LoRa mesh-5G integrated network for trackside smart weather monitoring

Chen, Y., Shi, G., Al-Quraan, M., Sambo, Y. , Onireti, O. and Imran, M. (2024) LoRa mesh-5G integrated network for trackside smart weather monitoring. IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology, (doi: 10.1109/tvt.2024.3361160) (Early Online Publication)

Abstract

Monitoring of trackside weather is a critical aspect of railway operations, mainly for safety and efficiency reasons. Unfortunately, current cellular networks, including the fourth-generation and fifth-generation (5G) cellular networks, do not provide ubiquitous coverage for rail lines mainly due to an unfavorable cost-benefit realization. In this paper, we propose a Long Range (LoRa) mesh-5G integrated network that tackles this problem by utilizing a 5G network for backhaul, computing and storage, and LoRa mesh to extend coverage. We design a LoRa mesh server that runs on a private cloud of the 5G network to manage the LoRa mesh network. We integrate edge computing into the network and design a cloud-edge-terminal collaborative architecture with three algorithms for timely significant-change updates, packet loss detection, and adaptive thresholds to reduce the packet rate and data volume of the network. We validate the design by implementing a proof-of-concept on the 5G testbed at the University of Glasgow. The experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of the network and the cloud-edge-terminal collaborative architecture.

• Item Type: Articles
• Keywords: LoRa mesh, 5G, hybrid network, weather monitoring, railway digitalization, cloud-edge-terminal collaboration.
• Status: Early Online Publication
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Sambo, Dr Yusuf and Chen, Yu and Imran, Professor Muhammad and Onireti, Oluwakayode and Alquraan, Mohammad Mahmoud Younes
• Authors: Chen, Y., Shi, G., Al-Quraan, M., Sambo, Y., Onireti, O., and Imran, M.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering; College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Autonomous Systems and Connectivity
• Journal Name: IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology
• Publisher: IEEE
• ISSN: 0018-9545
• ISSN (Online): 1939-9359
• Published Online: 01 February 2024
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2024 IEEE
• First Published: First published in IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology 2024
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy