The following White Paper shows what we need and in red you will see what we offer as a solution to those needs.
Read Ahead for Report Overview: The Role Deployable Aerial
Communications Architecture in Emergency Communications Recommended Next Steps
NEAR
REAL-TIME
COMMUNICATIONS RESTORATION
Purpose
The Department of Homeland Security continually stresses the
importance of resilience and the need to incorporate it into the design and
administration of its programs.
Individuals and communities, together with local first responders, are
the most critical response and recovery assets present during the initial hours
following a disaster.
The FEMA Administrator is leading a vitally important
initiative known as the Whole of
Community Framework for Catastrophic Planning & Response. At its core is the goal of saving and
sustaining lives and stabilizing the event within 72 hours. To do this, a shift in thinking must occur
that switches the focus from “incidents” to “individuals”, from “processes” to
“products”, and recognizes that “time is our biggest enemy.”
Our unit Talkbox is designed to take
care of these issues in a matter of minutes so that communication with the
entire community is not an issue.
With respect to critical communications, which includes both
survivors and emergency responders, there are aggressive metrics:
- 1 hour – Implement all viable forms of two-way communications for both survivors and the whole community response force.
Talkbox can
be connected and running in a matter of minutes
- 2 hours – Call upon text-based communications devices and social networking to broadcast life saving messages between survivors and the whole community.
Talkbox can
be set to send to messages within minutes
- 8 hours – Ensure sufficient portable communications systems are operational in and around the impacted area.
Talkbox can
be delivered in to devastated area by two people or one vehicle.
This is neither an easy goal nor one that will be
accomplished overnight. It will require
creativity and coordination with all affected, in both the public and private
sectors. The purpose of this paper is to
begin a dialogue that will contribute to achieving this goal.
Talkbox was not accomplished
overnight. It is a collaborative effort that took over 10 years to make. We
spared nothing and made some of the world’s best engineers work very long and
hard to make a unit that meets all of the issues we are facing in interoperable
communication today.
Background
After a catastrophic national emergency, the ability to
communicate with the impacted population and for responders to talk to each
other can mean the difference between life and death. Since Air Florida
For any major disaster response scenario, Emergency Support
Function 2 – Communications Annex (ESF-2) of the National Response Framework
will be executed. FEMA will work closely
with the National Communications System, who has the lead in coordinating
restoration efforts. Currently, the
federal government relies on FEMA’s Mobile Emergency Response Support (MERS)
Detachments to help restore telecommunications in an impacted area. Depending on many factors, including type of
incident, location of incident, and threat of another incident, it could take
more than 72 hours for MERS to begin reestablishing communications. While continuing to be a valuable asset, MERS
does not provide the ability to communicate in the first minutes or hours after
a major incident.
State and local emergency managers are also likely to
dispatch communications vehicles. Generally,
these are outfitted with a few hundred public safety communications devices and
a tower with a reach on average of 10 to 20 miles. Equipment carried by the vehicles is
primarily for use by emergency responders, not the public. However, there are commercially available
alternatives to creating temporary network infrastructure in near real-time
that can aid response efforts and survivors of a disaster. Yet there is nothing that does it as well or covers as many
aspects needed for instant interoperable communication as TALKBox does.
Commercial mobile services are the most widely accessible
communications systems in the United
States
Suitcase Cell Networks
One commercial approach entails the pre-positioning of
suitcase-sized cell networks. These networks are effective for
higher-density population centers because they can be hand carried inside or
close to a disaster scene to provide coverage.
This is particularly helpful if there is significant road and structural
damage. These assets can be
strategically pre-positioned at fire or police stations, Emergency Operations
Centers or federal offices. Within minutes, the unit can start processing calls
and messages within the local coverage area.
It’s important to note that the system is IP-based and
employs a software solution that is technology agnostic. In other words,
whether you are a Verizon or AT&T customer, your calls can get
through. Our
unit does this and can route you to em radio networks so that you can report
issues directly to the First Responders who need to know. The way the
network works is that the individual suitcase cell networks connect with each
other and with the wireless networks outside of the deployment area via IP
connections. A wide area network can be
implemented quickly within the deployment area and can communicate with
resources outside of the deployment area. We offer up
to 16 miles of range and can connect to Microwave, satellite, and other towers
if avalible.
This solution is being used by both the U.S. Army and the Center of Emergency
Assistance in the People’s Republic of China China
Once operational, every cell phone in the coverage area of
the suitcase (i.e., anywhere between 1 to 10 or 15 miles depending on
topography) can be captured on the system.
