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

该智能互联城市研究项目专注于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，并在受损的蜂窝塔恢复之前，在第一批响应人员和受到自然灾害或人为灾难影响的公民之间提供蜂窝连接。该项目将导致对空中基站设计和部署的科学和工程方面的基本了解。这将导致一个可部署的通信系统的概念验证。与常规蜂窝基站相比，空中基站具有海拔更高的优势。它们为用户提供更好的覆盖和连接。与传统上由蜂窝提供商在灾难恢复期间部署的车轮上的蜂窝相比，它们在灾难发生后可以更快地部署。该项目解决了快速部署通信系统的能力，这是当今紧急通信系统中的一个技术差距。这项拟议的研究调查了在没有覆盖范围或由于失去蜂窝发射塔而失去覆盖的地区提供蜂窝覆盖的有效策略。它使网络更接近灾难受害者，并在急救人员和受害者之间转发语音呼叫和数据。灾难恢复期间对可快速部署的通信系统的迫切需求使该项目成为一个高风险和高回报的项目。参与这一研究项目的研究生和本科生将获得为受灾害影响的社区开发创新解决方案的实践经验。这个智能互联社区项目涉及当地社区，包括德克萨斯州丹顿市的消防局和民用航空巡逻队，以及电信和航空行业的私人组织。该项目将在美国IGNITE和美国国家标准与技术研究所联合举办的全球城市团队挑战赛展览(2016和2017)上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.