Solving the Signal Relay Problem of UAV in Disaster Relief via Group Role Assignment

Abstract

When an earthquake occurs, disaster relief is an urgent, complex and critical mission. Decision makers must possess critical role awareness to prioritize the numerous interrelated tasks arising from such an event. High on the list is communication network recovery within the disaster area. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are often used in this regard. Some of them are used as repeaters to provide the required network coverage. Their timely, efficient deployment to specific locations is a challenging exercise for disaster relief planners. In response to such a need, this paper formalizes and solves the problem of UAV deployment for signal relay via group role assignment (GRA). The minimum spanning tree algorithm is applied to model a rapidly deployed optimal relay network. It can help establish the minimum number of relay points necessary to ensure communication stability. In this scenario, UAVs (agents) adopt roles as communication relays. The task of distributing UAVs to relay points can be solved quickly via the assignment process of GRA, which can solve the x-ILP problem with the help of the PuLP package of Python. Results from thousands of experimental simulations indicate that our solutions are effective, robust and practical. The process can be used to establish an optimal, efficient relay network using UAVs. Their rapid deployment can be a significant contribution in earthquake disaster relief.