(03/1997)
Electronic exchange of information
for spectrum management purposes
SM Series
Spectrum management
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Foreword
The role of the Radiocommunication Sector is to ensure the rational, equitable, efficient and economical use of the radio-frequency spectrum by all radiocommunication services, including satellite services, and carry out studies without limit of frequency range on the basis of which Recommendations are adopted.
The regulatory and policy functions of the Radiocommunication Sector are performed by World and Regional Radiocommunication Conferences and Radiocommunication Assemblies supported by Study Groups.
Policy on Intellectual Property Right (IPR)
ITU-R policy on IPR is described in the Common Patent Policy for ITU-T/ITU-R/ISO/IEC referenced in Annex 1 of Resolution ITU-R 1. Forms to be used for the submission of patent statements and licensing declarations by patent holders are available from http://www.itu.int/ITU-R/go/patents/en where the Guidelines for Implementation of the Common Patent Policy for ITUT/ITUR/ISO/IEC and the ITU-R patent information database can also be found.
Series of ITU-R Recommendations(Also available online at http://www.itu.int/publ/R-REC/en)
Series / Title
BO / Satellite delivery
BR / Recording for production, archival and play-out; film for television
BS / Broadcasting service (sound)
BT / Broadcasting service (television)
F / Fixed service
M / Mobile, radiodetermination, amateur and related satellite services
P / Radiowave propagation
RA / Radio astronomy
RS / Remote sensing systems
S / Fixed-satellite service
SA / Space applications and meteorology
SF / Frequency sharing and coordination between fixed-satellite and fixed service systems
SM / Spectrum management
SNG / Satellite news gathering
TF / Time signals and frequency standards emissions
V / Vocabulary and related subjects
Note: This ITU-R Recommendation was approved in English under the procedure detailed in Resolution ITU-R 1.
Electronic Publication
Geneva, 2011
ã ITU 2011
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, by any means whatsoever, without written permission of ITU.
Rec. ITU-R SM.668-1 19
RECOMMENDATION ITU-R SM. 668-1[*], [**]
Electronic exchange of information for spectrum management purposes
(1990-1997)
Rec. ITU-R SM.668-1
The ITU Radiocommunication Assembly ,
considering
a) that administrations are facing increasingly voluminous and complex tasks in spectrum management due to the increased use of existing and new telecommunications technology;
b) that the efficient solution of spectrum management problems requires data storage, data retrieval, and analysis capabilities, and consequently requires effective spectrum management and application of computer methods;
c) that most administrations have only very limited staff resources available to perform spectrum management functions; consequently they are in need of effective methods of enhancing their productivity;
d) that modern electronic information exchange technologies offer “tools” that provide useful improvements in staff productivity but require appropriate planning and management to ensure these benefits are realised;
e) that the transfer of computer programs and spectrum management data would support and facilitate national spectrum management and coordination among administrations and with the Radiocommunication Bureau(BR) ;
f) that such computer programs and spectrum management data can be transferred between computer systems of different administrations and the BR using existing telecommunications facilities;
g) that there are a variety of electronic information exchange technologies with varying capabilities and performance, each involving administrative and maintenance tasks which will be related to the type of method of electronic exchange selected and the administrations’ requirements.
h) that a number of computer programs for spectrum management are available from the BR, administrations, or other sources;
j) that many administrations have been successful in implementing computer-aided techniques in the development and maintenance of their national spectrum management,
recognizing
1 that for electronic data exchange to be effectively implemented and successful, it is necessary for administrations to use both compatible transfer standards and internationally agreed data elements that have been uniquely and unambiguously described,
recommends
1 that administrations should use the provisions of the Guidelines for electronic exchange of spectrum management information (see Appendix 1);
2 that administrations should be encouraged to use the remote access facilities of the ITU computer system and first preference should be given to an implementation of a remote frequency assignment data entry system from administrations to the BR database;
3 that administrations should be encouraged to use the same data capture and validation methods as the BR ;
4 that administrations should be able to remotely retrieve spectrum management information from the BR data base;
5 that data base management systems used for spectrum management data should have adequate security features to prevent altering the data without adequate authorization;
6 that administrations should carefully consider the types of electronic data exchange available in the context of their:
– existing computer systems,
– future computer system and spectrum management requirements,
– security requirements,
– national data dictionaries;
7 that administrations should be encouraged to make use of computer programs for frequency management and EMC analyses which are available.
