Abstract:
A management system and method for a wireless communication network and an associated interface is provided. The management system provides a structure of data layers and a visualization design to upgrade the efficiency of network management. The management system includes a data generation module and a display module. The data module generates a plurality of data layers, which comprise at least a map layer, a network configuration layer, and an operation index layer. The network configuration layer comprises a configuration of the wireless communication network on the map layer. The operation index layer includes statistic values of an operation index of the wireless communication network under the configuration. The display module performs an overlap display of a plurality of selected layers from the data layers to show operation status of the wireless communication network.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/813,932, filed on Jun. 16, 2006, which is herein incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a wireless communication network, and more particularly, to a management system and method for the wireless communication network and an associated graphic user interface. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     In a wireless communication network such as a mobile network, it is useful for a telecom user or network administrator to know in advance the future operation status of a network component. If a problem such as the overloading of the network component is anticipated, then the telecom user can have enough time to prepare a solution for the problem. However, the prior art does not provide an efficient and convenient tool for the telecom user to make prediction and perform network diagnosis. 
     Besides, the prior art predicts the future operation status of the network component by the time series prediction technique, which often lacks accuracy since only history data of the network component itself is considered. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     It is therefore one objective of the present invention to provide a management system and method for a wireless communication network which provides an efficient and convenient graphic user interface for displaying the future operation status of network components, thereby facilitating the telecom user to perform network diagnosis and network adjustment for remedy. 
     Another objective of the present invention is to provide a management system and method for a wireless communication network which provides more accurate prediction by considering the influence from the parent, son, and neighbor components of a network component. 
     According to one embodiment of the present invention, a management system for a wireless communication network is provided. The management system comprises: a forecast module for generating a forecast value for a first operation index of at least a first network component of the wireless communication network during at least a forecast period; and a display module, connected to the forecast module, for providing a graphic user interface which comprises a forecast table to show the forecast value. The forecast module determines whether to enable a warning function of the graphic user interface according to a comparison of the forecast value and a warning value. 
     According to another embodiment of the present invention, a management method for a wireless communication network is provided. The management method comprises: generating a forecast value for an operation index of at least a network component of the wireless communication network during at least a forecast period; providing a graphic user interface which comprises a forecast table to show the forecast value; and determining whether to enable a warning function of the graphic user interface according to a comparison of the forecast value and a warning value. 
     According to another embodiment of the present invention, a graphic user interface for managing a wireless communication network is provided. The graphic user interface comprises: a forecast table for showing a forecast value for an operation index of at least a network component of the wireless communication network during at least a forecast period; a network tree graph for displaying a tree structure of a plurality of network components of the wireless communication network; and a map for showing where the network components are located. Whether a warning function of the graphic user interface is enabled is determined according to a comparison of the forecast value and a warning value. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of a management system for a wireless communication network according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a diagram showing an embodiment of a graphic user interface provided by the display module in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3A  shows an example of generating adjusted plans of the wireless communication network. 
         FIG. 3B  shows an example of the time series of forecast values of an operation index under the original and adjusted plans. 
         FIG. 4  shows an adjustment of the tree structure of the wireless communication network by means of the network tree graph in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 5A to 5C  respectively show the content of each function tab of the function window in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIGS. 6A and 6B  shows how the forecast module in  FIG. 1  considers the influence from the parent, son, and neighbor components of a certain component. 
         FIG. 7  is a flow chart of a preferred embodiment of the management method for a wireless communication network according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Though the embodiments described below may take a GSM (i.e. Global System for Mobile communication) network for example, people skilled in the art can easily apply technological features of the present invention to other wireless communication networks. Thus, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the GSM network. 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of a management system for a wireless communication network according to the present invention. The wireless communication network includes a plurality of network components deployed as a multi-level structure. For example, a GSM network may contain, from top to bottom, a network level (the GSM network itself), a MSC (i.e. mobile switching center) level, a BSC (i.e. base station controller) level, a BTS (i.e. base transceiver station) level and a cell level. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the management system  10  includes a forecast module  11  and a display module  12 . According to received network history data, the forecast module  11  generates a forecast value for each available operation index of the network components of the wireless communication network during a plurality of forecast periods. The network history data record network traffic status or network user behavior during past periods, and are provided by various sources, such as an operation and maintenance center (OMC) or operation support system (OSS), a database, or an optical disk. The OMC usually provides real-time or short-term statistic data, while long-term statistic data are stored in the database and the optical disk. In general, an operation index of a network component reflects a specific network traffic status or network user behavior involving the network component, and history values of the operation index can be retrieved or derived from the network history data. The types of the operation index are various, for example, the operation index of a MSC includes Erlang, port, BHCA (i.e. busy hour call attempt), CPU loading, etc. These examples of the operation index are well known to people skilled in the art and will not be described in detail here. Besides, the operation index may be directly used as a network performance index, such as a key performance index (KPI). 
