About · Methodology
About Waveshed
Waveshed is a browser-based tool for radio-frequency (RF) propagation and line-of-sight analysis, built by Gian-Andrea Heinrich on the Aether engine. It turns open terrain data into two kinds of map: a line-of-sight viewshed, which shows what is visible from a point, and an RF coverage estimate, which shows where a signal reaches and how strong it is. It is free, runs entirely in your browser, and needs no account.
Who builds Waveshed
Waveshed is built and maintained by Gian-Andrea Heinrich, the operator named in the site Impressum, based in Switzerland. It runs on the Aether engine, the RF and viewshed core that does the computation. The project is independent, and is not affiliated with the authors of the propagation model or the providers of the terrain data it builds on.
What Waveshed does
Waveshed answers two questions about terrain. A line-of-sight viewshed shows what you can see from a point. An RF coverage map estimates where a transmitter is heard and how strong its signal is. Both are computed from real elevation data and drawn on an interactive map. The difference between the two, and when to use each, is covered in LOS vs RF.
The method and the data
Waveshed works from the terrain up. Here is exactly what goes into a result, and what stays out of it.
- RF coverage uses ITM / Longley-Rice. The Irregular Terrain Model (ITM), better known as Longley-Rice, is the terrain-based propagation model published by the U.S. NTIA/ITS. It predicts path loss over irregular terrain, including diffraction over ridges, so coverage reaches beyond strict line of sight.
- Line of sight is a geometric viewshed. LOS mode tests for an unobstructed straight ray from the observer to each point, accounting for the curvature of the Earth. For radio it uses the conventional 4/3 effective-earth radius, which sets the radio horizon a little beyond the optical one.
- Terrain is the Mapzen Terrarium DEM. Elevation comes from a global digital elevation model of roughly 30 m, derived largely from SRTM and other open data. Full credits are on the attribution page.
- Computation runs in your browser. Both modes are computed on your own device, on the GPU through WebGPU with a CPU fallback where WebGPU is unavailable. Nothing about your transmitter or observer is sent to a server.
- Results are planning estimates. Waveshed models the bare ground, not the clutter on it. Individual trees, foliage and most buildings are not represented, so treat every result as an estimate for planning, and ground-truth the marginal cases. There is more in Accuracy & data sources.
Validation and direction
A goal of the project is to keep Waveshed in line with established terrain-RF tools such as SPLAT! and Radio Mobile, which build on the same ITM model. Agreement with those tools, and with real-world measurements, is the bar we aim for rather than a finished claim. Where the model is weak today, the limits above say so plainly.
Try it, or get in touch
Open the simulator to run your own line-of-sight or RF analysis, free and in the browser. For questions, corrections or partnership inquiries, get in touch.