A Geospatial Decision-Support Framework for Deployment of Low-Power Radar Networks for U-Space Surveillance and EMF Constraints

Abstract

This work addresses the problem of planning low-power ground radar networks for surveillance in urban airspace for Advanced Air Mobility, with a focus on complex contexts such as ports, intermodal hubs, energy plants, and airport perimeters. The proposed approach introduces a continuous, deployment-oriented surrogate sensing model, used to compute a normalized detection score for non-cooperative Unmanned Aerial Vehicles within the surveillance area. The methodology integrates operational and environmental constraints using polygons that represent eligible installation areas and priority interest zones to ensure that sensor placement reflects both siting feasibility and the relative value of monitored areas. The framework also includes a first-order electromagnetic exposure-screening layer to support early-stage visualization and comparison across scenarios. Regulatory limits are not enforced in the current optimization. The development includes an interactive geospatial interface, which supports the definition of realistic scenarios and the selection of candidate radar deployment configurations consistent with user-defined siting constraints and exposure-screening assumptions.