VISUALYSE PROFESSI
Satellite Systems Mode
IONAL VERSION 7
eling and Analysis
SPECTRUM AS A RARE Spectrum and Satellite
NATURAL RESOURCE IS A Satellite spectrum is increasingly a ke
systems - managing that spectrum eff
TOP LEVEL STRATEGIC becoming a central part of the busines
ISSUE. form a large part of many balance she
As satellite spectrum is squeezed With satellite spectrum being squeeze
from all sides and the demand the job of the satellite spectrum mana
for new bandwidth intensive looking at the intricacies of local clutt
services grows, the need for of orbital elements and an operational
appropriate support from your
software tools becomes Satellite engineers and analysts are fa
apparent. questions about communications, inter
support recommendations to board lev
It’s a safe bet that if you technical papers. Presentations to a ‘n
invested in a super new shiny
toolkit that leaves you trying to The decision process in a satellite org
hammer nails with a screwdriver,
you would be disappointed What are the best bands for the
Visualyse Professional is the only How much spectrum do we need in
tool you need for satellite
communications modeling, What are the likely problems and
interference analysis and
spectrum management What are the alternatives?
To get an ROI higher than you What if ……?
thought possible, take a look at
what you could do with Visualyse Our proposition to the engineer and to
Professional. management and interference analysis
an appropriate toolkit. Visualyse Profe
Our definition of appropriate in this c
1. Computational Power
2. Usability
3. Return on Investment
4. Outstanding professional technic
These values are demonstrated in all t
in the box is Visualyse Professional.
es
ey enabler for the funding and development of all satellite based
fectively is a vital skill in any organisation. Spectrum strategy is
ss proposition. Coordinated, licensed and well managed spectrum assets
eets.
ed by commercial pressures from, among others, WiMax protagonists,
ager is now under pressure from many directions. One week you are
ter modeling and network topologies, the next you need to model a set
l tracking strategy for a non-GSO satellite network.
aced with many challenges when it comes to answering complex
rference and spectrum sharing. They are also required to explain and
vel management who may not have time to work through detailed
non-technical’ audience are increasingly required.
ganization pivots around such questions as
e services we want to offer?
n each band?
d issues in using that spectrum?
o senior management is that communications system modeling, spectrum
s, as part of as vital business process will benefit beyond measure from
essional is that toolkit.
context is based on four supporting values
cal support
the products in the Visualyse range. The core product and sharpest tool
Powerful computation is The Power of Visualys
ineffective if you cannot
understand and explain your Since the launch of Visualyse in 1995 d
results to a wide Audience approaching when $1,000 worth of PC
we had to make do with something less
Graphs and Pictures are
invaluable aids – Visualyse has So for us the important thing about po
them all. the problem at hand then it is of no us
The true power in Visualyse comes fro
elements (stations, links, antennas etc
structure – where the elements are co
types of system that may emerge in th
based industry.
If you have a very large number of sta
Import of data is supported in several
table of links and stations.
If you define a very complex scenario
numbers, pictures and explanations. Fr
coverage and availability, statistical su
need all these elements at your finger
Here, the power of Visualyse as an exp
statistical summaries, sparkling graph
impressive papers and presentations.
Visualyse Professional gives you power
Power to take on very com
Power to visualize and exp
Power to look at all types
Power to enhance and add
graphical illustration.
Power that you can use and power th
se Professional
desktop computing power has increased exponentially. The day is fast
will be able to do as many calculations per seconds as a mouse. In 1995
s than the brain power of a large insect!!
ower is what you do with it - if the power cannot be brought to bear on
se.
om its simple structure and flexibility. Simple underlying modeling
c.) are combined and quickly build up into scenarios. This object
ommon to all communications systems, means that Visualyse can adapt to
he future – an essential requirement in our fast changing technology
ations or links to consider, Visualyse helps you create and manage these.
l formats including BR-IFIC, two line element sets and an Excel based
o a full characterization of the results is likely to require lots of
rom examination of detailed link budgets, graphically representation of
ummary of interference and examination of the station dynamics – you
rtips.
planatory tool becomes apparent. Low level numerical explanations,
hics and step by step animations allow you to develop authoritative and
r.
mplex numerical analysis.
plain your results.
of system – earth or space based, fixed or mobile.
d value to technical work through detailed numerical output and sparkling
hat you can control.
