Henryk Gierszal

Integration between terrestrial and satellite networks: the PPDR-TC vision

Wireless communication technologies are critical for public protection and disaster relief (PPDR) professionals during the emergency operations that follow natural or man-made disasters, scenarios in which commercial terrestrial networks often fail to provide the necessary support. The reason is threefold: they simply get disrupted by the disaster, they cannot sustain the sudden surge of network demand or they fail to deliver the necessary bandwidth and/or other QoS guarantees. In every PPDR operation reliable voice communications are critical, especially in the very early stages of the response; nevertheless, there is an increasing demand from the PPDR community for a wider range of data-centric services. While current technologies used for PPDR operations provide a rich set of voice-centric services, they are unable to sustain high-bandwidth data-oriented applications. As the PPDR-TC EU consortium, we propose a hybrid approach to tackle the question of determining the future architecture for Pan-European PPDR networks based on the integration of Terrestrial and Satellite technologies, presenting our first simulation results on the integration of LTE and Satellite Networks.

Performance evaluation and economic modelling of PPDR communication systems

Network-enabled services for public protection and disaster relief (PPDR) professionals have been more than necessary in todays emergency situations. Under the extreme circumstances of an emergency, it is essential to have networks which support the required data throughput as well as high availability in spite of high traffic volume, and which minimize the end-to-end delay for applications: however, the choice between the existing technologies is not so easy for PPDR entities, given the high number of parameters associated to satisfying the stringent PPDR requirements, high investments required to permit desirable availability as well as modernization of the existing services (i.e. voice and data) and design constraints posed by network providers as current deployed network reach their boundaries when emergencies occur. This paper analyzes three different emergency scenarios and then presents a subset of the results obtained in terms of financial and economic recommendations, along with technical reports on throughput and end-to-end delay.

The current invasion status of Anodonta woodiana (Lea, 1934) in Poland — study of habitat parameters

The study of fish ponds have confirmed the presence of nine new locations of Anodonta woodiana in Poland, with strong and vital populations. These are examples of Chinese pond mussels accidentally introduced along with fish imports. Comparison of known localities shows that more mussels are in eastern Poland, from which the migration path of A. woodiana progresses. Most often mussels settle in larger water reservoirs with elongated shapes. Older and longer mussels occur in deeper fish ponds. Moreover, the further south the location, the higher biomass can be obtained.The average age of mussels in a fish pond depends on its bed type and depth; however the latter has less influence. New locations of this species are also to be expected due to deliberate introduction; cases of resettlement of individual specimens of the Chinese pond mussel to new locations have been recorded.

Business models and multi-domain analysis for acquiring broadband PPDR systems

Availability of modern, reliable and offering a wide range of services wireless communication systems is crucial for the effective operation of Public Protection and Disaster Relief (PPDR) agencies during the emergency situations. This paper presents the elements of the financial-economic analysis for acquiring and operating PPDR communication systems by the interested entities. It deals with business model possible scenarios and discusses main financial and economic factors in acquiring PPDR systems. A software tool for multi-domain analysis of business efficiency in procuring PPDR systems, developed within the PPDR-TC EU project, and some example results obtained with it are also presented in the paper.

Co-occurrence of Sinanodonta woodiana with native Unionidae in the lower Oder

Abstract The Asiatic bivalve Sinanodonta woodiana (Lea, 1834), which is more and more widespread in all parts of Europe, in Poland has been mostly reported from lentic waters, especially fish ponds. In contrast to some other European countries, no data have been published on its presence in rivers of Poland. In 2015, monitoring was carried out in the lower Oder River and in the mouth of the Warta River, as a result of which S. woodiana was recorded there for the first time. This was possible due to prolonged drought, which led to extremely low water levels in most of the inland water bodies and watercourses, so that other research methods could be used. The presented results confirm that the species spreads easily by colonizing waters of various types, which in the future may lead to the formation of large populations.

Reliability of SATCOM transmission for PPDR usage

Satellite transmission based on IP may play important role for communication between event site and PPDR centers during large planned scenarios and disaster/unplanned ones. Geostationary SATCOM links that can be installed ad-hoc in any location present reliable and efficient way to transmit IP data even for voice communication based on VoIP. Using different mechanisms that handle multi connections the reliability of data exchange among PPDR agencies can be improved. The efficiency of satellite communication is reported by tests done for TCP and UDP transmission in Ka band.

A Software Tool of Technical and Financial-Economic Analysis for Acquistion of Broadband Radio PPDR Networks

Abstract In this paper, we present a software tool that allows preparing econometric analyses aiming at selection of optimal business models for acquisition of broadband mobile networks by PPDR organizations. Such agencies often and often need broadband services to improve operational activities in order to increase the safety, security, and their effectiveness in day-to-day and crisis situations. Upgrade or migration to broadband networks needs careful decisions so as to find a justified trade-off between CAPEX and OPEX. The network evolution can be based on different business models but any approach cannot degrade the reliability, security, and resilience required by PSC.

The Invasive Asian Clam Corbicula fluminea in Polish Rivers: The Importance of Thermal Discharge from Power Plants for Its Spread

ABSTRACT So far in Poland, the Asian clam Corbicula fluminea has been reported from the Oder (Odra) and Vistula River. Its new population has been discovered in the Warta-Gopło Canal in Konin (central Poland), where water temperature can reach 34°C, as the canal is a part of a power plant lake cooling system. The spatial distribution of C. fluminea was found to be very uneven and that is probably why this species was not found during earlier research. The highest density of C. fluminea was 78 ind.·m-2 at the site where water flow was the fastest (2.49 m·s-1), providing sufficient oxygenation of the water. The results suggest that existing information about the distribution of C. fluminea may be far from complete because the clam can be present also in the habitats that were not regarded as suitable for the species according to earlier reports, and therefore have not been monitored for its presence.

Migration Towards Broadband PPDR Networks

This paper presents a study on development and evolution of Public Protection and Disaster Relief (PPDR) com- munication networks in the perspective of the next 15-20 years. A need for modern, reliable mobile communications systems for PPDR offering a wide range of services, yet harmonized, is commonly recognized at both country and European level. There are therefore a number of activities in this area currently being undertaken. In this paper we discuss several technical aspects of migration of PPDR networks towards broadband systems and describe the most likely upgrade scenario based on an evaluation of migration costs.

Requirements for IMS services and applications over interoperable broadband public protection & disaster relief networks and commercial communication networks

The paper presents requirements related to a heterogeneous interoperable and transportable gateway called HitGW that is designated to connect different incompatible communication systems used by First-Responders (FRs) and to make them interoperable with IP-based networks. The HitGW allows IMS type of services and applications over a broadband network composed of ordinary Public Protection and Disaster Relief (PPDR) networks and Commercial Communication Networks (CCNs). Such a system solution for FRs becomes indispensable for interoperable, effective, secure, and safety communications especially in national and cross-border crisis scenarios. The innovativeness in the chosen approach to design and implement such a system gateway primary consists in the user needs and current trends of PPDR networks toward 4G LTE type of networks and services.