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5G and UAVs for Mission-Critical Communications: Swift Network Recovery for Search-and-Rescue Operations

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Abstract

We introduce a new approach for Search-and-Rescue Operations (SAROs) to search for survivors after large-scale disasters, assuming the wireless communication network cells are partially operational and exploiting the recent trend of using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) as a part of the network. These SAROs are based on the idea that almost all survivors have their own wireless mobile devices, called User Equipments (UEs), which serve as human-based sensors on the ground. Our approach is aimed at accounting for limited UE battery power while providing critical information to first responders: 1) generate immediate crisis maps for the disaster-impacted areas, 2) provide vital information about where the majority of survivors are clustered/crowded, and 3) prioritize the impacted areas to identify regions that urgently need communication coverage.

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Notes

  1. Basically, LMR systems are terrestrially-based networks of portable/mobile radios, base stations, and repeaters.

  2. Google Crisis Map [27] is a well-known example of a crisis map, but its availability needs Internet connectivity and does not provide immediate information about how and where individuals are distributed.

  3. Essential interfaces between gNBs in LTE/5G networks for exchanging necessary control signaling [11].

  4. Includes UE-specific configuration parameters [3].

  5. Assuming these UEs are in idle mode; otherwise, they would undergo handover.

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Acknowledgements

The first author was supported by the Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research through scholarship under Grant 4650/11/16/2014. This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Grant CMMI-1638284.

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  1. Electrical and Computer Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA

    Alaa A. R. Alsaeedy & Edwin K. P. Chong

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Correspondence to Alaa A. R. Alsaeedy.

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Alsaeedy, A.A.R., Chong, E.K.P. 5G and UAVs for Mission-Critical Communications: Swift Network Recovery for Search-and-Rescue Operations. Mobile Netw Appl 25, 2063–2081 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11036-020-01542-2

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