Distinguished Student Work

Document Type

Paper

Publication Date

Winter 3-8-2024

Advisor(s)

Randall Berry, PhD, Chair and John A. Dever Professor; Northwestern University; Igor Kadota, PhD; Northwestern University

Description

This study aims to address the pressing need for efficient spectrum management methodologies in wireless communication systems by developing innovative sorting and allocation algorithms. Leveraging Dynamic Spectrum Allocation (DSA) techniques, this research devises strategies to optimize the utilization of bandwidth within existing spectrum space, ultimately reducing the need for network infrastructure expansion.

Ensuring thorough coverage of DSA techniques, 5 distinct transmitter sorting algorithms were programmed and tested across 8 performance metrics designed to measure specific capabilities. For consistency, a single bandwidth allocation program was designed to ‘pack’ transmitters starting from the left endpoint of the spectrum space. Progressively varying the transmitter count, Northwestern’s Quest-Supercomputer performed the final computation, running for ~10 hours.

The sorting algorithms based on the product of radius and bandwidth (Power Sort) and based on the most signal interference (Most-Overlap Sort) were most efficient, performing especially well in the two metrics that have direct connections with system performance, efficiency, and resource-management: Average Feasibility and Average Bandwidth. Most-Overlap Sort and Power Sort scored an 8.6% – 10.6% improvement in average feasibility performance compared to the rest of the pack. Consequently, the greater maximum bandwidth remaining indicated highly efficient allocation within spectrum resources; Power Sort and Most-Overlap Sort performed ~6% better than the non-DSA control group, making for a substantial lead. Most-Overlap Sort allocates the most ‘problematic’ transmitters first, gaining an edge in end-feasibility. Power Sort’s success can be attributed to its prioritization of bandwidth/area-hungry transmitters, simplifying the allocation of minor transmitters in the final stages.

Comments

Distinctions

1st Place Award | Finalist | Illinois Regional Poster Competition | Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS), Southern Illinois University

National Presenter | Illinois Delegation Team | National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (NJSHS), New Mexico, USA

Disciplines

Electrical & Computer Engineering | Computer Science | Algorithmic Design | Wireless Networks | Dynamic Spectrum Allocation

Included in

Mathematics Commons

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