APPENDIX 1
Guidelines for the electronic exchange of
spectrum management information
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Summary 4
1 Introduction 4
2 Data and Data Issues 5
2.1 Introduction 5
2.2 Standards compliance 5
2.3 Critical role of data dictionaries 5
2.4 Categories of data 6
2.4.1 Topographic data 6
2.4.2 Boundary definition data 6
2.5 Presentation of data 6
2.5.1 Graphical presentation of data 6
2.6 Types of data file 7
2.6.1 Database (structured) files 7
2.6.2 Word-processing (unstructured) files 7
2.7 Constraints on the recipient’s use of the information exchanged 7
2.8 Protection of data 8
3 Transport methods 8
3.1 Introduction 8
3.2 Surface mail 9
3.3 Facsimile (FAX) 9
3.4 Electronic mail (E-mail) 9
3.5 Remote data access–Bulletin boards, gophers, World-Wide-Web servers, file transfer protocol(FTP) sites, and “connections” 10
3.6 Standards compliance 10
Page
4 Issues in systems implementations 11
4.1 Introduction 11
4.2 Existing computer facilities 11
4.3 The administration’s EDE requirements 11
4.4 Procurement 12
4.5 Managing change 12
5 Staffing and training 12
5.1 Introduction 12
5.2 Nature, scope, and potential sources of required skills 13
5.3 Existing skills 13
5.4 Computer and communications systems management/maintenance 13
5.5 User training 14
5.6 Procurement 14
6 Case studies 15
6.1 Introduction 15
6.2 Case Study 1 – Document exchange via ITU TIES 15
6.3 Case Study 2 – Transfer of analysis 16
6.4 Case Study 3 – Radiocommunication Agency frequency and site database 16
6.4.1 Introduction 16
6.4.2 Current data exchange issues 16
6.4.3 Benefits of electronic exchange 17
6.4.4 Possible problem areas 17
6.4.5 Method of transfer 17
6.4.6 Future plans 17
6.5 Case Study 4 – Electronic data exchange between monitoring stations 17
6.5.1 Introduction 17
6.5.2 Example of electronic exchange of data concerning BR Appendices 22 and 23 18
6.5.3 Request for a bearing 19
6.5.4 Collation of monitoring data 20
6.5.5 Summary 21
6.6 Case Study 5 – Canadian international frequency coordination for the terrestrial services 21
6.6.1 Introduction 21
6.6.2 Canada/United States frequency coordination 21
6.6.3 Coordination/notification with the ITU 22
6.6.4 Overview of the automated Canadian international frequency coordination system 23
6.7 Case Study 6 – Data exchange within the Vienna Agreement 25
Annex 1–International definitions and standards 27
Annex 2–Critical role of Data Dictionaries 27
Annex 3–Topographic data 29
Annex 4–Graphics 31
Annex 5–Database files 33
Annex 6–Word-processing files 34
Annex 7–System security 35
Annex 8–Transport methods–Technical details 37
Annex 9–An example of a resource planning list 42
Annex 10–Basic automated spectrum management system 44
Glossary 46
Summary
Why consider Electronic Data Exchange?
In today’s rapidly changing radio communications business, it is accepted that the use of computer based techniques is essential if fast, effective, cost efficient spectrum management is to be achieved, particularly when sharing the spectrum between competing services. The continuing growth of these services has resulted in the need to exchange often complex information for coordination, planning and notification purposes. A good example of this is when coordinating satellite based systems, which require large volumes of complex information to be exchanged with many organizations. Processing this information using existing manual methods is time consuming, expensive, repetitive, and ties up valuable human resources. Loss of data integrity during the exchange process is highly likely and therefore alternative methods for exchanging information are needed.
Electronic data exchange(EDE) offers such a solution. EDE allows direct transfer of information between systems, a simplistic example is diskette exchange. There are many methods which can be used, some simple, others more complex. The method chosen will depend on the type of data to be exchanged, its quantity, the time taken for the exchange of data to be completed and the costs of the data exchange system.
