Requirements for Standard Radiowave Propagation Models for Vehicular Environments

Although interest in deploying short-range wireless communications technology in vehicular environments has increased markedly in recent years, there is a remarkable dearth of information that can assist antenna designers and wireless system developers who are working in such environments. Under the auspices of the IEEE VT-S Technical Committee on Radiowave Propagation and Channel Modelling, the University of British Columbia's Radio Science Laboratory and the BMW Group Technology Office have formed an informal study group in order to elucidate the requirements for standard radiowave propagation models for vehicular environments. The work of the study group is proceedng in three stages. First, a framework for developing appropriate use cases is being proposed. Second, criteria for assessing the suitability of the models for practical applications are being developed. Finally, possible forms of these models are being proposed. It is anticipated that the efforts of this informal study group will stimulate interest in this important, but so far underexplored, area.