• NIST will create models for various wireless technologies (e.g., WLAN (802.11), Bluetooth (802.15.1), and Zigbee (802.15.4) using the OPNET platform.


• NIST will create traffic models that describe the behavior of medical applications.


• Once both the wireless technologies' models and medical application traffic descriptions are complete, the resources will be used to provide performance evaluations for the medical applicates as applied to the various wireless technologies. Once a particular medical application is found to be supported by a wireless technology, it will be subjected to an interference (coexistence) performance study.


• The results of these evaluations will be submitted to the IEEE 1073 working group to accelerate and to provide valuable information in order to complete its guidelines on medical device communications apllications.

• "IEEE 802.15.4 Data study for medical usage" 1/22/04 (presentation at IEEE 1073 working group meeting, San Diego, CA).
   
• "IEEE 802.15.4 Service Data Rates" 1/22/04 (presentation at IEEE 1073 working group meeting, San Diego, CA).
   

• N. Golmie, D. Cypher, O. Rebala, "Performance Analysis of Low Rate Wireless Technologies for Medical Applications," Computer Communications, Volume 28, Number 10, June 2005, pages 1255-1275
  

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• N. Golmie, D. Cypher, O. Rebala, "Performance Evaluation of Low Rate WPANs for Sensors and Medical Applications," submitted to Military Communications Conference (MILCOM 2004) held October 31 - November 3, 2004.
  

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• N. Chevrollier and N. Golmie, "On the Use of Wireless Network Technologies in Healthcare Environments," Proceedings of the fifth IEEE workshop on Applications and Services in Wireless Networks (ASWN 2005), June 2005 Paris, France, pp. 147-152.
  

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• N. Chevrollier, N. Montavont and N. Golmie, "Handovers and Interference Mitigation in Healthcare Environments," to appear in the proceedings of the IEEE Military Communications Conference (MILCOM 2005), Oct. 17-20, 2005.
  

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Much of the research on this project required development and application of relevant simulation models. In some cases, models were developed in standard programming languages and in other cases models were developed in the context of modeling packages, including Opnet. More information on these modeling packages can be found on the web at the links listed below. NOTE: Disclaimer for NIST Developed Software

• OPNET: http://www.opnet.com/

• Models for Medium Access Control (OPNET) and Physical Layer (C)
• Models for Physical Layer Only (C++)
• Models for Low Rate Wireless Personal Area Network (LR_WPAN): Unslotted

• IEEE 1073
• IEEE 802.11
• IEEE 802.15
• Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG)
• Zigbee Alliance

• Information Technology Laboratory's   (ITL)
  Software Diagnostics and Conformance Testing Division   (SDCTD)
• National Communications System