Computer prediction of primary contour and service areas for unlicensed radio systems operating in TV white space

Following the standard approach envisioned by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), we consider database as a tool to plan the utilization of VHF/UHF spectrum by White Space (WS) radios. Our approach, however, differs from the one adopted by the aforementioned regulatory body in the sense that the algorithms loaded into the database are not limited to processing broadcaster information, i.e., effective antenna height, effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP), and simplistic terrain information, i.e., antenna height above average terrain (HAAT). We utilize detailed regional topography data in order to predict the primary contour and WS radios service area in a more realistic fashion through Fresnel diffraction theory. The contour calculated based on our algorithms are overlaid on Google Earth software, therefore, creating a very flexible and interactive tool for TVWS prediction.