International Symposium on Advanced Radio Technologies (ISART):
Developing Forward-Thinking Rules and Processes to Fully Exploit Spectrum Resources

An Annual Event in Boulder, Colorado USA

The International Symposium on Advanced Radio Technologies (ISART ) is a US government-sponsored conference that brings together government, academia, and industry leaders for the purpose of forecasting the development and application of advanced radio technologies.

ISART 2012: Developing Forward Thinking Rules and Processes to Fully Exploit Spectrum Resources—Case Study 2: Engineering the Spectrum Sharing Infrastructure

July 25–26, 2012

ISART 2010 laid the foundation with a comprehensive survey of spectrum sharing approaches from a Federal government perspective. Contemporary issues with radar sharing and the extensive allocations for radar systems motivated ISART 2011, which provided a comprehensive evaluation of radar spectrum management and usage. It mingled prominent radar and telecommunications engineers who explored the interactions between these distinctive technologies and contemplated enhanced spectrum engineering and sharing approaches.

Case Study 2 responds to recent progress in dynamic spectrum access (DSA) technology that highlights the critical role of the spectrum sharing infrastructure, which is more the domain of computer scientists than radio scientists. This infrastructure is architected upon databases, information exchange languages, and business processes. More than any particular radio technology, computer science has spurred the latest advancements in technologies that will enable new and innovative ways to share spectrum. Geolocation databases will dictate channel availability in the TV white spaces, and the Department of Defense is developing capabilities to generate digital spectrum policy that would govern the operation of flexible spectrum use radios with and without spectrum sensing.

Future Federal spectrum sharing will require changes to the existing spectrum management infrastructure to expand spectrum availability through use of technologies like DSA. Widespread acceptance and adoption of spectrum sharing technologies will require well-defined business practices and sharing agreements, the development of supporting automation and management systems to generate coexistence rulesets, and secure networks that implement these rulesets.

ISART 2012 will expose radio scientists and computer scientists to a detailed view of each other’s perspective of spectrum use and management. It will delineate the obstacles to development of spectrum sharing infrastructure for both Federal and commercial sharing.

Specific topics for ISART 2012 include:

• Evaluation of current spectrum sharing
• Contemporary Federal spectrum management processes
• Spectrum sharing technology current status: spectrum sensing, geospatial policies, and geolocation databases
• Progress report on Federal government DSA research
• Progress report on the TV white spaces
• Emerging Federal spectrum sharing approaches
• The Department of Defense perspective
• NTIA’s future spectrum management scheme
• Other Federal agencies’ approaches to sharing
• Commercial sharing with the government
• Envisioning the future spectrum sharing infrastructure
• Trends in radio technology development
• Geolocation databases and sensor networks
• Future spectrum management processes
• Next generation spectrum management tools
• Validation and regulation of the new infrastructure
• Ex post regulation: risks and rewards
• System certification for spectrum dependent systems (SDSs) and the infrastructure
• Designing for enforcement
• Closing panel—implementing the plan
• Enterprise architecture for next generation SDSs
• Dynamic spectrum management
• Standards development
• Spectrum sharing test-beds

Government, private sector, and academic participants will explore emerging technologies, get a behind-the-scenes look at government agency considerations, and debate the policy implications of spectrum sharing.

ISART is sponsored by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). NTIA is an agency in the US Department of Commerce that serves as the executive branch agency principally responsible for advising the President on telecommunications and information policies. In this role, NTIA frequently works with other Executive Branch agencies to develop and present the Administration's position on these issues. Since its creation in 1978, NTIA has been at the cutting edge of critical issues. In addition to representing the Executive Branch in both domestic and international telecommunications and information policy activities, NTIA also manages the Federal use of spectrum; performs cutting–edge telecommunications research and engineering, including resolving technical telecommunications issues for the Federal government and private sector; and administers infrastructure and public telecommunications facilities grants.

The conference is hosted by the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS). ITS is the research and engineering laboratory of the NTIA. ITS provides technical support to NTIA in advancing telecommunications and information infrastructure development, enhancing domestic competition, improving US telecommunications trade opportunities, and promoting more efficient and effective use of the radio spectrum. ITS also serves as a principal Federal resource for investigating the telecommunications challenges of other Federal agencies, state and local governments, private corporations and associations, and international organizations.