Radio propagation modeling and measurement of uneven terrain model

Abstract Conventionally, when propagation modeling is conducted for a specific environment, the ground surface is oftentimes treated as a flat one even if the surface profile undulates moderately. This is especially common across various commercial propagation prediction tools, which treat the groun...

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Main Authors: Qi-Ping Soo, Soo-Yong Lim, Pei-Song Chee, Eng-Hock Lim, Kian-Meng Yap
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-08-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-00958-8
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author Qi-Ping Soo
Soo-Yong Lim
Pei-Song Chee
Eng-Hock Lim
Kian-Meng Yap
author_facet Qi-Ping Soo
Soo-Yong Lim
Pei-Song Chee
Eng-Hock Lim
Kian-Meng Yap
author_sort Qi-Ping Soo
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Conventionally, when propagation modeling is conducted for a specific environment, the ground surface is oftentimes treated as a flat one even if the surface profile undulates moderately. This is especially common across various commercial propagation prediction tools, which treat the ground to be a flat surface whenever possible, because doing so will simplify the whole propagation modeling process. However, in cases when the ground surface is not flat in the upfront, special efforts should be made to model the ground surface as it is so that the model can retain the precision results of propagation prediction. In this work, we present a physical representation of terrain irregularities constructed using common materials, acknowledging the electromagnetic limitations of these materials compared to actual ground and building materials. Propagation measurements were conducted at 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, 5.8 GHz and 24 GHz, and the results are compared against our in-house ray-tracing simulation that has incorporated an integrated scattering factor. The results for 900 MHz are useful for understanding the UHF RFID propagation. Additionally, for all four frequencies, we have further engaged the CST Studio Suite for generating ray-tracing results. The outcome of this work is applicable to places with an uneven terrain, such as a cave. This work also establishes a foundation for future properly scaled models that maintain the relationship between model dimensions and measurement frequencies.
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spelling doaj-art-85751c08bf4e4e85a17dc99b4615d0dd2025-08-20T03:04:39ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-08-0115111610.1038/s41598-025-00958-8Radio propagation modeling and measurement of uneven terrain modelQi-Ping Soo0Soo-Yong Lim1Pei-Song Chee2Eng-Hock Lim3Kian-Meng Yap4Centre for Communication Systems and Networks, Universiti Tunku Abdul RahmanDepartment of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Nottingham Malaysia CampusCentre for Communication Systems and Networks, Universiti Tunku Abdul RahmanCentre for Communication Systems and Networks, Universiti Tunku Abdul RahmanSchool of Science and Technology, Sunway UniversityAbstract Conventionally, when propagation modeling is conducted for a specific environment, the ground surface is oftentimes treated as a flat one even if the surface profile undulates moderately. This is especially common across various commercial propagation prediction tools, which treat the ground to be a flat surface whenever possible, because doing so will simplify the whole propagation modeling process. However, in cases when the ground surface is not flat in the upfront, special efforts should be made to model the ground surface as it is so that the model can retain the precision results of propagation prediction. In this work, we present a physical representation of terrain irregularities constructed using common materials, acknowledging the electromagnetic limitations of these materials compared to actual ground and building materials. Propagation measurements were conducted at 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, 5.8 GHz and 24 GHz, and the results are compared against our in-house ray-tracing simulation that has incorporated an integrated scattering factor. The results for 900 MHz are useful for understanding the UHF RFID propagation. Additionally, for all four frequencies, we have further engaged the CST Studio Suite for generating ray-tracing results. The outcome of this work is applicable to places with an uneven terrain, such as a cave. This work also establishes a foundation for future properly scaled models that maintain the relationship between model dimensions and measurement frequencies.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-00958-8
spellingShingle Qi-Ping Soo
Soo-Yong Lim
Pei-Song Chee
Eng-Hock Lim
Kian-Meng Yap
Radio propagation modeling and measurement of uneven terrain model
Scientific Reports
title Radio propagation modeling and measurement of uneven terrain model
title_full Radio propagation modeling and measurement of uneven terrain model
title_fullStr Radio propagation modeling and measurement of uneven terrain model
title_full_unstemmed Radio propagation modeling and measurement of uneven terrain model
title_short Radio propagation modeling and measurement of uneven terrain model
title_sort radio propagation modeling and measurement of uneven terrain model
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-00958-8
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AT enghocklim radiopropagationmodelingandmeasurementofuneventerrainmodel
AT kianmengyap radiopropagationmodelingandmeasurementofuneventerrainmodel