Using Spreadsheet Maps for the Placement of Low Altitude Platform (LAP) Wireless Network Nodes After Disasters

Low altitude platform (LAP) architectures are an emerging platform for providing temporary wireless network connectivity to areas with a damaged fixed wireless network infrastructure. The authors propose a spreadsheet-based approach for practitioners to locate LAP nodes in the field. This approach does not require radio frequency propagation expertise and incorporates standard models to display the coverage areas for the placement of LAP aerial devices. The proposed tool allows the transmission range for a given aerial device to be visually optimized during deployment. The spreadsheet-based tool the authors are proposing is expressly suited for battery-powered LAP architecture devices with payload weight restrictions, such as those utilizing balloons or kites, that can be quickly deployed by emergency responders. An additional contribution of this work is the development of a hybrid propagation model for LAP device transmissions for deployments above 200 meters which is absent in the literature. This model is a linear combination of two existing models for free space radio propagation.