Comparison of Physics‐Based Propagation Prediction Model and Measurements in a Vegetated Residential Area at 3.5 GHz and 5.8 GHz

The objective of this paper is to extend the physics‐based Torrico‐Bertoni‐Lang propagation model to overcome some of its limitations found in the original model. Namely, be able to include as part of the model, terrain elevation, and morphology information between the transmitter and the receiver simultaneously. Also, to include a detailed explanation of how the canopy of trees is modeled and integrated in the extended physics‐based model within a vegetated residential area. The performance of the model is assessed by comparing with measurements made in several point‐to‐point systems at 3.5 GHz and 5.8 GHz. The vegetated residential area is described as an area outside the high‐rise core of a city, where the heights of the houses and trees are of relative uniform height that block the direct Line‐of‐Sight between an elevated transmitter and multiple elevated receivers. From this point of view, the propagation takes place over the rooftops and/or through the canopies of trees. The terrain data is from the United States Geological Survey (USGS); the building information is from the Light Detection and Ranging data; and the vegetation data is from the USGS National Land Covered Data 2011 database. Model results show the importance of using a physics‐based model in conjunction with Geographical Information System (GIS) data in order to obtain a close correlation between measurements and predictions.