PNDT: EMF exposure dossiers for BTS base stations
PNDT was developed by the Institute of Information Technology in Civil Engineering (IIC), Hanoi University of Civil Engineering, for Viettel Consulting and Services JSC (VTK). The field team collects antenna parameters and data on the buildings around the station with a phone app. The office team opens the data in AutoCAD. The software draws the compliance zone and relevant zone of each antenna and exports the exposure assessment report.
From antenna measurements on site to exposure zone drawings for each direction
An exposure dossier for a base station needs a plan of the coverage zone of each antenna, an elevation showing the antennas and the high-rise buildings in the affected area, and a data report. PNDT takes the data from the field app or from a calculated Excel sheet, then builds everything in AutoCAD using VTK's drawing frame.
- Android app to take photos from a checklist, enter station, antenna, loss and surrounding-building data, and sync to Google Drive
- Reads data from the field app, from Excel (one sheet per technology and band) or from a saved XML file
- Draws the compliance zone and relevant zone of each antenna on plan, labelled by BTS: A1, B1, C1…
- Draws the antenna elevation at its tilt angle, with the host building and the tallest building in the zone
- Draws the assumed zone when the tower stands on the ground
- Exports a Word report from templates for sites with 1, 2, 3 or 4 BTS, on the ground or on a rooftop, with a photo appendix
Field app and office software
Each station is one folder with two parts, Photos and Data. It goes from the phone to Drive, then to the office computer.
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Photos from a checklist
Station sign, overall view of the antenna tower, host building, equipment room, tower-mounted equipment and buildings in each sector direction.
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Station parameters
Coordinates, rooftop or ground location, tower, base station, technology and band, antennas, jumper, feeder and connector losses.
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Surrounding buildings
Building type, height, number of storeys, distance to the tower base, azimuth from north.
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Drawings and reports
The AutoCAD plugin draws plans, elevations and assumed zones, and exports the Word report and photo appendix.
Drawings PNDT creates in AutoCAD
In 2023 the software was updated to QCVN 8:2022/BTTTT on electromagnetic field exposure limits for public land mobile base stations. The update changed how the antenna compliance zone and relevant zone are shown.
| Drawing | Content |
|---|---|
| Existing site plan | Buildings within the affected area in each direction, located by angle from north |
| Overall station, horizontal | Compliance zone and relevant zone circles of all antennas, split into one drawing per direction A1, B1, C1…, with the frame inserted and station and antenna names updated automatically |
| Antenna, vertical | Elevation of the tower, host building, high-rise and low-rise buildings; compliance zone and relevant zone rotated to the antenna tilt angle |
| Assumed zone | For a tower on the ground, shown in two sections X-X and Y-Y with the tallest building |
Preparing the exposure dossier for one station, step by step
1. Create the station in the app
Tap + on the main screen and enter the station code, location and measurement date. The current coordinates are filled in. Choose Rooftop or Ground, then tap Add station. The app creates a station folder with Photos and Data.
2. Enter the host building, tower, base stations and antennas
- In Station design details: height and dimensions of the host building.
- Tap Add tower: tower height, number of legs (3 or 4), shaft dimensions, tower position on plan.
- Tap Add base station: equipment model, operating band, technology 2G, 3G, 4G.
- For each antenna: antenna model, height, tilt angle, azimuth, and jumper, feeder, connector and diplexer losses. Values come from a library and are suggested as you type.
3. Enter the surrounding buildings
For each sector direction, tap Add building. Choose the type (1–2 storey house, 3–4 storey house, factory area, single-storey house…), then enter the height, distance to the tower base, number of storeys and azimuth.
4. Take photos and sync
- Take every photo on the checklist: station sign, overall tower, host building, equipment room, tower-mounted equipment, buildings in each sector direction.
- Preview the summary table and photo appendix on the phone.
- Choose Sync to Drive. The app shows the account and the upload percentage.
5. Open the data in AutoCAD
On the office computer, download the station folder from Drive. In AutoCAD, open the PNDT control panel and choose the data source: the app folder, a calculated Excel file or a saved XML file. Select the station to draw, then edit and complete the data. Edited data can be saved as XML or Excel.
6. Draw
- Draw the existing site plan and the overall horizontal station drawing.
- Draw the vertical antenna drawing for each BTS. The drawings are ordered by BTS.
- For a ground-level station, also draw the assumed zone.
7. Export the report
Export the Word report from the template that matches the number of base stations (1 to 4 BTS) and the station location. Data fills the table for each equipment model automatically. Photos from the app are inserted into the photo appendix right after the data section.
Developer and ownership
- Name
- PNDT – Base station EMF exposure assessment software, with a field app
- Version
- Developed since 2020; updated to QCVN 8:2022/BTTTT in 2023
- Developer
- Institute of Information Technology in Civil Engineering (IIC), Hanoi University of Civil Engineering
- User
- Viettel Consulting and Services JSC (VTK)
- Ownership
- Under the contract between IIC and VTK
- Platform
- AutoCAD plugin on Windows; Android app
- Input and output
- App data folder, Excel, XML; DWG drawings; Word reports
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