This will aid in finding and communicating with victims. The unit
is even capable of locating a phone within the standards required for E911
Phase II; providing location information to within 50 or 100 meters. If first responders geo-locate a cluster of
cell phones several hundred meters in one direction but none in all others,
they will know where to prioritize their efforts first. We take this a step futher by offering gps systems that can pinpoint the
locations in a 3d screen format as the disaster or crisis is happening, not
after you have taken the time to position all of the cases. This will
save valuable time in discerning where in the piles of rubble survivors may
be. The capability will provide future
benefits as well. For instance, it is
technically feasible to use geo-location to identify individuals who have
signed up, requesting special assistance in the case of an emergency. This can help address special needs
evacuations (wheelchair bound, for instance) which has been the subject of past
GAO criticisms.
Finally, the system is controlled locally on the ground in
the deployment area. Our system can be moved to any
area while connected to vital networks that are very important to First
Responders. Decisions regarding network operations can be
implemented immediately by local personnel. In a disaster situation it is
common for first responders from outlying areas to come into the disaster through
mutual aid agreements or on a volunteer, ad-hoc basis. As these rescue workers come into the area
they can be quickly added to the network. The system will recognize when
a new phone enters the network. This is
helpful in distinguishing between emergency personnel and survivors. If a survivor is identified, appropriate action
may be taken. We not only do this we take it to the
next level by solving the click to talk issues between cell phones and radio
networks. You will no longer need to say “can you repeat that”.
SIP signaling is also supported so that IP-based communications
systems can be interconnected with the system. For example, a localized
911 call facility can be deployed at the disaster site to facilitate rescue
operations. Solutions are available to
connect two-way radios that are used by public safety personnel. Other key features include cell broadcast
messages, priority calling and geo-location. Our unit
does this automatically rolling to the best network available along with being
set to pick up all networks used by local and national groups
Very Small Aperture
Terminals (VSATs)
A VSAT terminal uses high
frequency (HF) radio signals to send and receive information to and from a
geostationary satellite orbiting around the equator at 22,300 miles. VSAT communications have vastly improved during
the past several years, allowing terminals to become smaller. This allows for VSATs to be deployed on
extremely short notice, and with very little footprint required to establish a
highly reliable link from an otherwise unreachable area. For instance, VSATs were used successfully in
the Haiti response and flood
relief efforts in Pakistan
The U.S. Coast Guard is in the early stages of utilizing
this approach to handle communications outages and inject more potent
redundancy into its infrastructure. 20
units have been pre-positioned at target areas.
Approximately one-fourth of the Coast Guard’s infrastructure is planned
to have this cost effective, back-up capability by the end of FY12. System resilience is enhanced and seamless
communications provided, if and when necessary.
The Coast Guard is considering expansion of its use of VSATs to
eliminate its reliance on emergency response trucks with comms equipment. Through appropriate hardening (e.g. from
hurricane-force winds or self-contained power units not connected to “live”
wires), VSATs could offer part of the solution to pre-positioning assets for
catastrophic incidents requiring a “whole community” response.
VSATS provide everyday failover when the last mile lines
experience connection problems during a National Incident, routine maintenance
or local line failure/severe. This can
negatively impact system uptime.
Following Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, the Coast Guard was delayed by days
in getting portable satellite communications packages to high sights because of
flooding and damaged roads. VSATs will
significantly reduce this downtime.
The Coast Guard has been beta-testing technology for
response purposes, such as GPS and texting, during the Deepwater Horizon
incident. The component wholly supports
this position paper as a result of that experience.
Balloon-Borne
Approach
Technological payloads pre-affixed to balloons provide a
solution to restoring communications following a catastrophic event that would
either eliminate or seriously compromise terrestrial-based systems. The technology can restore a variety of
voice, data, and video communications applications over most frequency
bandwidths.
There are a few options to consider when thinking about a
balloon-borne approach:
·
Commercial Mobile Wireless.
The most ubiquitous mobile communication system today is commercial
mobile services. Balloons can be deployed
to include payloads with repeaters to work over any commercial system: CDMA,
GSM, 3G, GPRS, WCDMA, iDEN, WiFi and WiMAX. The payloads restore the infrastructure by
placing repeaters on weather balloons that will float over an affected area and
above the weather. Essentially they
become airborne cell towers. Each
payload would have a 24-hour life and could be continuously replaced to create
a constant network that can operate while the terrestrial infrastructure is
being re-constituted. Each unit has the
capacity to deliver 100 simultaneous calls, few Mbps data, or video; large
capacity demands can be met by deploying additional payloads. This technology provided uninterrupted data
coverage for oil refineries before, during and after Hurricane Katrina
throughout the disaster area.
·
Direct-to-Home Satellite. A catastrophic event in a particular location
may leave DTH satellite systems in place.