     The display module  12  is connected to the forecast module  11 , and provides a graphic user interface  20  for a telecom user or network administrator to manage the wireless communication network.  FIG. 2  is a diagram showing an embodiment of the graphic user interface  20 , where the graphic user interface  20  includes a forecast table  21 , a network tree graph  22 , a map  23 , and a function window  24 . The forecast table  21  shows a forecast value for a certain operation index (selected by an index-selecting field  211 ) of each network component of a certain level (selected by a level-selecting field  212 ) of the wireless communication network during a plurality of forecast periods. The graphic user interface  20  in  FIG. 2  takes a GSM network as example, and the forecast table  21  shows the forecast values for the operation index “Erlang” of the network components (i.e. MSC 1 ˜MSC 3 ) of the MSC level during June of 2007 to October of 2007. It is notable that the forecast table  21  can also show the forecast values for more forecast periods and the history values for past periods, thereby facilitating the telecom user to observe the variation trend of the operation index. 
     Moreover, for each network component shown in the forecast table  21 , the forecast module  11  determines whether to enable a warning function of the graphic user interface  20  according to a comparison of the forecast value and a warning value for the operation index of the network component. If the forecast value exceeds the warning value, it means the network component is under an overloaded state and needs an adjustment for remedy. It is notable that the warning value for the same operation index of different network components can be different. The warning function warns the telecom user by using a distinct color (e.g. red) to show the forecast value that exceeds the warning value. In  FIG. 2 , the forecast values for Erlang of MSC 2  during August to October of 2007 exceed the warning value, and are shown in the distinct color (represented by oblique lines in  FIG. 2 ). It is notable that more than one warning value can be used to indicate various warning degrees, and the warning function can use different colors to show the forecast values for differentiation. 
     The graphic user interface  20  further includes a plan-selecting field  25  for selecting an original or adjusted network plan of the wireless communication network to show the forecast value of the operation index thereunder. A network plan means how the components of a network are organized or connected. Through the graphic user interface  20 , various types of adjustments (will be further described below) can be made on the original network plan to generate an adjusted network plan. The forecast table  21  can then show the forecast values of the operation index under different network plans for comparison. For example, the telecom user can take June to October of 2007 as a planning period to generate three different adjusted plans by performing different (or different sets of) adjustments during different forecast periods, as shown in  FIG. 3A . In  FIG. 3A , Plan- 1  is generated by making Adjustment A in June 2007 and Adjustment B in August 2007, Plan- 2  is generated by making Adjustment A in June 2007 and Adjustment C in September 2007, and Plan- 3  is generated by making Adjustment A in June 2007, Adjustment B in August 2007 and Adjustment D in September 2007. Then, in  FIG. 3B , the time series of the forecast values of the operation index (Erlang as shown) under the original and adjusted plans during June 2007˜October 2007 are shown in the forecast table  21  for convenient comparison. It is notable that in  FIG. 3B , a “※” symbol (other identifiable symbol can also be used) in front of a forecast period means that there is an adjustment made during this period. 
     The network tree graph  22  displays a tree structure of the network components of the wireless communication network. The tree structure is inherent in the multi-level structure of the network, and an upper-level (or parent) component manages at least one lower-level (or son) component. In  FIG. 2 , the network tree graph  22  shows a five-level (i.e. network level, MSC level, BSC level, BTS level and cell level) tree structure of Plan- 1  of the GSM network. The “+” symbol in front of a network component means there are hidden lower-level components under it, and the “−” symbol means the hidden lower-level components are explicitly shown. By means of the network tree graph  22 , the tree structure can be easily adjusted. For example, by using a pointing device (e.g. mouse), BSC 3  can be easily moved (rehomed) from MSC 1  to MSC 2 , as shown by  FIG. 4 . 
     The map  23  shows where the network components of the wireless communication network are located. The network components can be shown in a visualized manner for convenient observation. For example, the components of different levels can be shown in different shapes, such as circles (i.e. BTS in  FIG. 2 ), triangles (i.e. BSC in  FIG. 2 ), rectangles (i.e. MSC in  FIG. 2 ), etc. Also, the son components belonging to the same parent component can be shown in the same color. 
