Archives

OP2H: Close up on the propagation of electromagnetic waves

A precise prediction of the electromagnetic field radiated by mobile telephony antennas is necessary to answer two separate questions at the present time, namely coverage and exposure of persons.  Although it is fairly easy to determine the propagation of electromagnetic waves in a rural environment, the phenomenon is more complex in towns.  The impact of buildings and the composition of their façades play an important role in the reflection of waves.  The problem was that tools used to predict propagation of exposure at the scale of a town were unable to take account of local heterogeneities in a physically valid manner.  Therefore, it became important to obtain an instrument to "change the scale" so that its simulations could take account of the detailed geometry of buildings and the materials (glass, metal, concrete, etc.) used in façade elements.  This was the purpose of the OP2H program in developing a field Prediction Tool in an urban environment by Hierarchical navigation and Homogenisation of materials.

A predictive new generation model

(Click to enlarge)

"This project was launched in 2007 for a duration of three years, says CSTB’s Nicolas Noé.  Research carried out during this period led to the production of techniques integrated into our software to obtain much more accurate simulations of the propagation of electromagnetic waves in towns.  Our main role was to make the link between theoretical developments and simulation phases."  Comparisons between real field measurements and estimates obtained with old tools and with tools derived from new instruments show that the precision of results collected with the “new generation” predictive model is much better than what has been possible in the past.  This will improve knowledge of fields to which persons are exposed.

 

OP2H: five players

Orange Labs brought in the OP2H project supported by the ANR (National Research Agency).  The mobile telephony operator worked with the University of Marne-la-Vallée, Satimo and CSTB, that contributed its skills in the simulation field.  The University of Marne-la-Vallée was also responsible for understanding buildings heterogeneity phenomena.  Satimo, the manufacturer of electromagnetic field measurements instruments, was the industrial partner of the operation.