Update on the
Survey of the Active Scientific Use of
the Radio Spectrum
Fall Meeting of the Committee on Radio Frequencies
October 18, 2014
Amherst, MA
David Lang, BPA Staff
How did the new study and committee
come about?
• Request from NASA Assoc. Admin. for
SCaN following Spectrum Management
for Science in the 21st Century.
• Details on the Scope and approach of
study were developed through
discussions with the BPA’s standing
Committee on Radio Frequencies,
NASA, and NSF. Approved by the
NRC’s Governing Board.
• Current study is supported by NASA.
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Why are we asked to do it?
• To support the presidential initiative for Spectrum
Management for the 21st Century, a presentation of
current and future needs of scientific users of the
spectrum is in order.
• The increased demand for access to the radio
spectrum has led to discussions in both government
and industry about new ways of thinking about
spectrum allocation and use.
• Scientific users of the radio spectrum (such as radio
astronomers and earth scientists using remotely
sensed data) have an important stake in the policies
that result from this activity.
Statement of Task
The committee will prepare a report exploring the scientific uses of the radio spectrum by radio
frequency transmissions and the measurement thereof. In carrying out the study, the committee
will:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Describe the science that is currently being conducted using the radio spectrum for
transmission and measurement of these active signals and identify the spectrum requirements
necessary to conduct this research;
Identify the anticipated future spectrum requirements necessary to continue to conduct and
expand this research for the next 10-20 years, taking into account trends in overall active use
of the spectrum;
Discuss the value to the nation of accommodating the active scientific use of the spectrum,
recognizing the need to balance the needs of multiple communities;
Assess the active science communities' current and anticipated future access to the spectrum
required for research; and
Recommend strategies to accommodate the continued active use of the spectrum for scientific
purposes in order to maintain the needed science capabilities identified above.
The committee will comment on the spectrum use by the relevant scientific communities for
applications such as active microwave remote sensing (i.e., airborne and space-based radars) of
Earth to observe environmental phenomena, incoherent scatter radar studies of the Earth's
ionosphere and radar astronomy of Solar System objects, but will not make recommendations on
the allocation of specific frequencies. The committee will not make recommendations on
communications operations (i.e., transmission of data) that support the scientific uses of the
spectrum described above. The committee should consider proven and potential unilateral and
cooperative mitigation techniques in its analysis of access to spectrum.
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Membership
Fawwaz Ulaby, U. Michigan (NAE), Chair
Susan Avery, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute
Coleman Bazelon, The Brattle Group
William Bristow, U. Alaska-Fairbanks
Donald Campbell, Cornell University
Marie Colton, NOAA /GLERL
Sandra Cruz-Pol, U. Puerto Rico-Mayaguez
Lennard Fisk, U. Michigan (NAS)
Albin Gasiewski, U. Colorado-Boulder
Jeffrey Herd, MIT Lincoln Lab
Linwood Jones, U. Central Florida
Paul Kolodzy, Kolodzy Consulting
Robert Palmer, U. Oklahoma
Dean Paschen, First RF Co.
Michael Spencer, JPL
David Long, BYU, consultant
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First Meeting
Speakers
• NASA Spectrum Management and Earth Science
• JPL
• NSF Spectrum Management
• DARPA
• FCC, NTIA
Milestones
• Report outline was drafted and discussed
• RFI identified as a topic in need of much further study
• “Orphan areas” identified
• Identified speakers for next meeting
RFI Workshop
• During the first meeting of the cmte, RFI
emerged as an important topic that the cmte
should learn more about.
• Even though a few RFI studies have been
reported, no comprehensive evaluation
across the various microwave and millimeter
exits at the present time.
Second Meeting
Topics
• Report from RFI workshop
• DLR (Germany)
• Spectrum economics
• Weather, atmospheric, and ionospheric radars
• Radar astronomy
• Telecomms capacity expansion options
Milestones
• Report writing assignments given
• Identified speakers for next meeting
• Discussed preliminiary conclusions and recs
Third Meeting
Topics
• Another perspective on the future of wireless
communications networking
• Reports from the Chapter Leads
Milestones
• Chapter drafts reviewed and discussed
• Completion schedule outlined
Fourth Meeting
Topics
• Focus on spectrum allocation and access issues, and
RFI
• Tour of WHOI
Milestones
• Discussion and synthesis of findings and
recommendations
• Decided on findings and recommendations
Report Structure
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Introduction
Active sensing of the atmosphere
Active Earth remote sensing for ocean applications
Active Earth remote sensing for land surface
applications
Active remote sensing for ionospheric and space
studies
Planetary radar astronomy
Spectrum access: allocation policies and assignment
process
Radio frequency interference issues for active sensing
instruments
Technology and the opportunities for interference
mitigation
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Study Schedule (1)
• First meeting: Aug 15-16, 2013
– Getting educated
• RFI Workshop: Nov 8, 2013
• Second meeting: Nov 14-15, 2013
– Second set of speakers
– Report from the RFI Workshop
– Outline and writing assignments
• Third meeting: Feb 10-11, 2014 (in DC)
– Discuss preliminary report
– Propose changes/edits
• Fourth Meeting: ~June 2014 (in Woods Hole)
– Finalize report
Study Schedule (2)
• Send draft report to reviewers: October 2014
• Respond to reviewers’ comments: November-December
2014
• Release report : Dec/Jan 2014
Thank You!
Any Questions?