The challenge is using this system as a means to communicate directly
with the affected population. Cable and
fiber systems – if still operational – can be contacted since they are local
systems and messages intended for that affected area can be sent over these
systems. DTH satellite systems, however,
are national in scope and pose a unique challenge to use as a communications
vehicle to get messages out to people only in the affected area. Payloads could be developed using the DTH
frequencies that would allow emergency response managers and coordinators to
“take over” the broadcast of local satellite dishes and develop whatever
messages needed to be delivered in an affected area by flying the balloons south
of the area so it is in the signal path of DTH antennas.
·
Responder-to-Responder Communications. As stated previously, payloads can be
developed on virtually any frequency or communications system desired and no additional
handsets are therefore required. Pre-configured,
pre-positioned units would allow first responders to continue using their
existing end-user devices.
Pre-Deployment and Time to Launch Considerations. Balloons with payloads provide a low-cost,
quickly deployable solution to restore almost any communications system desired. What is necessary for this option to be
viable is identifying the priority communications systems that will best
address the communications needs following a catastrophic event, funding the
design and development of platforms to meet that need, and pre-positioning
these assets in strategic locations across the country.
The payloads are small (about the size of a shoe box),
light-weight, and fly on standard weather balloons. To remain ready for deployment, these units
require commercial grade batteries, commercial weather balloons, and commercial
grade helium or hydrogen tanks. The
existing 70 NOAA weather balloon launch sites in the domestic U.S.
If units were prepositioned at these locations, a network
covering 90% of CONUS could be maintained quickly. Each unit’s coverage area can extend up to
400 miles in diameter. In addition, there
are launch sites located in Hawaii , Alaska
Talkbox could help with this setup
by giving a gateway to other networks through put. It would also have given the
areas much more than this alone would have been able to offer.
Strategic
Pre-Positioning
Through information possessed by the Department of Homeland
Security, and in conjunction with state and local emergency planners, the
“right” assets could be staged in the “right” locations pre-incident. By analyzing the UASI formula relative to
each high threat city, DHS could predict with reasonable assuredness the most
appropriate locations to pre-position the abovementioned payloads. The DHS Office of Infrastructure Protection
could also add to the body of knowledge relative to where targets reside across
the country. For regions with larger
population densities, use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles with communications
capabilities will complement this approach and should be considered. Talkbox in a backup mode can be EMP Proof and ready in
minutes instead of hours to connect all vital and secondary networks to each
other.
In the case of GSM and CDMA payloads, an estimation of
packages required to meet the demand could be determined by an assessment of
subscriber base by carrier for each particular city. Loosely dubbed, this would be the Verizon and
AT&T coverage map methodology (i.e., ongoing commercial dispute between the
two carriers). Approximately, 98% of the
U.S. subscriber base’s cell phones utilize technologies that are “Verizon-compatible”
or “AT&T-compatible”. A
comprehensive pre-planning effort with carriers, the FCC and NTIA would be
necessary to overcoming possible interference issues. In the case of the IP-based approach, this
analysis would not be necessary as it is a technology-agnostic solution. Topographical considerations may also impact
the quantity needed. Thanks to our system being able to
reroute calls from tower based to microwave or satellite based transmissions,
the issues of bandwidth and topographical limitations can be overcome very effectively.
Saving Lives
FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) is
moving towards development of the capability to relay 90-character cell
broadcast messages to cell phones. While
voluntary for industry partners to participate in this program, a vast majority
of the carriers are involved who collectively serve over 97% of the country’s
cellular customer base.
Through the re-establishment of communications
infrastructure an opportunity exists to “reach” inside disaster areas with
lifesaving messages for survivors. For
instance, there could be hundreds of thousands of survivors in the impacted
area of an improvised nuclear device attack.
Depending on topographical and electromagnetic pulse specifics, many
individuals may still have cell phones that are operational. With the quick re-establishment of
communications, some persons will be able to receive alert messages. Word of mouth will help relay information
(i.e., seek shelter, path of the plume or evacuation locations) to other
survivors. It is estimated that
approximately a dozen suitcases could relay the IPAWS alert to the cell phones
inside the disaster zone of a metro-area. Talkbox offers the
fastest ability to reconnect on the market. In a operational mode or back up
the people who need the information to relay will have it when it happens not
after.
Another key benefit of quickly establishing communications
infrastructure is that emergency responders will have more reliable
communications going into a disaster area.
This will allow responders to communicate with each other, get information
from and relay information to the area outside the damaged zoned.
Talkbox offers all communities and
private parties the ability to keep in touch before, during and after major
disasters and can be carried by two people to the safest area to work from.
Allowing you to connect to all major and minor networks in cell, LMR, and Data
will help all the people and property effected by this problem.
Grants along with the ability to
lease mean that funding is not a problem for even the poorest areas on earth to
now be as well connected as the richest areas on earth.
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