The SGD Operational Tool uses AI-techniques to enable satellite operators to pro-actively manage both simple two-station diversity gateways and more complex Smart Gateway Diversity (SGD) arrangements by:
- predicting outages 6 hours ahead
- analysing weather predictions at available diversity gateways
- automatically transferring traffic to alternate gateways before outages occur.
The Operational Tool can be configured to provide forecast switching plans at the beginning of each shift, updated every 15 minutes, which can then be executed either manually or automatically using an API.
The Operational Tool applies the Atheras proprietary Outage Prediction Algorithm (OPA) to weather forecasts to enable satellite operators to effectively manage their gateway networks by predicting rain-based outages and automatically transferring traffic to alternate gateways before these outages occur.
Current network control systems are entirely re-active and a switch to a standby gateway is only invoked following the commencement of an outage. The Atheras Operational Tool anticipates weather outages based on the application of the OPA to precision weather forecasts and makes automated AI-based switching decisions in advance of an outage.
The advent of multiple gateway networks also poses the question of which alternate gateway to switch to in the event of a predicted outage. The Operational Tool assesses the forecast weather availability of all alternate gateways and invokes a switch to the alternate gateway with best forecast availability.
Other weather-related events will be incorporated in the future e.g. de-icing, snow-fall and high winds which will be especially valuable for remote-site, often-unmanned gateways.
