An Inexpensive Unmanned Aerial Vehicle-Based Tool for Mobile Network Output Analysis and Visualization.

Area of Science:

• Cyber-Physical Systems
• Aerospace Engineering
• Telecommunications

Background:

• Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) offer versatile capabilities but are underutilized in mobile network testing.
• Current mobile network measurement methods are expensive, time-consuming, and lack precision.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an open-source UAV-based Cyber-Physical System (CPS) for mobile network testing.
• To improve the accuracy, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of 3D mobile signal data acquisition.

Main Methods:

• Integration of Galileo satellite network, a Mobile Data Acquisition System, and a Graphical User Interface onto a UAV.
• Deployment of the UAV system for real-world mobile network signal measurements in a 3D space.

Main Results:

• The UAV system successfully retrieved reliable mobile network signal data with high accuracy.
• Measurements were conducted across diverse mobile network cells, capturing signal power variations.
• The system demonstrated efficient data acquisition in a 3D space.

Conclusions:

• The proposed UAV-based CPS provides a viable and superior alternative to traditional mobile network testing methods.
• This technology enhances the ability to visualize and analyze mobile network performance in three dimensions.