Strategies for spectrum usage measurements

The design of strategies to measure spectrum usage is systematized to a degree by considering the electrospace dimensions. 'Electrospace' is used to describe the portion of the universe that a radio wave occupies, and its dimensions are frequency, location, direction, polarization, and time. A strategy that considers each of the dimensions individually serves as the starting point for planning the actual measurement program. Several examples of measurement programs are described, showing a wide range of measurement and signal processing functions resulting from difference in the signal populations in the respective frequency bands and different requirements for data. Since the details of the measurement process can vary widely, interpretation of the data must be carefully matched to the measurements.<>