User Friendly is an over-used Usability and Producti
term in Software Development.
At Transfinite we prefer to At Transfinite we have invested a lot
think about Usability. order to make proper use of the powe
Ease of Use is an important Usability can be defined in many term
factor but not the only thing usability that we have concentrated on
that we need to consider. It’s a possible to get a quick start on your f
question of the appropriate
application of power A few minutes with our tutorial docum
you define have real world counterpar
defined simulations and supporting doc
likelihood, there is template for whate
However, ease of use is not the start
enhance your productivity. Usable, pro
and provide the functionality that you
This last requirement – utility – is the
that it can be adapted to all types of s
our consultancy work means the new f
Ease of use remains high on our agend
both satisfying and enjoyable.
Visualyse finds a balance between eas
Visualyse Professional to look at shari
asked about co-existence of earth sta
answers.
ivity
of our time in designing software that will save everyone else’s time. In
er the software has, it must be usable.
ms – being easy to learn and easy to remember are two dimensions of
n. If you need to use Visualyse a few times per year, it should be
first use and easy to pick up where you left off on you subsequent uses.
mentation will have you setting up simulations – the fact that the objects
rts make them easier to remember. The availability of a library of pre-
cuments, augmented by our technical support team, means that, in all
ever study you want to do.
and end of usability, nor will a simple software package necessarily
oductive software must do what you want it to do – it must be effective
u need.
e central goal of Visualyse Professional. The object based design means
system, the on-going software development and cross-fertilization from
features and enhancements to existing features.
da – our aim is to make using Visualyse a rewarding experience which is
se of use and utility that really can boost your productivity. You may buy
ing Ka band links with Iridium, but you will also find that when you are
ations with WiMax in C-Band you can use the same tool to explore the
Visualyse is THE MOST cost Return on Investment
effective way of studying
Interference Analysis How can we justify our claim that Visu
we know from our existing users that
1. Visualyse saves you time
2. Visualyse improves the quality of
3. Visualyse makes it possible for yo
4. Visualyse saves you money
5. Visualyse enhances your effective
You save time because you do not need
know that Visualyse is used around the
the ITU-R forum.
So you are freed up to concentrate on
numbers rather than thinking about ca
Time is not the only factor in the deve
important. Transfinite has already abs
would it cost to develop software that
that we are committed to providing on
The fast pace of change in the satellit
work means you have to be ready to go
If you are a Regulator, communicatio
field of radio communications, you nee
ualyse provides a positive return on your investment? It’s quite simple,
your analysis
ou to be more responsive
eness and capabilities.
d to worry about the development and testing of new software. You
e world and has been used in 100’s of studies that are peer reviewed in
n defining the study and thinking about the results. Thinking about
alculating them is a great step forward.
elopment of software – cost, risk and on-going support are also
sorbed the cost of initial development and mitigated the risk. How much
t would do even a tenth of what Visualyse does? Our track record shows
n-going support.
te communications industry and the increasingly short time for study
o – Visualyse gives you a head start.
on engineer, manager, consultant, or generally work within the exciting
ed Visualyse.
Continually rated A1 by our Technical Support
Clients, Transfinite is justifiably
proud of our technical support Support is always available from Trans
Friendly, responsive and above Our standard Annual Maintenance and
all highly knowledgeable and upgrades plus technical support in app
expert, our team are totally
committed to finding solutions Product support includes
and ways forward for you
Installation support
License management support
On-going support of your PC en
Support in the use of the soft
Advice on best practice and th
Our technical support engineers are d
from an expert with 20 year’s experie
If you are an experienced engineer, th
We will help you through the initial ph
Once you gain experience we will give
in depth knowledge of the way study w
to apply the software to many studies
Your engineers are your greatest asse
best equipment and environment you c
pre-requisite and can often be acquire
structured training is the best option.
