Drawing satellite networks - plot scripts for ns-2

These scripts allow you to draw topologies of satellite constellation networks with intersatellite links and paths taken by traffic on unprojected or polar azimuthal equidistant maps of the Earth.

These are for use with the satellite simulation functionality of the network simulator ns-2, as described in Chapter 17 of the ns-2 manual, or for use with anything else that outputs satellite and link endpoint coordinates using the same simple text format.

perl 5 and xfig 3.2 are required to run these scripts.

Download the gzipped tarball:
sat-plot-scripts1.2-release.tar.gz (233K), version 1.2, 30 April 2023.

development code: CVS repository

Previous versions:
ns-sat-plot-113.tar.gz (124K), version 1.1.3, 11 August 2000.
ns-sat-plot.tar.gz (124K), version 1.0, 23 June 2000.
original unprojected-map scripts by Tom Henderson.

To cite these scripts when using them:
L. Wood and T. R. Henderson, satellite plot scripts, 2023.

Plots from these scripts have been used in:

• X. Yang, Low earth orbit (LEO) mega constellations - satellite and terrestrial integrated communication network, PhD thesis, University of Surrey, November 2018.
• A. Boriboon, Optimizing Communication Utility of Routing Protocol for Satellite IP Networks, PhD thesis, Assumption University of Thailand, July 2017.
• A. Boriboon and S. Pongpadpinit, Optimized routing protocol for broadband hybrid satellite constellation communication IP network system, EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking, December 2016.
• A. Boriboon and S. Pongpadpinit, The COMMStellation^TM Constellation for Broadband Communication System Model in NS-2, International Journal of Communications, Network and System Sciences, vol. 7, no. 10, October 2014, pp. 430-439.
• M. Nirmala and R. V. Pujeri, Performance of Transmission Control Protocol congestion control algorithms on Teledesic satellites constellations, Journal of Computer Science, vol. 10 issue 8, August 2014, pp. 1531-1542.
• L. Wood, Y. Lou and O. Olusola, Revisiting elliptical satellite orbits to enhance the O3b constellation, Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, vol. 67, pp. 110-118, March 2014.
• M. Nirmala and R. V. Pujeri, Evaluation of TCP congestion control algorithms on different satellite constellations, IEEE International Conference on Advanced Computing and Communication Systems (ICACCS), December 2013.
• M. Nirmala and R. V. Pujeri, Performance of TCP Vegas, Bic and Reno Congestion Control Algorithms on Iridium Satellite Constellations, International Journal of Computer Network and Information Security (IJCNIS), vol. 4, no. 12, pp. 40-49, November 2012.
• Zongyang Luo, Routing and End-to-End Quality of Service in Satellite IP Networks, PhD thesis, University of Surrey, 2008, Fig. 3-5 p. 57.
• P. Trùckly and P. Bùran, Analysis and comparison of LEO and MEO satellite networks, proceedings of ELMAR 2007, Zagreb, Croatia, pp. 239-242.
• Shaojian Fu, M. Atiquzzaman and W. Ivancic, Evaluation of SCTP for space networks, IEEE Wireless Communications, vol. 12 issue 5, October 2005.
• M. Grega, Ľ. Čopjan, S. Marchevský and S. Benċo, Possibility of Using Network Simulator (NS-2) for Modeling Satellite Networks, Acta Electrotechnica et Informatica, vol. 5, no. 4, 2005.
• T. R. Henderson, LEO Satellite Networks, Encyclopedia of Telecommunications, John Proakis (ed.) et al., vol. III pp. 1247-1256, Wiley, 2003. See Fig. 4 p. 1253.
• Y. Zhang (ed.), Internetworking and Computing over Satellite Networks, Kluwer Academic Press, ISBN 1-4020-7424-7, March 2003.
• L. Wood, Internetworking with satellite constellations, PhD thesis, University of Surrey, June 2001.
• L. Wood, G. Pavlou and B. G. Evans, Managing diversity with handover to provide classes of service in satellite constellation networks, Proceedings of the 19th AIAA International Communication Satellite Systems Conference (ICSSC '01), Toulouse, France, April 2001.
• L. Wood, G. Pavlou and B. G. Evans, Effects on TCP of routing strategies in satellite constellations, Special issue on Satellite-Based Internet Technology and Services, IEEE Communications Magazine, vol. 39, no. 3, pp. 172-181, March 2001.

Plots from the original scripts have appeared in:

• T. R. Henderson and R. H. Katz, Network Simulation for LEO Satellite Networks, 18th AIAA International Communications Satellite Systems Conference (ICSSC), Oakland, California, April 2000.
• T. R. Henderson, Networking over Next-Generation Satellite Systems, PhD dissertation, Computer Science Division, University of California at Berkeley, Fall 1999.

The example plots on this page show the Teledesic 288-active-satellite constellation (Boeing design) at a point in time. You can see the different satellites and two ground terminals as well as the different types of intersatellite links: intraplane links, interplane links, cross-seam links as well as ground-to-space links.

You can select from a number of background maps or even generate new unprojected maps using SaVi.

better living through geometry.