Citation

Milliken J, Linton D. Disasters 2015; 40(3): 476-493.

Affiliation

Reader, School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Queen's University Belfast, United Kingdom.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/disa.12168

PMID

26434664

Abstract

In the aftermath of a disaster event, and in the absence of trained professionals, many responsibilities are assumed by uninjured citizens who are willing and able to help, such as care of the injured or search and rescue. These citizens are constrained by communications and logistics problems but are less equipped to deal with them as most often they are cut off from any coordinated assistance. The method proposed in this study would increase the survivability of those injured or trapped by a disaster event by providing a facility to allow citizens to coordinate and share information among themselves. This is facilitated by the proposed deployment and the autonomous management of an ad hoc infrastructure that liaises directly with survivors without central control. Furthermore, as energy concerns present critical constraints to these networks, this research proposes a system of categorising information elements within the network to ensure efficient information exchange.

Language: en