Transfinite provides in-depth training
the ITU (covering both satellite notif
restricted to, hands on training with t
Training courses are available and can
and tested materials and tutorial exam
beginners/intermediate users or as a r
specific need.
sfinite.
d Support contract gives you access to product maintenance and
plying the software to your problem.
nvironment
tware
he approach to your study management
dedicated to finding a way forward for you. You will receive attention
ence and a genuine world class reputation.
he main use of technical support is likely to be in use of the software.
hases of installation and getting started.
you help in the more advanced features of the software. Our team has
work is conducted and presented – hence we can advise on the best way
s.
et. They are the key to the future of your organization and deserve the
can provide for them. Basic skills and technical expertise are a
ed on the job. However in many cases the learning curve is so steep that
.
g in the methods of radio interference analysis and in the procedures of
fication and study group work). Our courses include, but are not
the software products in our Visualyse range
be run at our offices or a venue of your choice. We have a set of tried
mples that make up our standard course – suitable for
refresher. Alternatively we can provide advanced training to your
VISUALYSE CAN BE USED IN MANY What does Visualyse D
TYPES OF STUDY DUE TO THE OPEN
NATURE AND OBJECT BASED Visualyse is, at heart, an engine for ca
STRUCTURE OF THE SOFTWARE links. It will produce C/I, C/N, C/N+I,
sharing or interference analysis scena
Visualyse Provides you with Tools
and Blank Canvas. It allows you to define geometry, dyna
earth as a central gravitational body a
Transfinite will provide you with clutter data.
templates and case studies, but
in time you will find many However, this does not adequately cap
applications are going to provide a technical descri
Description of the Program Capabilit
Visualyse is the de-facto industry s
systems.
The Visual Interference Analysis So
systems, both satellite and terrestria
Visualyse has been designed for interf
criteria such as C/(N+I) built in. You c
study using conventional tools – you ca
Visualyse is above all Visual, so that t
by explanations with clear visual descr
Object Orientation
A key aim of Visualyse is to simulate
communications, radar, TT+C – using th
For this reason it was designed usin
engineers. For example, you will need
stations together and define your pro
This object orientation means that th
Do?
alculating carrier levels, interference levels and noise levels in radio
, pfd, EPFD, and I/N numbers and statistics for almost any spectrum
ario you can think of?
amics and RF characteristics in a 3D environment that includes the
and can also include terrain spot heights, geo-climatic factors and local
pture the full capability of the software. So in the next few pages we
iption of the product.
ties
standard, recognised, software tool for modeling and simulating radio
oftware can be used to analyse a wide range of radio communication
al systems, and the interactions between them.
ference modeling, with concepts such as station dynamics and link
can define and analyse complex simulations that would take years of
an do this quickly, accurately and with full confidence in the results.
the results are not just numbers from a black box, but are accompanied
riptions.
e any type of radio system – fixed, mobile, GSO Non-GSO, data, voice,
he same familiar modeling objects and user interface.
ng concepts based on ‘real world’ objects which will be familiar to all
d to define ‘Stations’, which have ‘Antennas’. You will then need to ‘Link’
opagation environment.
he same modeling approach is used for simple and for complex scenarios.
You need to be sure that your Verification of Results
results are in line with what you
expected. Visualyse provides Visualyse is not a black box.
feedback to check every step of The end results of many simulations a
the way many cases you cannot guess before y
expectation.
