Summary of Wave Propagation Models for Urban Scenarios

A summary of the urban wave propagation models in tabular format.

Table 1. Summary of the supported urban wave propagation models in WinProp.
Model

Urban 3D

Dominant Path (DPM)

Urban 3D

Intelligent Ray Tracing (IRT)

ITU-R P.1411

COST 231

Walfisch-Ikegami

Type Semi-deterministic Deterministic Empirical Empirical
Valid for
  • Frequency: 30 MHz to 100 GHz
  • h_tx: no fixed limit
  • h_rx: no fixed limit
  • d: no fixed limit
  • Frequency: 30 MHz to 100 GHz
  • h_tx: no fixed limit
  • h_rx: no fixed limit
  • d: no fixed limit
  • Frequency: 300 MHz to 100 GHz
  • Short-range propagation over distances up to 1 km
  • Frequency: 800 MHz to 2000 MHz
  • h_tx: 4 m to 5 m
  • h_rX: 1 m to 3 m
  • d: 20 m to 5000 m
Accuracy High accuracy High accuracy Good accuracy

Good accuracy when transmitters are above medium rooftop level.

Reduced accuracy when transmitters are below medium rooftop level.

Computation Time Short Typically minutes after preprocessing for IRT Very short Very short

Preprocessing

of Database

Not required Yes Not required Not required

Problem Type

& Size

Radio coverage simulation for very large urban areas Radio channel incl. multipath and radio coverage simulation for large urban areas Radio coverage simulation for urban areas < 1 km distance Radio coverage simulation for urban areas < 5 km distance
Considers
  • 3D map of buildings, vegetation and topography
  • Pathloss exponents and breakpoint effect
  • Wave-guiding effect
  • Suited also for hilly terrain
  • Optional calibration with measurements
  • 3D map of buildings, vegetation and topography
  • Pathloss exponents and breakpoint effect
  • Multipath propagation incl. reflections and diffractions
  • Optional calibration with measurements
Depending on the sub-model, it considers:
  • LOS/NLOS regions
  • Propagation geometry (site-specific, site-general)
  • Propagation situation/sub-model (over rooftops, within street canyons, near street level)
  • Propagation environment (urban very high rise, urban/urban high rise, suburban/urban low rise, residential)
  • Traffic (high, low)
  • Height of transmitter
  • Height of receiver
  • Mean value of building heights
  • Mean value of widths of roads
  • Mean value of building separation
  • Road orientation with respect to the direct radio path
Limitations Model does not compute the complete channel impulse response Requires post-processing with knife-edge diffraction model for hilly terrain Hilly areas are not considered
  • No multipath
  • Only considers propagation in vertical plane that contains the transmitter and receiver.
  • Does not consider wave-guiding effects in street canyons
  • Not recommended for hilly terrain
Note:

It is not recommended to use the Dominant Path Model (DPM) for the point mode since it may result in accurate results if the points are located far from the prediction height.

Using point mode does not reduce the runtime.