Photogrammetric satellite service prediction - Correlation of RF measurements and image data

This paper addresses the image-based characterization of the land mobile satellite channel. In a measurement campaign, the signal power levels of the Satellite Digital Audio Radio Services (SDARS) in the U.S. were recorded. In parallel, a flsheye camera on the roof of the measurement van continuously acquired images of the upper hemisphere. Using time, location and heading information from GPS, the satellite positions are determined in the hemispheric images. Analyzing the regions around the satellites by image processing methods, the degree of visibility of the satellites is extracted which acts as an indicator for the current shadowing conditions. Using this optical method, shadowing parameters for the land mobile satellite channel of arbitrary satellite constellations can be derived. This method can be helpful for cost-efficient, large-scale network planning.