In these cases, the detailed step by
essential. Visualyse allows you to vi
calculation. This includes user inputs a
Variables can be logged to file for ext
This native facility is often used to
happening in a simulation which in turn
Stations and Antennas
Where are your transmitters and re
determined by the properties that you
Visualyse conceptually includes many d
input positions and how future location
The positions and velocities of station
earth stations based upon latitud
of movement
aircraft based upon latitude, lon
and climb rate
classical orbit elements, such as
satellites
geostationary orbit longitude for
Another function of stations is to poin
and antennas can be multiple spots.
are a single number or a statistical distribution of a single variable – in
you do the calculation what the result will be and so have no intuition or
step verification of the calculation, perhaps at a few critical points is
iew (in text or graphical form) all the variables that are used in a
and internally calculated variables.
ternal post-processing.
‘debug’ simulation set up and more often to develop a feel for what is
n leads to more confidence in the overall results.
eceivers, where have they been and where are they going? This is all
u enter for the Station Objects in your simulations.
different types of Station. The distinction between types is in how you
ns are calculated by the software.
ns can be defined by one of the following:
de, longitude, and height above terrain, with optional speed and direction
ngitude, and height above sea level, with speed, direction of movement
s semi-major axis, eccentricity, and inclination for non-geostationary
geostationary satellites
nt antennas. Stations can contain multiple antennas at different heights,
GIMS Antenna patterns and a Antenna pointing can be specified to b
direct link to the GIMS
database are just one way to based on fixed azimuth and eleva
define your coverage. You can
also define multiple spots, look- pointed at another station or ante
up tables or pre-defined roll-
offs scanning round at pre-determined
Connectivity is set-up through driven by link requirements – in ca
various types of link in the
Antenna performance or beam roll-o
performance is specified in the Anten
Each beam can have different gain cha
The pattern can be specified using one
1. pre-defined roll-off masks
2. look up tables
3. as GIMS contours
4. to produce a fixed PFD at give
Over 75 pre-defined equations are
circular spots. Gain tables can be e
allowing shaped beams to be included.
Electronically steerable beams can b
ground whatever the orientation of th
Shaped beam patterns can be defined
a series of mouse clicks. These can be
Station Groups
Stations can be collected together int
all the stations in NSO MSS or NSO
stations in the group in one go.
Some systems are defined by a large
large number of satellites each with
are available to define constellations
areas based on a terrestrial grid or th
be:
ation angles
enna
d scan rate or between specified angles
ase the system models any kind of handover
off is the most important factor in much interference analysis. This
nna Objects that you define.
aracteristics.
e of the four following options
en elevation angles on the ground
available include ITU-R Recommendation 672 and 580 for the space
either symmetric around the boresight axis or two-dimensional grids
be defined that re-shape to have a constant circular footprint on the
he transmitter.
d for GSO satellites based on a series of equal gain contours, entered by
e imported and exported using the ITU GIMS format.
to groups for easy management. For example a single group could contain
FSS constellations – you can them manipulate the parameters of all the
number of parameters. NGSO constellations, for example, could have a
multiple spot beams. Visualyse includes a number of Wizards. Wizards
s of NGSO satellites; multiple-hop fixed service systems, and service
he footprint of a beam.
simulation The Constellation Wizard
Large numbers of links, and end The Constellation Wizard defines a co
to end connectivity, diversity satellites per plane.
and coverage analysis are Cellular beam coverage’s are defined
supported by Link Groups Wizard, you can adjust any of the par
End to End C/(N+I) value Links – defining your topology
35 Links in Visualyse are used to model c
into four types provides the flexibility
C/(N+I) ( dB ) 30
Transmit Link - a station or gro
25 would if a station or group is cons
20 -5000 -4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 Receive Link - a receive statio
-6000 Astronomy Earth Station, observ
Relative simulation time (s) Fixed Link - both transmit and
Examples would be the Fixed Ser
End to end From Station to Downlink.Forward.C/(N+I)
link.Forward.C/(N+I) TDRS.Forward.C/(N+I) Dynamic Link - the geometry be
the system might need to handov
onstellation in terms of the number of planes of satellites and number of
d in terms of circular rings or hexagonal patterns. After running the
rameters for ‘fine tuning’ as required.
connectivity and network topology. We have found that a classification
y to define any type of sharing scenario. These types are:
oup is transmitting but the receive station is not defined. An example
sidered only as an interferer.
on is defined without a transmitter. An example would be a Radio
ving a deep space target.
receive stations are defined and do not change for the link duration.
rvice systems and the Fixed Satellite Service systems.
etween transmitter and receiver changes. Use a Dynamic Link wherever
ver from station to station as the simulation evolves.