     By combining the forecast table  21 , the network tree graph  22 , and the map  23 , the telecom user can easily perform a network diagnosis by observing the status of parent and son components and neighboring components of some problematic component. For instance, if the forecast table  21  indicates that the forecast value for a specific operation index of a specific MSC exceeds the warning value, then the telecom user can observe whether the specific MSC contains too many BSCs through the network tree graph  22  or observe the distribution of the BSCs of the specific MSC through the map  23  to find out the problem cause. 
     The function window  24  provides several functions to facilitate the telecom user to manage the wireless communication network. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the function window  24  includes three function tabs: Operation Index, Network Parameter and Adjustment, and the content of these tabs are shown in  FIG. 5A˜5C .  FIG. 5A  shows the content of the Operation Index tab, which includes a component-selecting field  51  for selecting a network component and a period-selecting field  52  for selecting a forecast period. The other content of the Operation Index tab are arranged into a plurality of columns for showing related information for each available operation index of the selected component during the selected forecast period. The column “Item” includes the name, percentage and formula for each available operation index. In the column “Capacity”, the fields corresponding to the items of name and percentage are respectively a limit value of the operation index and the warning percentage of the limit value, i.e. warning value=limit value*warning percentage %. For example, in  FIG. 5A , the limit value of Erlang of MSC 1  is 24000 and the warning percentage of Erlang of MSC  1  is 80 during July 2007. 
     In the “Original” (i.e. original-plan) and “Plan- 1 ” columns (Plan- 2  and Plan- 3  columns can be shown by scrolling a scrolling bar  53 ), the fields corresponding to the items of name, percentage and formula are respectively the forecast value, the percentage of the forecast value to the limit value and the formula used for calculating the forecast value under the respective plan. The formula is determined according to at least an operation index and at least a network parameter, such as mathematical operations on the operation index and network parameter. For example, in  FIG. 5A , the forecast value of Erlang of MSC 1  is 16437 and the percentage of the forecast value to the limit value under the original plan is 68.49 during July 2007; the formula for calculating the forecast value of Erlang of MSC  1  is “[MSC BHCA]*[MSC BHCA To VLR Sub Ratio]” (the full expression of the formula can be shown by using a pointing device to click the corresponding field), where “MSC BHCA” is another operation index and MSC BHCA To VLR Sub Ratio is a network parameter. 
     Moreover, the warning value for an operation index can be adjusted by directly changing the field of the “Capacity” column for recording the limit value or the warning percentage of the operation index. The formula for calculating the forecast value of an operation index can also be adjusted by directly changing the fields of the Original, Plan- 1 , Plan- 2  or Plan- 3  column for recording the formula. 
       FIG. 5B  shows the content of the Network Parameter tab, which also includes the component-selecting field  51  and the period-selecting field  52 . The other content of the Network Parameter tab are arranged into “Parameter” and “Value” columns for recording the setting value for each network parameter included in the formulas for calculating the forecast values for the operation indexes of the selected component during the selected forecast period. For example, in  FIG. 5B , the setting value of MSC BHCA To VLR Sub Ratio, which is included in the formula for calculating the forecast value of Erlang of MSC 1  during July 2007, is 1.5. There may be other network parameters and are not shown in  FIG. 5B  for simplicity. The setting value of a network parameter can be adjusted by directly changing the field of the “Value” column for recording the setting value of the network parameter. 
       FIG. 5C  shows the content of the Adjustment tab, which includes the period-selecting field  52  and a plan-selecting field  54  for selecting the original plan or an adjusted plan. The other content of the Adjustment tab are arranged into the columns of “Time”, “Level”, “Component”, “Type”, “From (former state)” and “To (target state)” for recording related information of each adjustment performed not later than the selected forecast period under the selected plan. The types of the adjustment include: 
     (1) Rehome adjustment: this means moving a son component from its former parent component to a new parent component. The rehome adjustment can be achieved by means of the network tree graph  22 , as described above. For example, in  FIG. 5C , a rehome adjustment is performed during July 2007 at BSC level under Plan- 1 , where BSC 3  is moved from MSC 1  to MSC 3 . 
     (2) Warning value adjustment: this can be achieved by changing the limit value or the warning percentage of an operation index via the Operation Index tab of the function window  24 , as described above. For example, in  FIG. 5C , a warning value adjustment is performed during July 2007 at MSC level under Plan- 1 , where the limit value of Erlang of MSC 3  is changed from 24000 to 54000. 
     (3) Formula adjustment: this can be achieved by directly changing the field in the Operation Index tab of the function window  24  for recording a formula, as described above. 
