Re: [Discuss-gnuradio] GSoC 2014: Wireless Network in the loop

[Otterbach, Nico]

Hi Asma,

this sounds very interesting, especially the implementation of new channel 
models would be a great enhancement to the WiNeLo project (and, if implemented 
as standard GR blocks, to GR in general). Concerning this matter - and as an 
additional option - one could possibly also improve and extend the already 
existing gr-channelsounder OOT (see 
https://github.com/gbaier/gr_channelsounder).

Your second thought is also a great  idea, but to me it sounds more like a demo 
application for the WiNeLo framework. I am really looking forward to see such 
applications running on top of WiNeLo, but I think that we should invest all 
the valuable development effort in the framework itself or the hardware and 
channel models right now.

I am looking forward to read your opinion on these ideas!

Nico
________________________________________
Von: address@hidden address@hidden im Auftrag von Asma Afzal address@hidden
Gesendet: Montag, 10. März 2014 10:57
An: address@hidden
Betreff: [Discuss-gnuradio] GSoC 2014: Wireless Network in the loop

Dear All,

My name is Asma Afzal. I am currently pursuing a PhD in Electrical Engineering 
(Wireless Communication ) from the University of Leeds, UK.

I am interested in working on the WiNeLo GSoC project. WiNeLo  is an 
in-the-loop simulation framework for communication networks based on the GNU 
Radio software radio toolkit. gr-winelo mimics the behavior of common RF 
frontends such as the USRP, but instead of sending the signal over the air, a 
central server plays the role of the wireless communication channel. Arbitrary 
channel models can be simulated, by passing their respective GNU Radio 
processing block to the server. Since this whole setup is completely 
transparent to GNU Radio applications, it is at any moment possible to switch 
between simulations and real-world tests.

After watching the FOSDEM video, I believe I can make (part of) the following 
additions to the ongoing project

1. Implementation of various analytical channel models on the server to mimic 
real wireless channel. (Rayleigh, Nakagami-m, Rician, Weibull fading, Lognormal 
Shadowing)

2. Implementation of different transmission strategies such as CDM or 
interference free TDM with different digital modulation schemes.

A user will be provisioned to input various controlling parameters like the 
frequency, rate of symbol transmission, wireless environment (indoor/outdoor), 
etc.

With reference to these points, I wanted to ask senior members of the community 
regarding which tasks would be beneficial to the community immediately?

I will appreciate your input to point out the exact goal.

I believe that my skills are particularly well suited for this project.

I did my Masters in Telecommunication and Networks from NUST, Pakistan. I 
studied Wireless communication and Wireless networks in detail. I am familiar 
with modulation schemes and wireless channel impairments like path loss, 
slow/fast fading, shadowing, noise and interference. My current research is 
based on stochastic modeling of wireless networks in presence of path loss and 
fading. I have recently presented a paper at Globecom 2013. The paper hasn’t 
come on IEEE Xplore yet but you can find an electronic copy on this link.

http://ipt.seecs.nust.edu.pk/Pubs/Asma%20Globecom%202013.pdf

Although I don’t have prior experience with GNU Radios, but I have strong 
programming skills in C/C++ and Matlab. During my masters, I worked on a 
collaborative project with Cypress Semi-Conductor, USA. The project involved 
implementation of AES-128 encryption and a part of thermal management system on 
Programmable System on Chip (PSoC). As a result of successful implementation, I 
got two technical articles published (listed below).

http://www.embedded.com/design/safety-and-security/4417178/Enhancing-system-efficiency-of-embedded-encryption-applications

http://www.embedded.com/design/prototyping-and-development/4422955/Building-an-efficient--intelligent--and-flexible-thermal-management-system

I am a keen learner and I have always wanted to apply my theoretical knowledge 
on practical systems. This is my chance to do that. It will be extremely 
beneficial for my understanding of wireless systems and since this project is 
so relevant to my research, I would like to pursue it after summer as well and 
contribute to the GNU Radio open source community.

Thank you.

Kind Regards,
Asma Afzal.