Providing Internet Access for Post-Disaster Communications using Balloon Networks

Natural disasters such as earthquake, tsunami, land sliding, wildfires, flood and hurricane have frequently happened in many places around the world. Once disaster occurred, communication networks and information systems may be damaged, depending on the level of destruction. When communication networks are seriously affected, residents in the disaster area cannot communicate their situations and needs. In recent years, social networks play a vital role in connecting people and providing support with woe for survivors and their family during natural catastrophes around the world. Therefore, it is necessary to provide Internet services to the affected area at the earliest, so that victims can use the emergency communication network to confirm their safety. From the literature study, it was observed that the balloon networks satisfy the needs of post disaster communications. In this paper, a prototype system for a balloon network is constructed using two wireless nodes in the sky for establishing emergency communications. The Internet service is provided for the network using WiFi and tested for disaster communications, e.g., accessing social network sites and VoIP calls. Finally, we evaluate the performance of the disaster communications to analyze the suitability of balloon networks during post disaster communications. From the results it is observed that a WiFi balloon network can be deployed easily to provide Internet services to the affected area to meet users' needs.