**2. Emergency communications networks role in disaster management**

Most organizations recognized globally with the active participation in the communications technology area and their applications, including the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), propose that "when a disaster strikes, telecommunications save lives." Therefore, the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has been recognized as a powerful instrument for the national economic, social, and cultural development, since they have the objective to increase the countries production levels and enhance the quality of life of people in the world [4]. In this regard, numerous studies and field systematic experiences have shown the great importance of preserving the communications services operation and also ensuring, at all times, the operability of their associated infrastructures; as the main challenge is presented throughout the disaster events or in hazard scenarios that must be faced by the entities and the personnel responsible for disaster management, since the communications services are a key resource and indispensable to carry out the disaster management tasks in numerous risk situations.

It is important to highlight the high demand that exists during the disaster events for several types of communications services available, and also for keeping fast access and effective update of the information. In the same way, standardized communications and information processes have increased the reliability of communications traffic, besides easy access to the communications services through a fast and reliable system integration and interoperability, to keep the communications flow in operation in all disaster events stages. These are the primary functions and requirements to be guaranteed by the communications networks with the aim to support continuously the communications services operation during a disaster. In **Figure 1**, some disaster events that can affect the communications services operation are pointed out; the

**Figure 1.**

*Communications systems damages and recovery in disasters.*

figure details the likely damages on the communications networks infrastructures caused by disasters, the potential communications planning required to guarantee the communications services operation, and the actions that must be taken to recover the communications services in the event of a disaster.

Since the communications terrestrial infrastructures may be damaged partially or totally in disaster events, the communications satellite systems' exploitation in disasters has been increased in the last years, because this technology is fast and reliable to restore the terrestrial communication infrastructures affected by disasters. This is especially due to the flexibility that offers the communications satellite systems hardware to be installed easily in disaster zones, facilitating the fast communications services recovery.

In fact, the importance of the emergency communications networks in disaster events has been proved in many countries; for instance, the Dominican Republic, Central America, is ranked as one of the 10 countries most affected by climate risks worldwide, because it is exposed to diverse recurrent natural phenomena such as hurricanes, tropical storms, floods, earthquakes, landslides and forest fires according to the Global Climate Risk Index of the last years. Large recurrence of disaster events have originated in the Dominican Republic, and the creation of a national plan for emergency communications in disasters is not only based on the use and management of the communications infrastructure existing in the country but also in the implementation of alternative communications infrastructures and technologies to mitigate the impact of the disaster in this region. Emergency communications network combines the use of the communications satellites with the exploitation of different data set coming from the remote sensing satellites, meteorological satellites, telemetry systems, and specialized equipment with the objective to manage the real-time information exchange in disaster as well as provides a technological platform useful for early warning, mitigation, and forecasting disasters events. Therefore, this emergency communications network in the practice has contributed to the coordination of relief operations carried out by national entities and the international community in the Dominican Republic, becoming an effective resource in the management of the disasters occurred in this country.

Identically, another practical experience shows the significance of the emergency communications networks in disasters management; it was noticed in the Sichuan Earthquake occurred in the People Republic of China on May 12, 2008, at 14:28 Hrs, with 8.0 magnitude on the Richter scale, causing the death of numerous people and damages in many critical infrastructures of this province. In particular, due to this earthquake, the telecommunications systems were seriously affected, losing half of the wireless communications in Sichuan province and telecommunications services in Wenchuan and in four nearby counties**.** Nonetheless, to evaluate the infrastructure and system damages caused by this earthquake, the Chinese government used the remote sensing data (multisensor data) captured from 13 remote sensing satellites through the activation of the International Charter for "Space and Major Disasters"; equally utilized remote sensing data from Chinese institutions were linked to this field and images were downloaded from the Chinese remote sensing satellites.

In the same way, to mitigate the damages caused by the earthquake on the telecommunications infrastructures and services, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) deployed 100 satellite terminals to help restore vital communications links in the regions affected by the earthquake. Additionally, the Chinese government activated the use of the national communications satellites network to recover the communications services in all affected areas, through the satellite communications services implementation to recover the terrestrial communications services affected in the earthquake. In this sense, not counting China for the earthquake date with an emergency communications network structured formally, both technologies, remote sensing satellites and communications satellites, were used simultaneously to manage the Sichuan earthquake consequences or impacts.

**189**

chapter.

**resolution in disaster events**

*Emergency Communications Network for Disaster Management*

**3. Emergency communications network design strategy**

General speaking, in the Sichuan earthquake, the remote sensing satellites helped to analyze diverse damages, including the damages to communications systems. Moreover, they facilitated the formulation of measures to mitigate potential hazard situations, and provided the images with diverse resolutions required. In this same context, the communications satellites were employed to recover the communications services and also to support the alternatives technologies solutions implementation for different data types exchange between the entities in charges to management of the Sichuan earthquake. All the applications and tasks described above, covered by the remote sensing satellites and communications satellites combination in the Sichuan earthquake, are the most practical and compelling evidence to establish the design and operation philosophy of the emergency communications network developed in this chapter; and also they make clear the communications networks importance in disaster management.

