An RF spectrum observatory database based on a Hybrid Storage System

In 2007, the Wireless Network and Communications (WiNCom) Research Center at the Illinois Institute of Technology initiated a continuous RF spectrum measurement program in the frequency range 30 MHz to 6 GHz. The data measurement collection, now multiple Terabytes, was historically stored in a flat file format on multiple hard drives which was efficient and easy to deal with from a data collection perspective, but not very effective from an analysis and sharing perspective. This paper describes the data capture structure, the new database and data storage approach that has been created to enable large scale, “safe storage”, and to facilitate data queries and RF measurement analysis by researchers both inside and outside of IIT's network, and some of the application that have been implemented using this new structure.