Networked Aerial Base Stations for Enabling Emergency Communications During Disaster Recovery
University of North Texas
Abstract
This Smart and Connected Communities research project focuses on developing an innovative solution for enabling emergency communications during disaster recovery. An aerial base station can substitute for a damaged cell tower and provide cellular connectivity among the first responders and citizens who were impacted by a natural or manmade disaster until the damaged cell tower is restored. The project will lead to fundamental understanding of the science and engineering aspects of the design and deployment of aerial base stations. It will result in a proof-of-concept for a deployable communication system. Aerial base stations have the advantage of higher altitude compared to regular cell towers. They provide better coverage and connectivity to the users. They can be deployed more quickly after a disaster when compared to Cells on Wheels which are traditionally deployed by cellular providers during disaster recovery.
This project addresses the capability to quick deploy a communication system, which is a technology gap in today's emergency communication systems. The proposed research investigates efficient strategies for providing cellular coverage in areas where the coverage is not available or lost due to loss of cell towers. It brings the network closer to the disaster victims and relays the voice calls and data between the first responders and victims. The immediate need for quickly deployable communication systems during disaster recovery times makes this project a high-risk and high-reward project. Graduate and undergraduate students, who are participating in this research project will gain hands-on experience in developing innovative solutions for communities effected by disasters.
This smart and connected community project engages local communities including the Fire Department and the Civil Air Patrol in the City of Denton, Texas, as well as private organizations in Telecommunications and Aviation industry. The project will be demonstrated in two phases during the Global City Team Challenge Exhibitions (2016 and 2017) organized jointly by the U.S. Ignite and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
This project addresses the capability to quick deploy a communication system, which is a technology gap in today's emergency communication systems. The proposed research investigates efficient strategies for providing cellular coverage in areas where the coverage is not available or lost due to loss of cell towers. It brings the network closer to the disaster victims and relays the voice calls and data between the first responders and victims. The immediate need for quickly deployable communication systems during disaster recovery times makes this project a high-risk and high-reward project. Graduate and undergraduate students, who are participating in this research project will gain hands-on experience in developing innovative solutions for communities effected by disasters.
This smart and connected community project engages local communities including the Fire Department and the Civil Air Patrol in the City of Denton, Texas, as well as private organizations in Telecommunications and Aviation industry. The project will be demonstrated in two phases during the Global City Team Challenge Exhibitions (2016 and 2017) organized jointly by the U.S. Ignite and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
-
Performance PeriodJuly 2016 - December 2018
-
University of North Texas
-
Award Number1622978
-
Lead PIKameswara Rao Namuduri
Kameswara Rao Namuduri
Kamesh Namuduri (kamesh.namuduri@unt.edu) is a professor of electrical engineering and the director of the Autonomous Systems Laboratory at the University of North Texas, Denton, Texas, 76207, USA. He received his Ph.D. degree in computer science and engineering from University of South Florida in 1992. His research interests include aerial networking and communications. He is serving as the chair for two standards working groups (IEEE 1920.1: Aerial Communications and Networking and IEEE P1920.2: Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications for Unmanned Aircraft Systems). He was named as a Distinguished Lecturer by the IEEE Vehicular Technology Society for the term 2021–2023.(Based on document published on 23 August 2022).