The design and implementation of the emergency communications network for disaster management integrated by communications satellites and remote sensing satellites and also their ground stations can be divided systematically into six (o6) main tasks: In first place, an operational procedure is formulated to maneuver the remote sensing satellites in orbit for optimal images capture in disaster events, considering the spatial and spectral resolution; then a model to images management and processing at ground segment level in emergency is designed, following which the technical characterization of the communications satellites transponders and radio frequency spectrum is carried out, with the aim to design the communications services necessaries for disasters management labors; subsequently, diverse communications applications and technology solutions are formulated, essentials for images and data exchange in disaster events, and the communications satellites transponders technical specifications to carry out the planning and design of the communications links budgets for priority services in emergency are analyzed afterward; lastly, the design of the topology and infrastructure required to integrate the communications satellites and remote sensing satellites to operate in an emergency communications network for disaster management, functional to be activated in events that affect the communications services facilities, is developed. Nevertheless, to exemplify the emergency communications network design and describe the strategies proposed to maneuver the remote sensing satellites and communications satellites in emergency scenarios, two remote sensing satellites (Remote Sensing Satellite-1 and Remote Sensing Satellite-2) and one communications satellite (Satnet-3) were selected to integrate the network. More satellite platforms could also be integrated into the network, according to the availability thereof in disaster events. **Figure 2** describes the six tasks defined to design the emergency communications network for disaster management proposed in this

**3.1 Operational procedure to maneuver the remote sensing satellites spatial** 

The remote sensing satellites spatial resolution refers in specific to the capacity that has the sensor installed on the satellite platform to distinguish or characterize the resolving power captured, with the aim to identify and also categorize the characteristics of two or more objects observed on the area scanned. This resolving capacity is related to the instantaneous field of view (IFOV) size of the sensor and intrinsically associated with the sensor geometrical characteristics, the sensor capacity to

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.85872*

#### *Emergency Communications Network for Disaster Management DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.85872*

*Natural Hazards - Risk, Exposure, Response, and Resilience*

communications services in the event of a disaster.

in the management of the disasters occurred in this country.

figure details the likely damages on the communications networks infrastructures caused by disasters, the potential communications planning required to guarantee the communications services operation, and the actions that must be taken to recover the

easily in disaster zones, facilitating the fast communications services recovery.

Since the communications terrestrial infrastructures may be damaged partially or totally in disaster events, the communications satellite systems' exploitation in disasters has been increased in the last years, because this technology is fast and reliable to restore the terrestrial communication infrastructures affected by disasters. This is especially due to the flexibility that offers the communications satellite systems hardware to be installed

In fact, the importance of the emergency communications networks in disaster events has been proved in many countries; for instance, the Dominican Republic, Central America, is ranked as one of the 10 countries most affected by climate risks worldwide, because it is exposed to diverse recurrent natural phenomena such as hurricanes, tropical storms, floods, earthquakes, landslides and forest fires according to the Global Climate Risk Index of the last years. Large recurrence of disaster events have originated in the Dominican Republic, and the creation of a national plan for emergency communications in disasters is not only based on the use and management of the communications infrastructure existing in the country but also in the implementation of alternative communications infrastructures and technologies to mitigate the impact of the disaster in this region. Emergency communications network combines the use of the communications satellites with the exploitation of different data set coming from the remote sensing satellites, meteorological satellites, telemetry systems, and specialized equipment with the objective to manage the real-time information exchange in disaster as well as provides a technological platform useful for early warning, mitigation, and forecasting disasters events. Therefore, this emergency communications network in the practice has contributed to the coordination of relief operations carried out by national entities and the international community in the Dominican Republic, becoming an effective resource

Identically, another practical experience shows the significance of the emergency communications networks in disasters management; it was noticed in the Sichuan Earthquake occurred in the People Republic of China on May 12, 2008, at 14:28 Hrs, with 8.0 magnitude on the Richter scale, causing the death of numerous people and damages in many critical infrastructures of this province. In particular, due to this earthquake, the telecommunications systems were seriously affected, losing half of the wireless communications in Sichuan province and telecommunications services in Wenchuan and in four nearby counties**.** Nonetheless, to evaluate the infrastructure and system damages caused by this earthquake, the Chinese government used the remote sensing data (multisensor data) captured from 13 remote sensing satellites through the activation of the International Charter for "Space and Major Disasters"; equally utilized remote sensing data from Chinese institutions were linked to this field

and images were downloaded from the Chinese remote sensing satellites.

ously to manage the Sichuan earthquake consequences or impacts.

In the same way, to mitigate the damages caused by the earthquake on the telecommunications infrastructures and services, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) deployed 100 satellite terminals to help restore vital communications links in the regions affected by the earthquake. Additionally, the Chinese government activated the use of the national communications satellites network to recover the communications services in all affected areas, through the satellite communications services implementation to recover the terrestrial communications services affected in the earthquake. In this sense, not counting China for the earthquake date with an emergency communications network structured formally, both technologies, remote sensing satellites and communications satellites, were used simultane-

**188**

General speaking, in the Sichuan earthquake, the remote sensing satellites helped to analyze diverse damages, including the damages to communications systems. Moreover, they facilitated the formulation of measures to mitigate potential hazard situations, and provided the images with diverse resolutions required. In this same context, the communications satellites were employed to recover the communications services and also to support the alternatives technologies solutions implementation for different data types exchange between the entities in charges to management of the Sichuan earthquake. All the applications and tasks described above, covered by the remote sensing satellites and communications satellites combination in the Sichuan earthquake, are the most practical and compelling evidence to establish the design and operation philosophy of the emergency communications network developed in this chapter; and also they make clear the communications networks importance in disaster management.
