Piloting the serval mesh and serval mesh extender 2.0 in Vanuatu: Preliminary results

Abstract

The Servai Mesh and new Serval Mesh Extender 2.0 low-cost, weather-proof, open-source, infrastructure-communications device is being piloted in Vanuatu during 2017 with the support of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trades Pacific Humanitarian Challenge. This pilot will test the applicability and utility of the Serval Mesh software and hardware in one of the world's most disaster-prone countries. Specifically, several communities and non-governmental organizations will be provided with Serval Mesh technologies and support, and their experiences with those technologies documented and analyzed. It is expected that this pilot will reveal both strengths and opportunities for improvement of these technologies. In this paper we will describe the preliminary findings of the pilot, with a focus on matters of relevance to other practitioners seeking to create humanitarian and communications technologies of relevance to the Pacific region.