BR/TSD

Dakar 2005

BCD Planning Software

25 – 29 April 2005Dakar

David Botha

Workshop for the African Group of Countries

BR/TSD

Dakar 2005

BCD

Procedure for the production of a planCompatibility analysis and synthesis process

Analysis

Synthesis

Admin/BR

Admin/BR

BR/PXT

BR/PXT

Admin/BR/PXTAdmin/BR

Admin/BR/PXT

Admin.

Workshop for the African Group of Countries

BR/TSD

Dakar 2005

BCDCurrent status

Delivery of software

The EBU delivered:

1. Software for the:• Prediction of the service area of analogue television

assignments• Compatibility assessment of digital sound broadcasting

assignments and allotments• Compatibility assessment of digital television

assignments and allotments• Compatibility assessment:

• Mutually• Against existing and planned analogue television

broadcasting• Against existing and planned assignments to other

primary services • Coded in FORTRAN

Workshop for the African Group of Countries

BR/TSD

Dakar 2005

BCDCurrent status

Delivery of software continued

The EBU delivered:

2. Plan synthesis software for:• Digital sound and television broadcasting requirements

in band III• Digital television in band IV/V• Code in FORTRAN

3. Total package:• 77 source files resulting in 35 individual programs• 27 reference data files

Workshop for the African Group of Countries

BR/TSD

Dakar 2005

BCDCurrent status

Verification and testing

BR assisted by PXT to specify and perform tests on:

1. Basic software functionality:• Compile source code• Execute routines based on general data examples• Reporting errors and implement updates

2. Calculation verification:• Verification of basic propagation functionality• Compatibility assessment for simple cases• Synthesis results based on artificial problems

Workshop for the African Group of Countries

BR/TSD

Dakar 2005

BCDCurrent status

Verification and testing continued

BR assisted by PXT specify and perform tests on:

3. Planning test scenarios:• Software performance vs. system requirements• Results from analyses and syntheses• Variation of scenario parameters

4. Planning exercise scenarios:• Results from analyses and syntheses• Implementing different approaches to planning• Findings as input to IPG meeting

5. Report on testing and verification to be submitted to the first IPG meeting

Workshop for the African Group of Countries

BR/TSD

Dakar 2005

BCDCurrent status

Planning software: How does it work?

Input data:Reference situations

New digital BC requirements

Data conversion

Analogue TV assignment

services areas

Compatibility identificationCombination of analyses

Syntheses

VH

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nd U

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ated

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inde

pend

ently

Workshop for the African Group of Countries

BR/TSD

Dakar 2005

BCDCurrent status

Planning software: How does it work? (continued)

Analyses

Data preprocessing

Syntheses:Different algorithms

Combination of resultsIdentification of “best” solutionV

HF

and

UH

F t

reat

ed in

par

alle

lan

d in

depe

nden

tly

Plan

Workshop for the African Group of Countries

BR/TSD

Dakar 2005

BCDAnalyses

Detailed overview

General steps:

1. Data preparation of:• Extracts of reference situations for broadcasting and

other primary services into text;• Requirements for digital broadcasting (assignments,

allotments for T-DAB and DVB-T) into text;• Conversion of text files into proprietary binary files.

Workshop for the African Group of Countries

BR/TSD

Dakar 2005

BCDAnalyses

Detailed overview continued

General steps continued:

2. Calculation of:• Service areas of analogue TV assignments• Service areas of digital broadcasting assignments

(equivalent service areas based on noise limited reduced by 3 dB);

• Incompatibilities identified pair-wise between digital broadcasting requirements mutually – cannot share the same channel;

• Incompatibilities identified pair-wise between digital requirements and existing and planned assignments - the relevant acceptable channels become not available;

• Incompatible when the protection margin on any test point and for any channel is less than –0.5 dB

Workshop for the African Group of Countries

BR/TSD

Dakar 2005

BCDAnalyses

Detailed overview continued

General steps continued:

3. Post processing of results:• Combining of incompatibility results of different cases;

• Analogue TV assignment Digital requirement• Digital requirement Analogue TV assignment• Digital requirement Digital requirement• Digital requirement Other primary service• Other primary service Digital requirement

• Consideration of administrative declarations• Preparation of files for bands III and IV/V separately.

Workshop for the African Group of Countries

BR/TSD

Dakar 2005

BCDSyntheses

Detailed overview

General steps:

1. Preprocessing of compatibility results:• Conversion of digital to digital requirement in compatibility

results into files;• Generation of lists of available channels as opposed to

acceptable channels;• Data prepared for each requirement;• Separate sets for bands III and IV/V.

Workshop for the African Group of Countries

BR/TSD

Dakar 2005

BCDSyntheses

Detailed overview continued

General steps continued:

2. Synthesizing frequency plans:• Search for solutions based on input data

and 49 channels in band IV/V and 67 combinations of channels overlapping in band III;

• Apply 230 individual ‘fast’ algorithms;• Software can treat 150 000 requirements in

band IV/V and 32 000 in band III;• Require 2 GB of random access memory.

Workshop for the African Group of Countries

BR/TSD

Dakar 2005

BCD

Syntheses

Workshop for the African Group of Countries

BR/TSD

Dakar 2005

BCDSyntheses

Detailed overview continued

General steps continued:

3. Preparation of output data:• Generate combined list of all solutions

found for each algorithm;• Identify the ‘best’ solution as separate

output.

Workshop for the African Group of Countries

BR/TSD

Dakar 2005

BCDFurther development

Items to be considered for improvement/correction

General further development:

• Continued verification and testing;• Report errors to EBU;• Implement corrections and repeat testing;• Suggest improvements;• Implement and test improvements.

Workshop for the African Group of Countries

BR/TSD

Dakar 2005

BCDFurther development

Items to be considered for improvement/correction

Specific further development:

• Extracting and publishing analysis results;• Method for treating administrative declarations

(compatibility and usable/unusable channels);• Extracting and publishing synthesis results;• Improvement in calculation speed;• Additional synthesis routines that improve

planning efficiency (longer calculation time);• Developing alternative synthesis methods, if the

number of requirements exceeds 32 000 (Band III) and 150 000 (Band IV/V).

Workshop for the African Group of Countries

BR/TSD

Dakar 2005

BCD

Thank youMerci

Workshop for the African Group of Countries