UAV Trajectory Optimization in a Post-Disaster Area Using Dual Energy-Aware Bandits

Area of Science:

• Wireless Communication
• Network Engineering
• Disaster Management

Background:

• Increasing natural disasters necessitate robust emergency communication systems.
• Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) offer flexible and capable solutions for post-disaster scenarios.

Purpose of the Study:

• To optimize UAV flight trajectories for maximizing ground user coverage in emergency networks.
• To address energy limitations for both UAVs and ground users in post-disaster communication.

Main Methods:

• Investigated a UAV-based emergency wireless communication network.
• Formulated an optimization problem for UAV trajectory.
• Applied a dual cost-aware multi-armed bandit algorithm to manage energy constraints.

Main Results:

• The proposed algorithm effectively optimizes UAV trajectories.
• Maximized the number of visited ground users.
• Achieved optimal throughput under limited energy conditions.

Conclusions:

• UAV-based networks are effective for post-disaster communication.
• The dual cost-aware multi-armed bandit algorithm successfully balances coverage and energy efficiency.
• This approach enhances emergency wireless communication capabilities.