Optimization Target

The definition of an optimization target (a quantity that shall be improved) is required for both the optimization of antenna adjustments and the selection of an antenna subset. This target can be specified on the Target tab of the Settings dialog in OptMan (see Figure 1).

Figure 1. Optimization targets for antenna adjustment (left) and optimization targets for antenna subset (right).

In the upper section a result, which shall be used for optimization, has to be selected. For this result, arbitrary thresholds can be defined either globally for the whole simulation area or per clutter class in case clutter data is available. The threshold definition per clutter class makes it possible to weigh different regions of the simulation area, for example, within a building (see Figure 2), differently by using individual targets (percentage and threshold) per clutter class. Each threshold definition is a combination of a value for the percentage of the simulation area where the defined threshold value shall be reached and the threshold value itself. In the left part of the figure above (Figure 1) two thresholds for Maximum Data Rate are defined for the clutter class Meeting Room. For 50 percent of the area covered by clutter class Meeting Room, a maximum data rate of 700 kBit/s shall be reached. For 75 percent of this area, the target is 550 kBit/s. For the evaluation of the targets all pixels in the simulation area are considered (not-computed pixels are also considered). So in case in an urban scenario the indoor coverage is disabled and 40% of the pixels are indoors, this means that on maximum 60% of the total area the defined target can be reached.

In case a subset of possible antennas shall be found, the user can additionally limit the maximum number of cells to be included in the network. Furthermore the minimum cell area (in percent of the whole simulation area, independent if the pixels are computed or not) has to be specified here as well. This value defines the minimum cell area a possible new site/antenna has to cover in order to be added to the network (otherwise the corresponding antenna will be discarded from the network).

Figure 2. Definition of clutter classes for a building in WallMan.