(February 14th, 2017) In conjunction with our partners from InterDigital (via the ND Wireless Institute I/UCRC site) and the city of South Bend, we will be exploring cellular and WiFi properties for drones in the local South Bend area. The work will also represent a test case for an upcoming submission by the Wireless Institute to the NSF PAWR solicitation.
The focus of the project is to see what sort of general quality of experience (QoE) that a drone might receive when starting to operate well above ground level but yet within the typical drone ceiling of 400 feet. Initial targeted areas include O’Brien Park with eventual operation in downtown South Bend. The effort will include data gathering via Google Pixel phones (WiFi, cellular across multiple carriers) and a ruggedized software-defined radio module. Data collection efforts are slated to begin in late February to early March subject to weather constraints and FAA approval.