This project, instrumenting a complete measurement and test system for open spectrum wireless communication and networking research, addresses . Intelligent soft-decision cognitive sensing paradigm, . Spectrum mobility and routing schemes via proactive spectrum access, and . Cross-layer design approaches for providing differential quality-of-service (QoS) and quality assured multimedia services over next generation wireless networks. Providing hands-on experience, the instrument will serve as a tool for education and training students for their capstone design projects and for independent research projects. Enhancing curricula, the project facilitates research and education in wireless communication, cross-layer design, dynamic spectrum access, cognitive radio, sensor networks, and multimedia services over wireless. The project also facilitates development and demonstration of a software defined radio-based wireless communication and networking laboratories. Preliminary work utilized a GNU software platform. The technologies developed are expected to make aspects of wireless transmission, reception, and networking programmable by allowing intelligent exploitation of the portion of the spectrum that is allocated but unused or underused.
Broader Impacts: Successful exploration of the issues enabled by the instrument can have significant scientific and engineering impact; additionally, the project impacts curricula and may result in enhancement of courses at the graduate and undergraduate levels, strengthening the bond between research and education.
