Wireless mesh network infrastructure and communication challenges in emergency response

Abstract

Effective emergency response information can save lives and help those concerned to have access to the assistance they need to recover before, during, and after a disaster. Access to a secure communication system needs to be available during an emergency response in order to share accurate information. Various communication systems have been used in response to emergencies, but problem with communication continues to arise between various first responders organisations. This is due to the breakage of either networks or lack of information about the frequency of the channel being used for the same unit. Hence, this study aims to recognise effective network infrastructure and communication challenges in emergency response scenarios. Problems with communication can prevent messages from either reaching the public or being fully understood. During an emergency situation, the less informed the public is, the more likely they will make choices that will put their lives at risk. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were utilised in this study. In addition, this study proposed a wireless mesh network (WMN) to provide communication infrastructure for emergency response. A WMN is the main part of the proposed architecture, providing a network backup in case of emergencies. Furthermore, it is extremely advantageous to be able to post and update the data to an electronic webpage accessible to all; this is because text messaging is shown to be more reliable than voice messaging.