Flying real-time network to coordinate disaster relief activities in urban areas
Author
dc.contributor.author
Micheletto, Matias
Author
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Petrucci, Vinicius
Author
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Santos, Rodrigo
Author
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Orozco, Javier
Author
dc.contributor.author
Mosse, Daniel
Author
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Ochoa Delorenzi, Sergio
Author
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Meseguer, Roc
Admission date
dc.date.accessioned
2019-05-31T15:19:57Z
Available date
dc.date.available
2019-05-31T15:19:57Z
Publication date
dc.date.issued
2018
Cita de ítem
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Sensors (Switzerland), Volumen 18, Issue 5, 2018.
Identifier
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14248220
Identifier
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10.3390/s18051662
Identifier
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https://repositorio.uchile.cl/handle/2250/169406
Abstract
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While there have been important advances within wireless communication technology,
the provision of communication support during disaster relief activities remains an open issue.
The literature in disaster research reports several major restrictions to conducting first response
activities in urban areas, given the limitations of telephone networks and radio systems to provide
digital communication in the field. In search-and-rescue operations, the communication requirements
are increased, since the first responders need to rely on real-time and reliable communication to
perform their activities and coordinate their efforts with other teams. Therefore, these limitations
open the door to improvisation during disaster relief efforts. In this paper, we argue that flying ad-hoc
networks can provide the communication support needed in these scenarios, and propose a new
solution towards that goal. The proposal involves the use of flying witness units, implemented using
drones, that act as communication gateways between first responders working at different locations of
the affected area. The proposal is named the Flying Real-Time Network, and its feasibility to provide
communication in a disaster scenario is shown by presenting both a real-time schedulability analysis
of message delivery, as well as simulations of the communication support in a physical scenario
inspired by a real incident. The obtained results were highly positive and consistent, therefore this
proposal represents a step forward towards the solution of this open issue.