Electronic data exchange not only has the potential to provide administrations and the Radiocommunication Bureau(BR) with improvements in efficiency, but also to enable new methods of manipulation and analysis of data to be developed. These new methods, like visual data analysis, will permit large complex interference scenarios to be more easily handled.
Information on the types of systems, their benefits, risks, impact on the business needs and resources, are discussed in the main body of this Guideline. Detailed information is contained in the Annexes.
When these Guidelines were prepared, the ITU-R was considering and approving the simplification of the Radio Regulations(RR). Because of the existence of both the RR and the simplified RR and the gradual transition between these, the numbering of Articles and Appendices referenced in these Guidelines may change.
1 Introduction
In response to Resolution ITU-R 10 and by Radiocommunication Study Group1 Decision ITU-R 2/1, Task Group1/4 was established to develop guidance and provide a source for reference on exchange of information through electronic means to share spectrum management information. This Recommendation provides guidance by outlining the issues requiring consideration by senior managers in organizations who wish to implement or improve electronic data exchange(EDE). It considers among other things the hardware, software, data storage media, data file format and dictionary, security, procedures, communications networks, and the staff necessary to accomplish this task.
The term “spectrum management information” includes, but is not limited to, that information which is needed to carry out the following functions:
– portraying frequency band allocations;
– monitoring spectrum activity;
– coordinating and/or notifying frequency assignments or orbital positions;
– specifying equipment/system characteristics;
– using and transferring analytical models;
– accessing regulatory documents.
The process of exchanging information via electronic or computer related means and transforming that information into a suitable form for automatic processing is commonly referred to as EDE. Further, it is implied that the exchanged data will convey information that must be understood by the receiving party if it is to be usable. For successful information exchange, both the sender and receiver must adhere to agreed standards for the conversion and transmission or transportation of the data. These standards may be human or computer-related. The former may be understood as a common cultural or technical background and is rarely explicitly formulated. The latter is standardized as a set of accepted formats.
EDE may be facilitated in a number of ways; from the use of physical media such as diskettes, magnetic tape, CDROM, to the use of sophisticated electronic file transfer protocols that permits transmitting information via wirelines, fibre optic
cables, or radio wave transmission media. The cost of implementation and the benefits available to administrations will depend on their existing computer facilities, their requirements, and their desired solution.
In employing an electronic system to exchange spectrum management information, a degree of efficiency and effectiveness is expected to be gained. Search and retrieval of documents or technical data are vastly improved. Response times associated with evaluating frequency coordination proposals are reduced or minimized. The time associated with the capture and submission of notification data to the BR is also substantially reduced. These benefits permit improvements in efficiency and may result in savings in staff time.
EDE provides the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) with the same benefits as administrations but on a larger scale. To aid the exchange of data electronically the ITU has therefore established a network facility called TIES (Telecom Information Exchanges Services) that provides diverse telecommunication services to its Members. Within this network the ITU has developed an electronic document data base (ITUDOC), forming an integral part of the ITU’s TIES computerbased electronic information services. Further information can be found in Case Study 1 of §6 of Appendix1.
The main text of these Guidelines is intended to provide an overview of each subject or issue with the detailed discussion and analyses being found in supporting Annexes. The Recommendation also provides a number of case studies and a glossary of terms.
2 Data and Data Issues
2.1 Introduction
Exchanging spectrum management information by electronic means requires a number of data related issues to be addressed in order for the process to be effective. Data can be held in many different forms and the main factors affecting the exchange will vary with each of these forms. For EDE to operate easily and efficiently it is necessary to have compatible standards for representing the data as well as standards for its transfer. However, for information to be exchanged it is also necessary to understand the exact meaning of the data, as well as having an appreciation of the legal, financial and security issues. These issues should then be addressed and agreed solutions incorporated in a set of standards.
2.2 Standards compliance
Individual countries already use many data standards, although they are not necessarily all recognised as such. For example, in the world of radiocommunications it is necessary for all to have a common understanding–“radio” (as part of the electromagnetic spectrum) needs agreed standards for terms, definitions and the way it is quantified and measured. Otherwise, it would not be possible to plan frequency assignments, negotiate and publish performance specifications or issue licences for radiocommunication services. Administrations could not perform the spectrum management function without standards for its operation, such as those in the internationally agreed rules set down in the RR.