On the performance of a hybrid wireless network for emergency communications in disaster areas

Fast deployment of an emergency wireless communication system is essential to provide communication services to survivors and rescue teams in the event of a disaster because the telecommunication infrastructure might be damaged. We present and discuss a hybrid system model of wireless data networks for emergency communications in disaster areas. Because wireless resources are limited, efficient resource management mechanisms are needed to enhance system performance and provide users with QoS. We created a novel resource management scheme for hybrid wireless networks that provides not only high quantity simultaneous connections but also the minimum required throughput. This scheme enables selected powerful end users to operate as temporary relay hosts (TRHs), enabling system resources to be utilized efficiently. The scheme combines network-controlled handover, resource allocation, and admission control and takes advantage of adaptive transmission rates and a multi-hop/relay communication mode. The results obtained by a computer simulation show that using our resource management scheme can reduce the connection blocking probability, i.e., increase the number of simultaneous connections.