The Internet as a Disaster Control and Assistance System

Disasters can happen at any time, any place, unexpectedly. Quick response for recovery operations requires immediate access to any public communications systems at hand. Effective communication capabilities are incredibly important in assisting immediate recovery operations for serious disaster events, such as cyclones, floods, earthquakes or terrorist attacks.

Many, and some would say most, communications systems are rapidly evolving to Internet-based technology. Therefore, the Internet community needs to consider how it can best support emergency management and recovery operations.

By way of predicting tsunamis, preventing plane hijacking disasters or simply a "I am Alive (IAA) system" that can be used by people in a disaster zone to register the fact that they are alive so that their friends and family can check on their health or communication among crisis management personnel using electronic mail and instant messaging, the Internet is coming to the fore.

I guess since September 11 - plane hijackings have been a very powerful sight when it comes to disasters - anything happening on this front?

Well yes, it seems that Onboard Internet connections could help tackle plane hijackings. The aircraft manufacturer, Boeing, has recently patented a system that uses broadband satellite Internet connections from air to ground. It is now being installed on aircraft to not only provide passengers with Internet access, but to also help respond to hijackings.

In its patent, the company suggests hiding tiny microchip-based cameras and microphones around the cockpit and passenger areas, so the New Scientist reports at least.

So how does this help?

Hmmm, well apparently in a hijack situation, a crewmember would discreetly press a button that commands the broadband connection to start transmitting whatever images and sound, the cameras and microphones are capturing to controllers on the ground.

The controllers can then monitor what the hijackers are doing and saying, which is said to be "a boon for responding to the crisis".

Ummm, how does this actually stop the aircraft crashing "into things"?

Accordingly, competitors Airbus and Honeywell are said to be close to perfecting technology that takes control of airplanes to prevent them from crashing into obstacles. Apparently when audible warnings from crash-avoidance systems are ignored, the system overrides actions by the pilot and takes evasive manoeuvres.

The system would link crash-warning devices, already common on airliners, with cockpit computers that could automate flying to prevent collisions. A prototype of the system, which could keep planes from crashing into mountains and prevent the use of aircraft as weapons, has already been tested on a limited scope on small aircraft. While, executives say tests have shown "promising results," the idea of completely turning an airplane's controls over to a computer could make people nervous.

Computers could also soon erect invisible barriers in the sky via the Internet, to protect cities against attack by hijacked planes. Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley have devised software for planes' on-board computers to stop pilots flying into protected areas.

The system, dubbed "soft walls", would resist a pilot trying to head towards a no-fly zone. If, for example, the pilot tried to steer into a zone on the left, the system would counter by banking right, gently at first and becoming more forceful if needed.

We have recently all seen and heard of the Tsunami tragedy - can the Internet help in situations like this?

The Internet industry is already considering help in this immediate area, for example, imagine just minutes before the recent tsunami crashes into Sri Lanka or Thailand, the mobile phones of those people lying or walking or living along the beaches start to ring and a short text message issues a warning to flee the area for higher ground immediately.

Could a communications system like this have saved lives?

Whilst these are just theoretical questions, it certainly is possible to build such a system by tapping into the Global System for Mobile Communications. Right now the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is addressing these questions in light of the recent tragedy.

So just how would a system like this work in practice?

Already S-M-S or text messaging, as it is more popularly known, has been a great resource since the tsunami hit. Now, some people are getting together to create an SMS system that could help with the next disaster. Say, for example, you wanted to get people off the beach, or out of a cyclone's path, you could send a SMS to every cell phone that is active in a certain region. Emergency services would target a particular geographic region by basing it on the GSM service.

This feature is already built-in to most mobile phones and could be used to alert users in a specific region to impending disasters, such as the tsunamis. You could send a warning to a small village that is about to be washed out, or you could tell an entire region there's a tsunami coming.

Why would we consider using a service like the Internet - why not use private or government owned systems instead?

Reliable, robust and "distributed" networks like the Internet provide a tremendous opportunity to spread information quickly - and - to a very wide audience. More importantly, it can do this at an absolutely minimum cost and disruption to other services.

Having said that, unfortunately, the Internet has one major drawback when it comes to emergency communications: It is what is known as a "best-effort" communications system, it means there is no guarantee that an important message will be received in any particular time frame. That's what the IETF is trying to get on top of with its ongoing development efforts.

In a situation like a tsunami, you need an e-mail or instant message broadcast from a warning centre to the right place, in a precise amount of time. The message must be authentic and flagged as important. If the message couldn't be delivered in the stated amount of time, it needs to bounce back and alert the sender accordingly.

Are those organisations that control the Internet, and elsewhere for that matter only just now starting to look at emergency response situations?

In fact, members of the IETF have been working for several years to create methods for prioritising emergency communications over the Internet. The IETF is considering expanding this work in response to the devastating tsunamis. In fact the Internet management already has a group, Internet Emergency Preparedness (IEPREP) that has been at work on these issues for some time now.

Some businesses and organisations could possibly piggy back onto these systems for critical communications. For example, companies in freight, power or financial services might want to prioritise Internet communications in the case of a business emergency such as an airline crash or stock market action.

Arthur Hissey
Computer Research & Technology
www.crt.net.au