Low cost network planning tool development using Google maps, SRTM data and MATLAB

Network planning is an essential part of any wireless network deployment. The prices of commercial network planning tools are expensive, making them inaccessible to many researchers and organizations with small networks. However, in house development of network planning tools are not as hard as it was used to be. The freely available web maps and rapid development capability of MATLAB Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) and recently integrated Object Oriented Programming to MATLAB make it much easier. Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) data is a public database which gives access to elevation data for the whole world. In this paper we give the architecture details of our owned Network Planning Cell Tool (NPCET), a network planning tool that was designed for planning rural WiMAX networks in Malaysia. Developing a network planning tool is multi-disciplinary in nature, the scope of the project involves wireless propagation, geographical information systems and maps, network planning and programming. The paper can be used as a guide for researchers on how to integrate necessary data sources and propagation models for building a comprehensive planning tool for almost any type of communication system.