The graphics are not just pretty Links can be either simplex or duplex
pictures. Feedback and code type, access method, polarisat
additional information can be bandwidth. For each link there can be
seen in each window C/I, C/N, C/(N+I), and T/T (I/N) is
stored.
Visualyse Views are designed to Visualyse can calculate PFD, EPFD a
support you need to enjoy using transmit characteristics based upon P
the software, to provide
feedback when you do something Propagation Modeling the Electromag
and to allow detailed verification
of results Visualyse allows you to characterize
models. You can select models for dif
frequency bands etc.)
Terrestrial propagation may be based
Dry air and water vapour attenuation
P676-2 or P 618-5.
Also available are propagation models
and TIA fade models.
Interference
Interference paths can be quickly se
then selecting from the remaining link
Any number of interfering paths can b
Additional factors such as polariza
calculated.
Visualyse Views – graphical feedback
Since 1994 Transfinite has focused
appropriate feedback and allows deta
different Window types or Views that
Graphical views do more that add aes
simple example would be if you creat
x. Each link has user definable carriers. Carrier characteristics include
tion, symbol rate (for digital systems), and allocated and occupied
e power control or fixed receive signal level. For each link the C, I, N,
calculated. The link budgets for C and the worst single entry I are also
and APFD for the standard reference bandwidths, and define station
PFD masks.
gnetic Environment
e the electromagnetic environment based on a number of propagation
fferent circumstances (mobile vs. fixed, satellite, terrestrial, different
on Recommendation ITU-R P 452, P1564 or P530-5
n, are also included for path which pass through the atmosphere using
s such as Crane Rain, Egli, Hata, Lee, Appendix 28 / WRC 95 App. S.7,
et up by selecting from the list of defined links the wanted path, and
ks the interfering paths.
be defined in a single run.
ation, Net Filter Discrimination and bandwidth adjustment can be
k, numerical detail
on developing engineering software that is satisfying to use, provides
ailed examination of results. These requirements are supported by the
t you can open within each simulation document.
sthetic pleasure; they provide essential and immediate feedback. A very
te a station and use an east longitude when you intended to use a west
The high standard of the longitude – you will see this immediate
graphical outputs adds great
value to your reports and Similarly, the plotting of orbit ground
presentations. parameters you are using.
All Map Views give you the option to o
with real physical references (roads, c
Model View gives you an overview of
hierarchical tree. You can see quickly
Our Watch Window allows you to sel
with this type of facility as a debugg
purpose in Visualyse
Table View give you access to num
simultaneously. Parameters can be inp
verify the simulation set-up and opera
Data can be exported for analysis and
in Google Earth.
Transfinite Systems Lt
Contact 6C Rathbone Square
24 Tanfield Road
Phone: Croydon CR0 1BT
Fax: UK
Email: +44-(0) 20-8240 6648
Web: +44-(0) 20-8240-4440
[email protected]
www.transfinite.com
ely in either the Platte Carree, Mercator or 3D Views.
d and space tracks (in 3D view) will show up any gross errors in the orbit
overlay bitmaps as reference information. Maps for instance provide you
cities, etc) for you calculated data and simulation geometry
f the objects that you have created. The view organizes objects in a
the structure of you Links, Stations and other objects.
lect variables to monitor as the simulation evolves. You may be familiar
ging aid in many software development environments. It serves a similar
merical values of parameter values across a large number of objects
puts, outputs or intermediate calculations. This supports your need to
ation. .
d post processing. We directly support the display of simulation results
td