Terrain Database Server

ASTi's Terrain Server software applies occulting and degradation effects to communication paths in the Model Builder radio environment. The Terrain Server interacts with Model Builder via Model Builder's existing terrain database interface, and can support all transmitter/receiver pairs on the network. Telestra's RMS web-browser interface also provides a terrain server poll function, including visual representation of the terrain profile between two world positions.

In the real world, terrain features can impact radio and tactical communications causing degradation or complete loss of signal. This is highly relevant on the battlefield, and translates to a desirable--and often necessary--training element, particularly for ground-based operators and vehicles.

In the past, our customers used their own terrain databases and query software along with ASTi's terrain interface to provide occultation and signal degradation information. While this is still available, ASTi's new Terrain services product offloads this task, and provides complete simulation of terrain effects on the communications environment including voice and tactical data transmissions, jamming, etc. For convenience, a complete DTED level 0 dataset of the earth is pre-installed, with the ability to install higher-fidelity terrain data in desired areas of interest.

Propagation algorithms are optimized to ensure real-time performance and handling of large amounts of transmitters and receivers, without sacrificing accuracy such as Fresnel Zone diffraction effects. A query and visualization tool is also provided in RMS for testing and verifying path losses between transmitters and receivers.

As a quick summary, capabilities include:

• Pre-installed DTED Level 0 data of complete earth
• Import utility for loading of custom DTED and DEM data
• Ability to add custom data on top of baseline data
• "Resolution Agnostic"
• Optimized path loss calculation algorithm for real-time performance
• Fresnel Zone diffraction effects
• Tracking of all Transmitters/Receivers over the simulation network
• Visualization tool for point-to-point queries
• DIS and HLA
• Seamless integration with existing ASTi products