Data Analysis Module for WirelessHART Network Planning

This work is in the scope of a project that aims to develop a computing system to assist wireless networks planning in oil and gas plants. The main topic under investigation is the RF coverage analysis, as it directly influences the topological organization of the wireless network. In this sense, this paper presents the development of a data analysis module that gathers and processes data packages generated by a system devoted for wireless communication site survey (also developed in the scope of this project). The site survey obtains the link quality information from the communication units, which are stored and further analyzed. The developed module is devoted for data analysis and presentation by means of a simple and effective graphical user interface. Besides supporting the site survey, the developed module is also useful for validating another tool that was specifically designed for simulating the RF signal propagation.