A novel method to assess human population exposure induced by a wireless cellular network

<p>This paper presents a new metric to evaluate electromagnetic exposure induced by wireless cellular networks. This metric takes into account the exposure induced by base station antennas as well as exposure induced by wireless devices to evaluate average global exposure of the population in a specific geographical area. The paper first explains the concept and gives the formulation of the Exposure Index (EI). Then, the EI computation is illustrated through simple phone call scenarios (indoor office, in train) and a complete macro urban data long-term evolution scenario showing how, based on simulations, radio-planning predictions, realistic population statistics, user traffic data, and specific absorption rate calculations can be combined to assess the index.</p

Monte Carlo algorithm for the evaluation of the distance estimation variance in RSS-based visible light positioning

In this work, the Monte Carlo algorithm to determine the variance on the distance estimation in Received Signal Strength-based visible light positioning is considered. The method is build on the maximization of the signal-to-noise-ratio by means of matched filtering, and leads to a number of characteristics that are typically only obtained after intensive analytical elaborations. It is shown that the results match those obtained by calculating the Cramer-Rao lower bound when only the noise is considered as non-deterministic. It is demonstrated that the method is also applicable when multiple physical parameters exhibit a probability distribution, leading to an assessment of the distance estimation accuracy in more realistic settings

An algorithm for optimal network planning and frequency channel assignment in indoor WLANs

The increased use of wireless local area networks has led to an increased interference and a reduced performance, as a high amount of access points are often operating on the same frequency channel. This paper presents a network planning algorithm that minimizes the number of access points required for a certain throughput and optimizes the frequency allocated to each AP, leading to reduced interference. The network planning algorithm is based on a heuristic and the frequency planning algorithm on a combination of a greedy algorithm and a Vertex-Coloring-Based Approach. The algorithm provides a good performance and has a limited computation time

Repatriation, doxa, and contested heritages: the return of the Altai princess in an international perspective

Using Pierre Bourdieu's concepts of habitus and doxa, the authors analyze the contested heritage debates surrounding the sensational Scythian burial discovery of the Altai Princess, also called the Ice Maiden, on the Ukok plateau. Her 2012 repatriation to a special Gazprom-funded museum in the Altai Republic of Russia is politically contextualized and compared to cases of the Kennewick Man in the United States and the Lake Mungo Burials of Australia. The authors stress the importance of "heritage in the making" and conclude that diverse approaches to the Altai Princess must be understood through the historically constituted dispositions of various agents and their interaction with the structures governing society

A heuristic tool for exposure reduction in indoor wireless networks

A heuristic indoor network planner for exposure calculation and optimization in wireless networks is developed. The model for the electric-field strength in the vicinity of an access point is presented and the WiFi networks are optimized in order not to exceed a maximal electric-field strength at a certain separation from the access points. The influence of the maximally allowed field strength and the assumed minimal separation between the access point and the human is assessed for a typical office building

Enhanced indoor location tracking through body shadowing compensation

This paper presents a radio frequency (RF)-based location tracking system that improves its performance by eliminating the shadowing caused by the human body of the user being tracked. The presence of such a user will influence the RF signal paths between a body-worn node and the receiving nodes. This influence will vary with the user's location and orientation and, as a result, will deteriorate the performance regarding location tracking. By using multiple mobile nodes, placed on different parts of a human body, we exploit the fact that the combination of multiple measured signal strengths will show less variation caused by the user's body. Another method is to compensate explicitly for the influence of the body by using the user's orientation toward the fixed infrastructure nodes. Both approaches can be independently combined and reduce the influence caused by body shadowing, hereby improving the tracking accuracy. The overall system performance is extensively verified on a building-wide testbed for sensor experiments. The results show a significant improvement in tracking accuracy. The total improvement in mean accuracy is 38.1% when using three mobile nodes instead of one and simultaneously compensating for the user's orientation

Development of path loss model for 802.11n in large conference rooms

In this paper, a path loss (PL) model for 802.11n in large conference rooms is determined, based on PL measurements. The PL can be described accurately by a one-slope model with one standard deviation. PL exponents varying from 1.2 to 1.7 are found. Based on this PL model, the effect of frequency (2.4 vs 5 GHz), configuration (SISO vs MIMO (spatial diversity)), bandwidth (20 vs 40 MHz) and transmit power on number of access points, total power consumption and possible (physical) throughputs is investigated. According to the determined PL model, a higher range (by tuning the transmit power) requires less access points, as well as a lower total power consumption, due to a PL exponent lower than 2