Grant P. Millar

A model for designing scalable and efficient adaptive routing approaches in emergency Ad hoc communications

The self-organised nature of Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs) makes it a suitable candidate for rescuer communication in disaster scenarios. This paper presents a model basis for supporting the design of hybrid and adaptive routing protocols such as ChaMeLeon (CML). A size threshold point between proactive and reactive routing approaches is established using a probabilistic analytical model using dimensional cardinalities of the effective operation area, called the critical area (CA). CML adapts its routing behaviour according to the network size in order to improve overall routing efficiency while preserving acceptable quality of service (QoS) relative to well known protocols that are Ad hoc On-demand Distance Vector (AODV) routing and Optimized Link Sate Routing (OLSR). These are also constituents of the reactive and proactive routing parts of CML respectively. The Evaluation section contains simulation results to support our analytical models and to compare the performance of CML with state of the art MANET routing protocols considering disaster scenarios with free space as well as obstacle prone environments also used to establish our models. We finally discuss the results and present some conclusions.

Secure decentralised ubiquitous networking for emergency communications

Our modern densely populated cities have created an Achilles heel for public safety services where natural or man-made disasters often result in high casualties. The 2005 London bombings have exposed the inadequacy of current First Responder (FR) communication systems for modern response operations. Additionally, FR organisations presently pay a tariff each time Public Protection and Disaster Relief (PPDR) communication technologies are used, rendering current PPDR communication expensive as compared to emerging license-exempt IP-based technologies. Decentralised ubiquitous networking proposes an alternative way of providing innovative secure wireless systems for IP-based, infrastructure independent PPDR communications. The ad-hoc setup capabilities of ubiquitous systems will reduce the cost for emergency response whilst allowing more flexible ways of communicating. Key characteristics of such systems are their ease of deployment and the interoperability across FR teams for national as well as cross border operations. In this paper we discuss how decentralised ubiquitous networking can assist emergency communications.