Alternative Opportunistic Alert Diffusion to Support Infrastructure Failure during Disasters

Area of Science:

• Computer Science
• Network Engineering
• Emergency Response Technology

Background:

• Infrastructure damage during disasters necessitates alternative communication methods.
• Existing opportunistic communication solutions overlook diverse mobile device capabilities (network tech, energy levels).

Purpose of the Study:

• To present COPE (Cooperative Opportunistic Alert diffusion scheme), an energy-aware system for disaster scenarios.
• To enable trapped survivors to report their location and facilitate rescue operations.
• To maximize mobile device functionality and network coverage until rescuers are reached.

Main Methods:

• COPE systematically selects network interfaces on devices with varied network technologies.
• It manages devices with different energy levels, enabling low-energy nodes to conserve power with high-energy node support.
• A proof-of-concept implementation was developed to assess COPE's feasibility and effectiveness.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated the feasibility and efficiency of the COPE scheme.
• Highlighted practical considerations and lessons learned from the proof-of-concept implementation.
• Showcased COPE's ability to extend device operational time in disaster simulations.

Conclusions:

• COPE effectively addresses the limitations of previous opportunistic disaster recovery systems.
• The energy-aware cooperative approach enhances survivor alert diffusion and rescue efficiency.
• COPE offers a viable solution for maintaining communication in post-disaster environments.