Site-specific Radio Signal Propagation for Tactical Environments using 3D Path Tracing

This paper introduces a novel 3D path tracing-based approach to simulate site-specific radio signal propagation in complex, tactical environments for the development and evaluation of advanced communication systems. Because traditional signal propagation and path loss models are of empirical or stochastic nature, they vastly approximate local phenomenons, e.g., obstacle-related attenuation, multi-path reflections, and the impact of different construction materials. Our here introduced system, called RAYDIO, instead uses highly optimized 3D path tracing on site data to include local impact factors, and, thus, achieve a novel degree of realism. One explicitly targeted use case is the simulation of realistic path loss data for vignette 3 of the NATO IST-124 Anglova reference scenario, which is set in a complex downtown environment, where traditional empirical models are insufficient. This paper covers the core concept of path tracing-based 3D signal propagation, highlights the design challenges and solutions of our RAYDIO system, and presents a proof of concept.