Research Summaries

Back Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Operations Study

Fiscal Year 2015
Division Research & Sponsored Programs
Department Cebrowski Institute
Investigator(s) Steckler, Brian D.
Sponsor INMARSAT, Inc. (Other)
Summary Inmarsat is a leading provider of global Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) for use on land, at sea and in the air with unique capabilities. Currently, they are the only company that can provide global broadband service a level above K- band (Ka) at greater than 20 megabits per second and L-band broadband satellite service at up to 1 megabit per second. NPS has unique experience with satellite communication usage in first responder agencies as a result of the activities of its hastily formed networks team.
As the communication network environment increases in complexity, the potential for interference amongst service delivery methods and service providers increases. This is of particular concern for the emergency response sector, where Inmarsat terminals are relied upon to provide connectivity in emergencies when other communications devices are not operating.
NPS and Inmarsat Inc. intend to collaborate on development of Inmarsat products and services in order to better suit the needs and requirements of Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief scenarios. This development will be in the form of tailoring the technical parameters and specifications of existing or prototype hardware or services. Two categories of products will be explored: (1) L-band products such as L-band on Tactical Radios, Asymmetric L-band for UAV applications, High Data Rate BGAN, Low Profile BGAN, and (2) Ka-band products such as Global Xpress maritime terminals and VSATs.
This project is intended to make the U.S. early responder community (DoD, DHS, NGO, etc.) aware of the capabilities, features, limitations and functional characteristics of Inmarsat products and services in order to support civilian or federal authority when requested in a disaster situation.
Collaborators will evaluate standard tactics, techniques and procedures for the use of Inmarsat satellite communication services by local, state and federal agencies with emergency management and disaster response roles in order to develop strategies to integrate Inmarsat products/services into the overall disaster response field. Collaborators will investigate use of Inmarsat products/services in new ways in the disaster response field (use in UAV’s, bonding multiple BGAN streams, testing new devices, new uses of iSatPhone Pro, Global Xpress, etc.). These strategies will be refined and validated through a series of interactions with a variety of emergency response agencies in exercises and actual real- world disaster events as appropriate.
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Publications Publications, theses (not shown) and data repositories will be added to the portal record when information is available in FAIRS and brought back to the portal
Data Publications, theses (not shown) and data repositories will be added to the portal record when information is available in FAIRS and brought back to the portal