Predictive Aerial Coverage Validation
Program: Mcity / M-Air, University of Michigan, with industry partners · Period: 2026–2027 (ongoing)
Cellular networks are increasingly used to support low-altitude drone operations, for command and control and for situational awareness. Coverage predictions for the airspace above the ground are hard to trust without independent measurement. This project independently validates a predictive lower-airspace 4G/5G coverage model.
My role
- Technical lead for the independent validation.
- Quantify prediction accuracy and its uncertainty, and characterize the conditions under which prediction error grows, such as altitude, terrain, and frequency band.
- Measurement flights follow the published ACJA Reference Method, and hold-out flights are kept separate from any model tuning.
Results will be shared through peer-reviewed publication, subject to sponsor review.
Efe Yarbasi is an Assistant Research Scientist in the Engineering Systems Group at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI). His research covers the safety of automated and driver-assistance systems and the electrification of transportation. He serves as principal investigator and co-principal investigator on projects sponsored by NHTSA, Toyota Motor North America, and the National Cooperative Highway Research Program. He co-leads the Low Altitude Airspace Working Group at M-Air.
He holds a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech. There he worked in the Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory under Prof. Dimitri Mavris and developed methods to find and reduce the uncertainties that matter most in complex, multi-disciplinary designs. He is a member of AIAA and IEEE.
Students: I enjoy working with students. If you are interested in my research, please send me an email.