A Comparative Study of the Computation Efficiency of a GPU-Based Ray Launching Algorithm for UAV-Assisted Wireless Communications

Authors

  • Maximilian J. Arpaio Department of Electrical, Electronic and Information Engineering “G. Marconi” Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Bologna, 40136, Italy
  • Enrico M. Vitucci Department of Electrical, Electronic and Information Engineering “G. Marconi” Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Bologna, 40136, Italy
  • Franco Fuschini Department of Electrical, Electronic and Information Engineering “G. Marconi” Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Bologna, 40136, Italy

Keywords:

5G, Air-To-Ground (A2G) propagation, GPU, NVIDIA, ray launching, UAV

Abstract

Graphics Processing Units (GPU), have opened up new opportunities for speeding up generalpurpose parallel computing applications. In this paper, we present the computation efficiency in terms of time performances of a novel ray launching field prediction algorithm which relies on NVIDIA GPUs and its Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA). The software tool assesses the propagation losses between a wireless transmitter - carried by an Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) - over a 3D urban environment. Together with other effective features, the software tool is shown to reduce by several orders of magnitude the computation time of simulations. Performances and cost-benefit analysis of three different NVIDIA GPU configurations are thus investigated over three different urban scenarios, taken as test-cases for Air-to-Ground (A2G) communications for 5G applications and beyond.

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Author Biographies

Maximilian J. Arpaio, Department of Electrical, Electronic and Information Engineering “G. Marconi” Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Bologna, 40136, Italy

Maximilian James Arpaio received the Master degree in Telecommunications Engineering from the University of Parma in 2005 and a specialization in wind engineering and aerodynamics from the Polytechnic University of Milan in 2007. He received a Postgraduate Master in Project Management from the University of Verona in 2012. Since 2006, he has been collaborating with various Italian universities by promoting technical seminars and scientific collaborations. His current interests are on antennas and RF propagation within different environments, especially those related to next generation mobile systems (5G) for UAVs assisted wireless networks. He is a member of the IEEE and the Antennas & Propagation Society since 2018.

Enrico M. Vitucci, Department of Electrical, Electronic and Information Engineering “G. Marconi” Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Bologna, 40136, Italy

Enrico Maria Vitucci received the M.Sc. degree in Telecommunication Engineering and the Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Bologna, Italy. He is currently a tenure-track Assistant Professor in electromagnetic fields at the Department of Electrical, Electronic and Information Engineering “G. Marconi” (DEI) of the University of Bologna. From 2011 to 2016, he was a Research Associate at the Center for Industrial Research on ICT of the University of Bologna. In 2015, he was a Visiting Researcher at Polaris Wireless, Inc., Mountain View, USA. His research interests are in deterministic wireless propagation models and multidimensional radio channel characterization. He is author or co-author of about 80 technical papers on international journals and conferences, and co-inventor of 4 international patents. He is a Senior Member of IEEE, and a member of the Editorial Board of the journal “Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing”.

Franco Fuschini, Department of Electrical, Electronic and Information Engineering “G. Marconi” Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Bologna, 40136, Italy

Franco Fuschini graduated with honours in Telecommunication Engineering and received the Ph.D. degree in Electronics and Computer Science from the University of Bologna in March 1999 and in July 2003, respectively. In April 1999 he received the ‘Marconi Foundation Young Scientist Prize’ in the context of the XXV Marconi International Fellowship Award. He is now Research Associate at the Department of Electrical, Electronic and Information Engineering “G. Marconi” of the University of Bologna. His main research interests are in the area of radio systems design and radio propagation channel theoretical modelling and experimental investigation. Franco Fuschini is author or co-author of about 20 papers on IEEE journals about radio propagation and wireless system design.

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Published

2020-12-05

How to Cite

[1]
Maximilian J. Arpaio, Enrico M. Vitucci, and Franco Fuschini, “A Comparative Study of the Computation Efficiency of a GPU-Based Ray Launching Algorithm for UAV-Assisted Wireless Communications”, ACES Journal, vol. 35, no. 12, pp. 1462–1456, Dec. 2020.

Issue

2020: Vol 35 Iss 12

Section

General Submission