blocked by buildings, vegetation, terrain. A potential penetration loss is
calculated within certain limits. For more information on how line-of-sight propagation is calculated, see the Aster
Technical Reference Guide.
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The bottom line on the Settings tab contains the current version number of Aster.
The Calibration menu can be disabled in the Aster.ini or AsterMmWave.ini file. For more
information, see the Aster Technical Reference Guide.
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You can configure up to 32 propagation classes of each type based on different propagation effects. For example, you can
create Building classes to model multiple types of buildings based on construction materials such as concrete, wood, mostly
glass covered, and so on.
Initially, it is recommended to use a single type for each propagation class. You can
improve the model later by introducing different types for more precise modeling.
Bridge and Elevated Open classes allow you to model objects for which reception is expected on top. The difference between
the two is that Bridge allows the radio waves to propagate underneath while Elevated Open creates a full obstruction and is
more suited for elevated areas. In all other propagation classes, reception is expected near ground level.
The Trees class is used when vegetation is defined with accuracy. Otherwise, the Mixed Vegetation statistical class is used.
Mixed Vegetation, Sparse Buildup, and Dense Buildup classes are characterised by an assumed clearance zone near the
reception point or near the transmitting point.
When a high resolution clutter class layer is used, choose the corresponding propagation classes among the deterministic
classes. For example:
Clutter Class Propagation Class
Open
Park
Mixed Vegetation
Vegetation Trees
Houses Building Type 1
Commercial Building Type 2
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You can modify the default height if you remove the read-only attribute by setting the
isHeightReadOnly option to 0 in the [Clutter] section of the in Aster.ini or
AsterMmWave.ini file. Another advantage of setting the isHeightReadOnly option is that
several Aster model instances can be defined with different default heights per clutter
class.
• Advanced Clutter Parameters: When the clutter class is mapped to a statistical class, a button ( ) is available in
the "..." column. Click this button to open the Advanced Clutter Parameters window.
Aster applies a loss when a ray goes through an obstacle and can also apply a loss for the interpolated pixels inside
buildings (indoor loss). This loss is based on the sum of the two types of losses defined for each of Aster’s
propagation classes: Penetration Loss (dB) and Linear Loss (dB/m).
In the Advanced Clutter Parameters window, select Specific propagation class parameters if you want to modify
the Penetration loss, Linear loss, and Clearance for this specific clutter class.
The values specified in this window override the corresponding values in the Statistical
propagation class default parameters table, for the current clutter class only (any other
clutter class that is mapped to a statistical class still uses the values of the Statistical
propagation class default parameters table or its own Specific propagation class
parameters).
When the Specific propagation class parameters check box is selected, the corresponding active cell in the "..."
column turns green ( ).
3. Click OK.
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• Assign Sparse Buildup and Dense Buildup statistical propagation classes to any of the Building deterministic
propagation classes.
3. Click OK.
When a vector layer defines a unique clutter type, a Fixed propagation class is applied to all the polygons in the vector layer.
For example: if Fixed propagation class is set to "Building type 2", this class is defined for all the polygons in the data file.
To define a new vector layer:
1. In the Parameters explorer, expand the Propagation Models folder, right-click Aster Propagation Model, and select
Properties from the context menu. The Aster Propagation Model Properties dialog box appears.
2. Select the Vectors tab and select Use vectors.
3. Under Path, click Browse ( ). The Open dialog box appears.
4. Select a vector file and click Open. The Polygon Definition dialog box appears.
5. In the Polygon Definition dialog box, define the following parameters:
• Height definition:
• Fixed height (m): Enter a default height to use for the polygon when no valid value is found in the file attribute.
It is strongly recommended to provide a valid height for each record to avoid using this value.
• Use ’height’ from file attribute: Select this option to define the height from a file attribute then select the file
attribute in the drop-down list on the right, for example: "HEIGHT". If no valid value is found in the file
attribute, the Fixed height (m) value is used for the polygon.
• Height defined above mean sea level (AMSL): By default, heights are defined as "above ground level" (AGL).
Select this option to specify that the Fixed height (m) is defined above mean sea level.
• Propagation class definition:
• Fixed propagation class: Select the default deterministic or statistical propagation class to use for the polygon
when no valid value is found in the file attribute.
• Use ’propagation class’ from file attribute: Select this option to define a file attribute then select the file
attribute in the drop-down list on the right, for example: "DESCRIPTION". Aster parses the data file, detects all
the string attributes, and makes them available in the drop-down list on the right. When this option is selected,
the table below it displays the relevant information under Field Values and Propagation Class.
• Use this definition as default: Select this option to use this vector definition as default.
6. Click OK. The Aster Propagation Model Properties dialog box reappears with the path to the vector layer that you just
defined under Vectors.
