RecureShare — Internet-less application distribution mechanism for internet-less emergency communication systems

Abstract

Currently, many studies are being done on smartphone-based disaster communication systems. However, most existing systems assume that all required applications are installed in the smartphones of all participants before the disaster occurs, which is unrealistic in actual disaster scenarios. If an Internet connection is unavailable, obtaining the applications necessary for communication becomes difficult because most applications are provided through the Internet by platforms such as Google Play. In this paper, we propose a mechanism for distributing applications and present its implementation. Our method uses the default Web browser and tethering function of the Android operating system. These, combined with a Web server embedded in our application, enable Internet-less application distribution. To evaluate the feasibility of our proposed system, we conducted an experiment with four participants who are unfamiliar with our application. Results show that the participants understood the system and were able to obtain the application without an Internet connection within a short span of time.