SBIR Phase I: Accelerated Propagation Modeling of Near Ground Radio Signals

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I research project addresses the development of accurate models for near-ground electromagnetic propagation in the 10 MHz to 3 GHz frequency range. The model proposed will be an improvement over existing models because it will 1) provide the result over a wide frequency band; 2) provide a result that is more accurate for near-ground propagation; and 3) be applicable to scenarios with multiple radiation sources and destinations. The primary phenomena it simulates are reflection, diffraction and scattering. The model, based on a combination of several well-known outdoor and indoor propagation models and techniques, relies on information contained in terrain elevation, ground cover and other databases. The broad impact of this research activity is that it will provide new insights into reduced-order modeling for large scale simulation. These insights will lead to a reduction in simulation redundancy and be applicable to electromagnetics and many other fields. There is a significant market for this technology in the SIGINT, COMINT, and ELINT sectors as well as the commercial sector.