WIDENS: advanced wireless ad-hoc networks for public safety

This paper provides an overview of the on-going European Project called WIreless Deployable Network System (WIDENS) which aims at defining a rapidly deployable communication system for public safety or emergency services. In this context, users expect a highly reliable communication system that can support real time applications to allow teams to collaborate in an efficient way. They also want the system to work in a spontaneous fashion and with no pre installed infrastructures. To fit all the requirements, WIDENS takes advantage of the technology of wireless ad hoc networks to establish high data rate communication links on the fly. In this paper we describe the overall architecture of the WIDENS network and highlight the design of its major components