7. If you want to reopen the Polygon Definition window, under Definition, click Browse ( ).
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Aster does not apply specific indoor losses when it performs interpolation inside buildings. Considering indoor losses or not
depends on the workflow used in Atoll when the signal level coverage predictions are calculated.
This section covers the following topics:
• "Enabling Indoor calculation without Indoor Losses" on page 27
• "Calculating a Service Level Map" on page 27
• "Calculating Clutter-based Indoor Loss from Atoll" on page 27
• "Calculating User-defined Indoor Loss from Aster" on page 28
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Please bear in mind that you also activate user-defined indoor loss from Aster, indoor
loss may end up being considered twice.
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If you activate clutter-based indoor loss both in Atoll and in Aster, indoor loss may end
up being considered twice.
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5. Click OK.
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4. In the Indoor Antenna Relocation Strategy dialog box, specify the following parameters:
• Relocate outdoor: Select the condition for relocation of indoor antennas to outdoor:
• Always: all antennas detected as indoor will be relocated to outdoor
• Under certain conditions: the antennas detected as indoor will be relocated to outdoor only if the outdoor
location is within the distance defined next to New location within or if the gain (in dBi) is greater than the
value defined next to Antenna gain is greater than.
• Where to relocate: Select next to Relocate to the type of outdoor location where the indoor antennas will be
relocated:
• Facade: indoor antennas are relocated to the closest facade, at the same height as the initial position.
• Roof: indoor antennas are translated vertically at an Antenna height offset above the roof.
• Facade or roof: indoor antennas are relocated to the closest facade or roof, as described above.
When Facade or Facade or roof are selected, the relocation algorithm takes into account
antenna azimuths so that final locations remain realistic with respect to antenna
azimuths (and hence avoid configurations in which antennas point towards facades).
5. Click OK.
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4.1 Preparation
The first step of a calibration process consists of creating an Atoll project with all of the network and geographical data
necessary to recreate the CW measurement survey area. When the Atoll project has been created with all the necessary data,
the CW measurement data can be imported and filtered in order to ensure that only meaningful data is used for calibration.
In the Network explorer, the CW measurements are assigned to each transmitter. In the example below, the Atoll project
contains three transmitters and a CW measurement file is imported for each transmitter.
For more information, see the Setting up the Calibration Project section in the Atoll Model Calibration Guide.
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In rural areas, the recommended geo data resolution for Aster is:
• 100m or less for DTM
• 50m or less for the Clutter Class file (rural settings are usually not based on a Clutter Heights layer; the default
heights of the Clutter Class layer are used instead).
• Vector data (optional): two types of vector data are useful:
• Building vectors, for refining the precision of the Aster height model
• Road vectors, representing at least major roads, useful for verifying measurement survey routes.
• Scanned maps: scanned maps are useful for verifying measurement survey routes in urban areas.
For more information on the preparation of the geographic data setup, see the Aster User Manual.
For more information on the following preparation steps for CW measurement data, see the Atoll Model Calibration Guide:
• Data analysis
• Data filtering
• Data smoothing
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Other basic parameter configurations are performed at this stage, such as enabling ray tracing or not, setting appropriate
internal parameters, and embedding parameters that cannot be calibrated.
A configuration set can also be specified:
• By loading a previously saved configuration file as explained in "Selecting Configuration Parameters" on page 22.
• From a calibration result file.
The currently selected configuration is displayed in the under Configuration on the Settings tab of Aster properties.
The Calibration menu can be disabled in the Aster.ini or AsterMmWave.ini file. For more
information, see the Aster Technical Reference Guide.
If you force the calibration module to use indoor points while these measurements
points are actually outdoor, then the Apply Indoor losses option should always be
deactivated. Since Aster performs interpolation of surrounding outdoor points, these
points will provide useful information as long as no additional indoor losses are applied.
Regarding the indoor antennas relocation mode, it is recommended to keep it activated
(Relocate outdoor set to "Always" in Indoor Antenna Relocation Settings dialog box)
when dealing with scanned data from real transmitters, and deactivate it when dealing
with CW measurements.
In any case, it is unwise to rely on such automatic transmitter reposition features in a
calibration project. It is preferable to review all Aster warning messages and manually
relocate all the transmitters which were wrongly detected by Aster as indoor.
As a rule of thumb, make sure that most measurement points are correctly geolocated as outdoor by:
• Verifying that the geo data is accurate enough to model the buildings with high precision
• Correcting the measurement points geolocation manually or via some pre-processing tools
• Filtering indoor points either from Aster or from Atoll's CW measurements filtering feature
Calibration Correction (dB) and Building Calibration Correction (dB) columns appear only in the advanced Aster interface.
For more information, see the Technical Reference Guide.
