AERPAW Air-to-ground channel sounding and multipath measurement with a UAV
Data files
Mar 26, 2025 version files 244.26 MB
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A2G_Channel_Measurements.zip
244.26 MB
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README.md
3.04 KB
Abstract
Uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) have emerged as critical for various use cases, both military and civilian. This paradigm shift is poised to revolutionize various industries and aspects of modern life, from logistics and emergency services to environmental monitoring and entertainment. However, the safety of these UAVs hinges on the availability of a reliable wireless link between the UAV and the ground infrastructure for real-time communication. To effectively harness the vast potential of UAVs with safe and reliable wireless link, it is essential to model the complex air-to-ground (A2G) channel accurately. In this work, we present an open-source channel sounder built with software-defined radios (SDRs), which enables real-time measurement and characterization of the A2G channel in scenarios with mobility. Our measurement campaign conducted in a rural area provides valuable insights into the A2G channel’s characteristics, multipath effects, and channel impairments. This work provides a foundation for the development of accurate A2G channel models that can be used to optimize the design and performance of UAV communication systems.
This data is acquired at the AERPAW Lake Wheeler Testbed site with USRP B210s using the developed open-source channel sounder referenced at the bottom. Both ends were synchronized with an external clock and PPS.
Contents
The A2G_Channel_Measurements.zip contains timestamped folders with channel sounder measurement data. Each folder corresponds to a specific measurement instance.
Directory Structure
| Folder Name | Size |
|---|---|
| 2023-12-15_15_41 | 42.9 MiB |
| 2023-12-15_15_51 | 31.3 MiB |
| 2023-12-15_15_58 | 43.6 MiB |
| 2023-12-15_16_14 | 28.0 MiB |
| 2023-12-15_16_19 | 29.9 MiB |
| 2023-12-15_16_36 | 33.8 MiB |
| 2023-12-15_16_42 | 27.1 MiB |
| 2023-12-15_16_47 | 30.8 MiB |
| 2023-12-15_16_53 | 42.1 MiB |
Dataset Files
Each measurement consists of two types of files:
.sigmf-datafiles – These contain raw signal data..sigmf-metafiles – These contain metadata describing the signal data, such as sampling rate, frequency, timestamp, and other relevant parameters. More details are provided below.
File Naming Convention
Channel_Sounder_<Unix_Timestamp>.*
Where <Unix_Timestamp> represents the time the measurement was taken.
Metadata (.sigmf-meta)
The metadata file follows the SIGMF standard, containing:
Global Metadata Fields
"core:sample_rate"– Sampling rate of the recorded signal."core:waveform"– Type of waveform used in transmission.ZCfor Zadoff-Chu sequence,PNfor Pseudo-Noise sequence."core:tx_gain_ref","core:rx_gain_ref"– Transmission and reception gain levels in dBm."core:zc_root_index","core:zc_len"– Zadoff-Chu sequence parameters used in the transmitted waveform.
Capture Fields
Each capture contains:
- Timestamp: Unix timestamp of the measurement.
- Location (
core:tx_location&core:rx_location):- Latitude, longitude, and altitude.
- Rotation (
core:rotation):- Pitch, yaw, and roll values of the UAV during flight.
- Velocity (
core:velocity):- Components along X, Y, and Z axes recorded during flight.
- Flight information:
"core:flight_stage"– Flight stages; Takeoff, Flight, and Landing"core:speed","core:dist"– Speed and distance respective to the transmitter.
Data Files
Data files can be opened with the SigMF library or numpy. First, install the following dependencies,
$ pip install sigmf numpy
Then the signal data can be loaded as follows,
import numpy as np
from sigmf import SigMFFile, sigmffile
signal = sigmffile.fromfile(filename)
samples = signal.read_samples()
## or
samples = np.fromfile(filename)
Code/Software
More information can be found at doi:10.1109/VTC2024-Fall63153.2024.10757825.
The source code and post-processing are available at this Github repository.