Sample Problems

Problem 1:  Communications from an Infrastructure Damaged Area
Sponsored by the SDR Forum Public Safety Special Interest Group

The Scenario:
You are in a team of first responders on the scene following a major incident in a city subway.  You need to be able to identify to your command structure and other first responders, via your dispatch center,

• the magnitude of the affected area
• the number of casualties,
• hazards to avoid when entering the subway
• and how much assistance you may need. 

You are equipped with a radio that is programmed to operate with a two-way voice radio system. However, due to a series of explosions the communications links that normally provide network coverage underground have all been severed, and the only means of communicating back to the overall command structure is walk to an opening in the tunnel and exiting to the point where your radio is within the coverage footprint of the network.  You are very concerned that your inability to communicate information quickly from the actual scene of the explosion to the proper recipient is costing peoples lives.

The Challenge:
Develop a smart radio system that will automatically create an ad-hoc extension to the existing communications network such that voice communications can be relayed to/from the incident site out of the shadowed area to/from the above communications infrastructure. The network extension can utilize simplex (peer-to-peer) links among radios and reconfigure at least one radio as a repeater.

 

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Problem 2: Automated Spectrum Mapping
Sponsored by the SDR Forum Cognitive Radio Working Group

The Scenario:
You are in any crowded location (a major city, university campus, etc.)  where there are a lot of wireless users.  You have noticed that every day within a given time span the QoS starts to deteriorate (e.g. voice quality) that eventually leads to dropped calls. Other people in the area that you know do not experience the same problem you have, leading you to think that other parts of the spectrum are not as crowded as the one you are using. You would like to explore the possibility of using different parts of the spectrum during the congested times without adversely affecting other users. You feel that a better coordination of the resources could be obtained by creating a data base, containing spectrum information based on time and location, which can be exchanged through a distributed interface.

The Challenge:
Develop a smart radio system that will be able to effectively communicate information regarding spectrum utilization through a cooperative spectrum access protocol. The incorporation of some type of market mechanism to stimulate decision making is a plus.

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Problem 3: Next Stop … Elbonia
Sponsored by the SDR Forum Design Process and Tools Working Group

The Scenario:
You are a wireless product manager developing the next generation access point for broadband streaming media in the home. It must be out by Christmas, or your entire division is going to be fired. Everything is going well, till you hear a rumor that a crackerjack team based in Absurdia has developed a radical new communications protocol that is far superior to what you have designed to. Furthermore, they will be shipping units by Christmas! Its going to be bigger than the iPhone, everyone is going to want it. You must make your product compatible with this new protocol, but the specification isn't public yet. The best you can get is some general performance bounds rumors that you pick up while lunching with your industry colleagues. The spec will be released on November 3 (at the start of the SDR 08 Technical Conference). You must ship by November 5 (end of judging) to get into stores by Christmas. You must plan for the worst, and make your system and your team as flexible as possible so that you can respin your entire system, from design all the way through live field trials, in under 2 days. If you don't make it... well, I hear they are hiring in Elbonia.

The Challenge:
Develop a smart radio terminal and a rapid development model defining sufficient software and firmware infrastructure so as to allow new air interfaces to be added to the terminal very quickly. During the challenge, teams will be given a specification for an air interface standard supported by a Forum radio that will be transmitting a secret message. The first team that can decode this message, and transmit a suitable response will be deemed the winner.

Proposal Preparation Instructions are here.