**3.6 Emergency communications network topology for disaster events management**

After the formulation and analysis of diverse operational strategies with the aim to optimize the processes necessary to integrate the communications satellites platforms and remote sensing satellites platforms and their ground stations inside

a network useful to manage different disaster events, in **Figure 11**, the structural topology of the emergency communications network for disaster events management designed in this chapter is presented. Network has a main function to serve as an operational structure to back up the conventional communications networks infrastructures affected by disasters, and in the same way, be an alternative infrastructure that can provide the capacities to implement diverse technology solutions and communications services to support in the tasks inherent to the disasters management in each of their phases.

Nevertheless, the communications satellites platforms in the emergency communication network has the principal function to handle all communications traffic between the areas affected by disasters and the entities in charge to manage the recuperation tasks in disasters, and also provide the necessary channels through their payload to implement the required technology solutions and the communications services demanded in disaster scenarios. Equally, the communications satellites platforms in combination with the remote sensing satellites in the emergency network have the function to transmit and receive different types of images captured for the remote sensing satellites and processed in their ground stations, through the technology solutions implemented for such aim.

In this sense, regarding the communications satellite Satnet-3 and the Remote Sensing Satellite-1 and Remote Sensing Satellite-2, satellites platforms are selected to design and implement the emergency communications network presented in this chapter; Satnet-3 in the emergency network has the main function to handle all the communications traffic and also provide the capacity to implement the communications technology solutions required in the areas affected by the disasters according to its payload capacity and teleport infrastructure. In combination with the Remote

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**4. Conclusions**

*Emergency Communications Network for Disaster Management*

tions infrastructure that are also available in disaster scenarios.

Sensing Satellite-1 and the Remote Sensing Satellite-2, Satnet-3 has the aim to receive images from the ground station of both remote sensing satellites and then transmit thereof through the technologies solutions implemented to the different affected areas in disaster events. The main task of the Remote Sensing Satellite-1 and Remote Sensing Satellite-2 is to capture images over the affected areas according to the different missions loaded from the ground station, following the operational strategies designed to manage both platforms in emergency situations for a quick and reliable response. Additionally, the communications network designed is integrated to a fiber optic backbone which provides to the network the capacity to transmit and receive images and other data types through terrestrial communica-

In this way, the emergency communications network for disaster management allows to put in operation the next technology solutions: broadband satellite internet services, remote access for video conference services, radio and TV broadcasting services by satellite, dynamic databases to manage and store human or material losses due to disasters, remote access for video camera connections, cellular phone services over satellite, facilities with the technology required at the disaster site to manage hazard events or download and processing images, infrastructures for cloud computers and physical networks, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) networks, command and control center for land surveillance or assessment, technology platforms for exchange and image processing at different levels, star or mesh topologies for very small aperture terminal (VSAT) networks, among other technology solutions or services necessary to manage the disaster events scenarios where the terrestrial communications infrastructures have been damaged or may be at risk of failure due to the disaster's impacts. Likewise, in **Figure 11**, some of these technologies solutions or communications services that can be implemented

through the emergency communications network are described as well.

capturing and processing in disaster scenarios.

Diverse organizations in charge to develop disasters management activities at a worldwide level focus on numerous studies for the improvement and formulation of new technologies to facilitate the execution of the procedures necessaries to carry out the disasters management processes in multiplicity hazard scenarios. Technologies can be novels and reliable to manage and plan the preparedness, mitigation and recuperation tasks in disasters. From this perspective, nowadays, the space technology makes available different satellite platforms on-orbit operation that provides the technology resources necessaries to increase and optimize the response capacities to manage the disaster events in their distinct phases. Therefore, the design of the infrastructure, such as emergency communications networks for disaster management by means of the communications satellites and remote sensing satellites integration, inside an operational topology operates in emergency scenarios; it is a novel communications and remote sensing applications platform useful to manage disaster events in all their phases. This type of emergency communications networks is an essential and adequate communications model to enhance the preparedness, mitigation, and recovery of the communications systems which can be affected by disasters, and besides, it is a reliable infrastructure to images

However, the importance and application of the emergency communications networks in disasters are invaluable as it is noticed in the practical cases described through this chapter. For instance, in the Dominican Republic case, the country has often affected by natural disasters, which has an emergency communications

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

**Figure 11.**

*Emergency communications network topology for disaster events management.*

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

Sensing Satellite-1 and the Remote Sensing Satellite-2, Satnet-3 has the aim to receive images from the ground station of both remote sensing satellites and then transmit thereof through the technologies solutions implemented to the different affected areas in disaster events. The main task of the Remote Sensing Satellite-1 and Remote Sensing Satellite-2 is to capture images over the affected areas according to the different missions loaded from the ground station, following the operational strategies designed to manage both platforms in emergency situations for a quick and reliable response. Additionally, the communications network designed is integrated to a fiber optic backbone which provides to the network the capacity to transmit and receive images and other data types through terrestrial communications infrastructure that are also available in disaster scenarios.

In this way, the emergency communications network for disaster management allows to put in operation the next technology solutions: broadband satellite internet services, remote access for video conference services, radio and TV broadcasting services by satellite, dynamic databases to manage and store human or material losses due to disasters, remote access for video camera connections, cellular phone services over satellite, facilities with the technology required at the disaster site to manage hazard events or download and processing images, infrastructures for cloud computers and physical networks, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) networks, command and control center for land surveillance or assessment, technology platforms for exchange and image processing at different levels, star or mesh topologies for very small aperture terminal (VSAT) networks, among other technology solutions or services necessary to manage the disaster events scenarios where the terrestrial communications infrastructures have been damaged or may be at risk of failure due to the disaster's impacts. Likewise, in **Figure 11**, some of these technologies solutions or communications services that can be implemented through the emergency communications network are described as well.
