EAGER: Networked Aerial Base Stations for Enabling Emergency Communications During Disaster Recovery

这个智能互联社区研究项目的重点是开发一种创新的解决方案，用于在灾难恢复期间实现紧急通信。 空中基站可以替代受损的蜂窝塔，并在受自然或人为灾害影响的第一响应者和公民之间提供蜂窝连接，直到受损的蜂窝塔恢复。该项目将导致对设计和部署空中基站的科学和工程方面的基本理解。这将导致一个可部署的通信系统的概念验证。空中基站的优势在于与常规蜂窝塔相比具有更高的高度。它们为用户提供更好的覆盖和连接。与传统上由移动运营商在灾难恢复期间部署的“移动蜂窝”（Cells on Wheels）相比，它们可以在灾难发生后更快地部署。该项目解决了快速部署通信系统的能力，这是当今应急通信系统的技术差距。拟议的研究调查有效的策略，提供蜂窝覆盖的地区，覆盖范围是不可用的或丢失，由于损失的细胞塔。它使网络更接近灾民，并在第一响应者和灾民之间中继语音呼叫和数据。在灾后恢复期间对可快速部署的通信系统的迫切需要使该项目成为一个高风险和高回报的项目。研究生和本科生，谁是参与这个研究项目将获得实践经验，在开发创新的解决方案，受灾害影响的社区。 这个智能互联社区项目吸引了当地社区，包括德克萨斯州丹顿市的消防局和民用航空巡逻队，以及电信和航空业的私人组织。该项目将在由美国国家标准与技术研究院和美国国家标准与技术研究院联合举办的全球城市团队挑战展（2016年和2017年）期间分两个阶段进行展示。

This Smart and Connected Communities research project focuses on developing an innovative solution for enabling emergency communications during disaster recovery. An aerial base station can substitute for a damaged cell tower and provide cellular connectivity among the first responders and citizens who were impacted by a natural or manmade disaster until the damaged cell tower is restored. The project will lead to fundamental understanding of the science and engineering aspects of the design and deployment of aerial base stations. It will result in a proof-of-concept for a deployable communication system. Aerial base stations have the advantage of higher altitude compared to regular cell towers. They provide better coverage and connectivity to the users. They can be deployed more quickly after a disaster when compared to Cells on Wheels which are traditionally deployed by cellular providers during disaster recovery.This project addresses the capability to quick deploy a communication system, which is a technology gap in today's emergency communication systems. The proposed research investigates efficient strategies for providing cellular coverage in areas where the coverage is not available or lost due to loss of cell towers. It brings the network closer to the disaster victims and relays the voice calls and data between the first responders and victims. The immediate need for quickly deployable communication systems during disaster recovery times makes this project a high-risk and high-reward project. Graduate and undergraduate students, who are participating in this research project will gain hands-on experience in developing innovative solutions for communities effected by disasters. This smart and connected community project engages local communities including the Fire Department and the Civil Air Patrol in the City of Denton, Texas, as well as private organizations in Telecommunications and Aviation industry. The project will be demonstrated in two phases during the Global City Team Challenge Exhibitions (2016 and 2017) organized jointly by the U.S. Ignite and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.