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It is recommended to keep the default values in the selected configuration type. For
example:
• Macro: Ray tracing disabled.
• Micro and Standard: Ray tracing enabled the following settings:
• Radius: 800m
• Max number of diffractions/reflections: 4
• Rural: Ray tracing disabled.
Only the following parameters in the advanced Aster interface can be calibrated:
• Reflection/Diffraction parameters: for each propagation class, two reflection and diffraction losses are defined; one
for the first obstacle encountered during the ray-launching process, and one for the other obstacles:
• Reflection Loss (dB) / First: reflection loss due to the first obstacle encountered during ray launching.
• Reflection Loss (dB) / Others: reflection loss due to other obstacles encountered during ray launching.
• Diffraction Loss (dB) First: diffraction loss due to the first obstacle encountered during ray launching.
• Reflection Loss (dB) / Others: diffraction loss due to other obstacles encountered during ray launching.
The default configurations (Standard, Macro, Micro, Rural) use these recommended
settings. Therefore, you should not need to modify these parameters.
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• Global Performance: provides overall statistics on the model fit to measurements for the initial default model. The
values are similar to the ones calculated by Atoll.
• No points/Total: Number of measurement points used in analysis / total number of points in all measurement
paths used in analysis.
• Mean: Mean error value between predictions and measurements.
• Std Dev: Standard deviation of the differences between predictions and measurements.
• RMS: Root mean square of the differences between predictions and measurements.
• Corr: Correlation coefficient between measurements and predictions.
• 95% Error Range: 95% percentile values of the distribution function of the difference between predictions and
measurements. This means that 95% of the points are in the [Min,Max] range.
• Spread of Means: Standard deviation of the mean errors of the different measurement paths.
• Detailed Performance: gives similar statistics individually on each measurement path.
• Measurement path: measurement path name.
• No points/Total: Number of points used in analysis per measurement path / total number of points in the
same measurement path.
• No points: Number of points per measurement path.
• Mean: mean error between predictions and measurements.
• Std Dev: Standard deviation between predictions and measurements.
• RMS: Root mean square of the differences between predictions and measurements.
• Corr: Correlation coefficient between measurements and predictions..
• 95% Error Range: 95% percentile values of the distribution function of the difference between predictions and
measurements. This means that 95% of the points are in the [Min,Max] range.
• Input Parameters: lists the following additional information:
• Used CW measurement path: names of the measurement paths used in this analysis.
• Resolution (m): resolution used in this analysis, defined in the Analysis wizard.
• Indoor points: "Use" or "Ignore" indoor points, as defined in the Analysis wizard.
• Context:
• Duration: elapsed time from beginning to end of analysis.
For more information on Aster analysis indicators, see "Calibration Results Indicators" on page 40.
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4.4 Calibration
The goal of the calibration process is to reduce the mean error and standard deviation of measured values versus calculated
values. For each parameter, the calibration process tries to find the best value that gives the best standard deviation and the
best mean error. The acceptable data ranges and step for each parameter have to be defined.
The following sections describe the steps to follow to calibrate an Aster instance:
• "Creating a Calibration Copy of Aster" on page 37.
• "Calibrating an Aster Instance" on page 37.
• "Verifying Calibration Results" on page 40.
• "Committing Calibrated Parameters" on page 42.
The settings defined in this dialog box for Resolution (m) and Indoor points are inherited
as read-only settings in the Analysis wizard. You can only modify them from the
Calibration wizard.
• Reset to defaults: click this button to reset the parameters in this dialog box to their default values.
• Advanced Parameters: click this button (available only in advanced mode) to open the Advanced Calibration
Parameters dialog box. For more information, see "Advanced Calibration Parameters (Inputs)" on page 38.
5. Optionally, if you are using the mmWave Aster propagation model, you can tune the linear loss through vegetation by
precalibrating the deterministic propagation classes associated with vegetation:
a. Click Precalibration. The Precalibration Results window opens.
The Vegetation Propagation Classes list displays the linear loss (in dB/m) for each vegetation type.
a. If you want to modify the Current linear loss, enter a new value in the Tuned column and select Commit, and then
click the Commit button.
b. Click Start to run the precalibration calculation.
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The calculation of the initial prediction is carried out at a given resolution. This resolution can be user-defined or determined
by Aster according to the geo data resolution.
In general, it is best to use the calculation resolution intended for final use of Aster. This will insure the best matching results
between calibrated models and path loss predictions.
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For indoor points, the calculation module can be instructed to either "Ignore" or "Use" the
points detected as indoor.
The spread of means is the measurement of the dispersion of mean errors across all measurement paths. Hence by optimising
the spread of means, you make each measurement path closer to 0dB in terms of average error between prediction and
measurement.
