Opportunistic multi-technology cooperative scheme and UAV relaying for network disaster recovery

International audienceDisaster scenarios have caused crisis situations that have threatened human life. 1 Particularly, during such events, public communication infrastructure get damaged which impedes 2 rescue operations and it took a considerable time and effort (days to weeks) before a reliable 3 communication infrastructure could be restored. Therefore, there is a tremendous need to quickly 4 deploy communication networks to assist rescue operations for sharing emergency data (e.g. alert 5 message, rescue instruction). This work evaluates the performances of smartphones and leverages the 6 ubiquitous presence of mobile devices during disaster scenarios to assist and speed up rescue 7 operations. It proposes a cooperative communication scheme that exploits available network 8 technologies and takes various energy levels into account. A multi-tiers network architecture is 9 proposed targeting a balanced energy consumption in the whole network. Moreover, it introduces 10 a lifetime efficient data collection scheme that employs drones to scan the disaster area and to visit 11 mobile devices and relay their data. Extensive simulations have been conducted and results show that 12 the proposed scheme allows to keep mobile devices alive as long as possible by saving a considerable 13 energy and guarantees a short drone-path for data relaying

Architecture design for disaster resilient management network using D2D technology

Huge damages from natural disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, landslide, tsunamis, have been reported in recent years, claiming many lives, rendering millions homeless and causing huge financial losses worldwide. The lack of effective communication between the public rescue/safety agencies, rescue teams, first responders and trapped survivors/victims makes the situation even worse. Factors like dysfunctional communication networks, limited communications capacity, limited resources/services, data transformation and effective evaluation, energy, and power deficiency cause unnecessary hindrance in rescue and recovery services during a disaster. The new wireless communication technologies are needed to enhance life-saving capabilities and rescue services. In general, in order to improve societal resilience towards natural catastrophes and develop effective communication infrastructure, innovative approaches need to be initiated to provide improved quality, better connectivity in the events of natural and human disasters. In this thesis, a disaster resilient network architecture is proposed and analysed using multi-hop communications, clustering, energy harvesting, throughput optimization, reliability enhancement, adaptive selection, and low latency communications. It also examines the importance of mode selection, power management, frequency and time resource allocation to realize the promises of Long-term Evolution (LTE) Device to Device (D2D) communication. In particular, to support resilient and energy efficient communication in disaster-affected areas. This research is examined by thorough and vigorous simulations and validated through mathematical modelling. Overall, the impact of this research is twofold: i) it provides new technologies for effective inter- and intra-agency coordination system during a disaster event by establishing a stronger and resilient communication; and ii) It offers a potential solution for stakeholders such as governments, rescue teams, and general public with new informed information on how to establish effective policies to cope with challenges before, during and after the disaster events

Aerial-terrestrial communications: terrestrial cooperation and energy-efficient transmissions to aerial-base stations

Hybrid aerial-terrestrial communication networks based on low-altitude platforms are expected to meet optimally the urgent communication needs of emergency relief and recovery operations for tackling large-scale natural disasters. The energy-efficient operation of such networks is important given that the entire network infrastructure, including the battery-operated ground terminals, exhibits requirements to operate under power-constrained situations. In this paper, we discuss the design and evaluation of an adaptive cooperative scheme intended to extend the survivability of the battery-operated aerial-terrestrial communication links. We propose and evaluate a real-time adaptive cooperative transmission strategy for dynamic selection between direct and cooperative links based on the channel conditions for improved energy efficiency. We show that the cooperation between mobile terrestrial terminals on the ground could improve energy efficiency in the uplink, depending on the temporal behavior of the terrestrial and aerial uplink channels. The corresponding delay in having cooperative (relay-based) communications with relay selection is also addressed. The simulation analysis corroborates that the adaptive transmission technique improves overall energy efficiency of the network whilst maintaining low latency, enabling real-time applications

A Multi-tier Communication Schemefor Drone-assisted Disaster Recovery Scenarios

International audienceDisaster scenarios are particularly devastating in urban environments, which are generally very densely populated. Disasters not only endanger the life of people, but also affect the existing communication infrastructure. In fact, such an infrastructure could be completely destroyed or damaged; even when it continues working, it suffers from high access demand to its resources within a short period of time, thereby compromising the efficiency of rescue operations. This work leverages the ubiquitous presence of wireless devices (e.g., smartphones) in urban scenarios to assist search and rescue activities following a disaster. It considers multi-interface wireless devices and drones to collect emergency messages in areas affected by natural disasters. Specifically, it proposes a collaborative data collection protocol that organizes wireless devices in multiple tiers by targeting a fair energy consumption in the whole network, thereby extending the network lifetime. Moreover, it introduces a scheme to control the path of drones so as to collect data in a short time. Simulation results in realistic settings show that the proposed solution balances the energy consumption in the network by means of efficient drone routes, thereby effectively assisting search and rescue operations

Blockchain-Based Security Architecture for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in B5G/6G Services and Beyond: A Comprehensive Approach

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), previously favored by enthusiasts, have evolved into indispensable tools for effectively managing disasters and responding to emergencies. For example, one of their most critical applications is to provide seamless wireless communication services in remote rural areas. Thus, it is substantial to identify and consider the different security challenges in the research and development associated with advanced UAV-based B5G/6G architectures. Following this requirement, the present study thoroughly examines the security considerations about UAVs in relation to the architectural framework of the 5G/6G system, the technologies that facilitate its operation, and the concerns surrounding privacy. It exhibits security integration at all the protocol stack layers and analyzes the existing mechanisms to secure UAV-based B5G/6G communications and its energy and power optimization factors. Last, this article also summarizes modern technological trends for establishing security and protecting UAV-based systems, along with the open challenges and strategies for future research work.Comment: 25 pages, 6 figures, 3 table