DORSAL-IoT

About the Project

DORSAL-IoT brings together experts from France, Chile, and Brazil to develop robust downlink protocols for LoRaWAN-based Direct-to-Satellite IoT communications. The project addresses key challenges in gateway selection, packet scheduling, and optimization for resource-constrained satellite networks.

Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN)

Exploring communication solutions beyond traditional terrestrial infrastructure.

LPWAN & LEO Satellites

Optimizing Low-Power Wide-Area Networks for Low Earth Orbit satellite connectivity.

Partners and Institutions

Core Research Challenges

Challenge 1: Downlink Gateway Selection

Selecting the most suitable downlinking gateways to minimize redundant transmissions to devices with overlapping reception windows and coverage. This requires advanced decision-making in dynamic LEO satellite topologies.

Figure 1. Downlink gateway selection challenge.

Challenge 2: Downlink Packet Scheduling

Determining when and over which multi-hop ISL route to send each downlink packet so it arrives within the correct device reception window, accounting for space-terrestrial delays.

Figure 2. Downlink packet scheduling challenge.

The objective of DORSAL-IoT is to address these two challenges using a combination of offline and online optimization techniques, including machine learning, to orchestrate downlink messages that prevent overlap, ensure optimal channel conditions, and enable seamless, reliable communication between remote IoT devices and the space core network.

News & Updates

1st DORSAL-IoT Workshop

Date: July 9–10, 2025

Location: Inria Lyon, France (hybrid)

This first workshop gathered partners for two days of presentations and brainstorming. Topics included TSCH scheduling, Doppler shift handling, Direct-to-Satellite IoT simulations, and federated learning strategies.

Hybrid event (onsite & online)
Participants from Inria, UFSC, UCH, UC, UDP, UTM

2nd DORSAL-IoT Workshop

Date: September 22–26, 2025

Location: Inria Lyon, France (onsite)

This second workshop includes two days of research area meetings and three days of working group sessions to define the project roadmap. It will focus on energy-aware satellite downlink protocols for Direct-to-Satellite LoRaWAN IoT.

Project-wide kickoff for roadmap planning
Focus on cross-continental collaboration
France, Brazil, and Chile partners involved

3rd DORSAL-IoT Workshop

Date: November 24–28, 2025

Location: Santiago de Chile, Chile (onsite)

The third workshop will bring the consortium together in Santiago to focus on advancing the design and evaluation of efficient downlink strategies for Direct-to-Satellite IoT systems.

Onsite working sessions with all partners
Hands-on collaboration around use case design
Progress toward protocol and tool development

Contact Us

For inquiries, collaborations, or additional information, please contact the project coordinators:

France

Oana Iova

oana.iova@inria.fr

Chile (EA)

Cesar Azurdia

cesarazurdia@uchile.cl

Chile (STIC-AmSud)

Diego Dujovne

diego.dujovne@mail.udp.cl

Brazil

Richard Demo Souza

richard.demo@ufsc.br

Downlink Optimization for Robust Direct-to-Satellite IoT