     (4) Parameter adjustment: this can be achieved by directly changing the field in the Network Parameter tab of the function window  24  for recording the setting value of a network parameter, as described above. 
     After an adjustment is performed, its related information will be recorded in the Adjustment tab of the function window  24 . If the performed adjustment influences a forecast value or the warning state of a forecast value thereafter, the prediction module will update the influenced forecast value or warning state according to the performed adjustment and show the updated result in the graphic user interface  20 . 
     In one embodiment, the forecast module  11  is a computer running a forecast software, and the display module  12  is a CRT or LDC monitor. In another embodiment, the graphic user interface  20  is a window interface of an operating system. 
     When generating a forecast value for an operation index of a certain network component, the forecast module  11  not only uses the time series of history values, but also considers the influence from the parent, son, and neighbor components of the certain component, as shown in  FIG. 6A . Further, the generated forecast values can be used as part of the time series data to generate the next forecast value, as shown in  FIG. 6B , such that the forecast values with more accuracy can be generated. 
     The influence from the parent, son and neighbor components can be respectively modeled as a parent effect ratio, a son effect ratio and a neighbor effect ratio. A total effect ratio can be generated according to these three effect ratios, e.g. total effect ratio=parent effect ratio+son effect ratio+neighbor effect ratio. Therefore, when generating a forecast value, the forecast module  11  first generates an initial prediction value by the time series prediction technique (which is well known to people skilled in the art and will not be elaborated here), and then multiplies the initial prediction value with the total effect ratio to generate the forecast value. That is, the total effect ratio is used to correct the value generated by the time series prediction, thereby providing the forecast value with more accuracy. 
     The parent effect ratio can be determined according to the variation of the operation index of the parent component. For instance, for a certain MSC (e.g. MSC 1 ), the variation of the operation index of its parent component (i.e. the whole network) can be derived from an estimated growth rate of subscribers (or traffic) of the whole network. The estimated growth rate can be generated according to marketing effect, the growth/decline of new/old technology (e.g. 3G/2G network), etc. Next, the variation of the operation index of the whole network (e.g. 10%) can be distributed to MSC 1  according to a distribution percentage, which can be determined according to, for example, the average ratio of the operation index of MSC 1  to that of the whole network during past periods. Then, the parent effect ratio of MSC 1  can be determined from the variation of the operation index of the whole network and the distribution percentage. The parent effect ratio of a BSC or a BTS can also be determined in the manner similar to above. 
     The son effect ratio can be determined according to the variation of the operation index of the son component. For instance, if MSC 1  includes n BSCs (i.e. BSC  1 ˜BSC n), then the variation of the operation index of MSC 1 =the sum of [(the variation of the operation index of BSC k)*a k ], where k=1˜n and a k  is the weight coefficient determined by statistical methods. Then, the son effect ratio of MSC 1  can be determined from the variation of the operation index of MSC 1 , which results from the variation of the operation index of its son components BSC  1 ˜BSC n. It is notable that a newly added or rehomed BSC may be included in BSC  1 ˜BSC n. The son effect ratio of a BSC or a BTS can also be determined in the manner similar to above. 
     The neighbor effect ratio can be determined according to the variation of the operation index of the neighbor component. For instance, if some neighbor MSC of MSC 1  is over-loaded, then a portion of traffic of the neighbor MSC will be re-assigned to MSC  1  (reflected in the variation of the operation index of the neighbor MSC); a newly added neighbor MSC will share some loading of MSC 1  (reflected in the variation of the operation index of the new MSC). Then, the neighbor effect ratio of MSC 1  can be determined from the factors as described above. The neighbor effect ratio of a BSC or a BTS can also be determined in the similar manner. 
       FIG. 7  is a flow chart of a preferred embodiment of the management method for a wireless communication network according to the present invention. The flow in  FIG. 7  comprises steps of:
           71  generating a forecast value for an operation index of at least a network component of the wireless communication network during at least a forecast period;     72  providing a graphic user interface which comprises a forecast table to show the forecast value;     73  displaying a tree structure of a plurality of network components of the wireless communication network by a network tree graph of the graphic user interface;     74  showing where the network components are located by a map of the graphic user interface; and     75  determining whether to enable a warning function of the graphic user interface according to a comparison of the forecast value and a warning value.       

     While the present invention has been shown and described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof and in terms of the illustrative drawings, it should not be considered as limited thereby. Various possible modifications and alterations could be conceived of by one skilled in the art to the form and the content of any particular embodiment, without departing from the scope and the spirit of the present invention.