To enable the optimisation of the spread of means, select the Optimize spread of means check box in the Calibration wizard.
Let’s assume that:
is standard deviation of the differences between predictions and measurements.
m is the standard deviation of the mean errors of the different measurement paths.
During a standard calibration, the calibration engine looks for the best parameters to minimise the standard deviation ,
while keeping the overall average close to zero. Hence, the minimised cost function will be equal to the standard deviation:
When the spread of means optimisation is enabled, the cost function becomes:
where the weighting m can be configured from the Aster interface (default value = 1).
In this case, the calibration engine will look for the best set of parameters to minimise both the standard deviation and the
spread of means.
It is possible to define a more complex cost function via the Aster.ini or AsterMmWave.ini configuration file, by specifying the
following parameters:
m Spread of means weighting
Where:
This means that when one of the two items (standard deviation or spread of means) is above the target, the penalty for that
part above this target is 10 times the standard value. This cost function will tend to make both the spread of means and
standard deviation converge to the target values.
Example:
[Calibration]
spreadOfMeansWeight = 1.0
spreadOfMeansTarget = 2
standardDeviationWeight = 1.0
standardDeviationTarget = 6.75
In this case, the module will try to have the spread of means below 2 dB and the standard deviation below 6.75 dB, with equal
weight between the two targets. When the targets are set to zero, this is equivalent to the standard default cost function
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• Global Performance: this section provides overall statistics on the model fit to measurements for the initial
default model and the final calibrated model. The initial values are similar to the values calculated by Atoll.
For more information, see "Calibration Results Indicators" on page 40.
• Detailed Performance: this section gives similar statistics individually on each measurement path.
For more information, see "Calibration Results Indicators" on page 40.
• Input Parameters: lists the following additional information:
• Used CW measurement path: names of the measurement paths used in this calibration.
• Resolution (m): resolution used in this calibration, defined in the Calibration wizard.
• Indoor points: "Use" or "Ignore" indoor points, as defined in the Calibration wizard.
• Context:
• Duration: elapsed time from the beginning to the end of this calibration.
• Date: end date (<YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS>) of this calibration.
The following buttons are also available on the Result tab:
• Advanced Parameters: click this button (available only in advanced mode) to display the Advanced Calibration
Parameters dialog where initial and final values are indicated for each calibrated parameter.
• Export: to export the results to a TXT, HTML, XML or XLS file.
• Commit: to apply the calibrated values directly in this Aster model instance.
• Close: to close the dialog box without committing the results.
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• Std Dev: standard deviation ( ) of the differences between predictions and measurements.
• RMS: Root mean square ( rms ) of the differences between predictions and measurements.
• Corr: Correlation coefficient between measurement (x) and prediction (y) variables.
N
1-
N i i
--- xy –xy
1
p (x,y) = -----------------------------------
-
x y
Where:
N
1
x = ----
N xi
i=0
N
1
y = ----
N yi
i=0
• 95% Error Range: The 95% percentile values of the distribution function of the difference between predictions and
measurements. This means that 95% of the points are in the range [Min,Max]. This percentile ratio can be modified
from the Aster.ini or AsterMmWave.ini file:
[Calibration]
percentileMinMax = 95
• Spread of Means: Standard Deviation of the mean errors ( m ) of the different measurement paths.
Where:
m j is the mean error between predictions and measurements for path " j ".
• Advanced Performance Results: You can display additional performance results at the end of the calibration results.
The Advanced Results section displays the initial and calibrated values for the following indicators:
• No points
• Mean (dB)
• Std Dev (dB)
• RMS (dB)
Results are provided for All, LOS, NLOS, and RT radio components.
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You can enable the Advanced Results section from the Aster.ini or AsterMmWave.ini file:
[Calibration]
CalibAdvancedResults = 0
When calibration is finished, and before committing the new calibrated model parameters, advanced users can make manual
adjustments to compensate for values that could not be calibrated due to missing or incomplete data. For example, the
missing values can be extrapolated from existing data or from standard values.
To make manual calibration adjustments:
1. Click Start calibration in the Calibration wizard. When calibration is finished, the results appear on the Result tab.
2. On the Result tab, click the Advanced Parameters button. The Advanced Calibration Parameters dialog box appears.
• Parameters: for each parameter in this column, there is an Initial Value and a Final Value.
• Initial Value: initial value before calibration. This value is read-only.
• Final Value: final value after calibration. This value can be modified by advanced users.
4.5 Validation
After calibration has been performed and committed, you can verify the calibration accuracy directly in Atoll by performing
the same steps as in the initial analysis of the Aster model.
The Global Statistics section provides the global performance of the model. These values are usually the same as the ones
displayed on the Result tab of the Calibration wizard.
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