A mobile ad-hoc satellite and wireless mesh networking approach for public safety communications

It is widely recognized that emergency management and disaster recovery systems are an issue of paramount importance in communities through the world. The definition of a Public Safety communications infrastructure is a high-priority task due to the lack of interoperability between emergency response departments, the reduced mobility during coordinated operations on a broad scale and the need for access to critical data in real-time. This work proposes an "ad-hoc networking" approach for emergency mobile communications in a satellite and wireless mesh scenario, in which ad hoc and IPv6 mobility mechanisms are combined together. First we analyze mobility management aspects and IP layer protocols and then we focus on Proxy Mobile IPv6, a network-based mobility management protocol which represents the more suitable micro-mobility solution for the proposed scenario with heterogeneous networks and unmodified mobile terminals.