Role of Urgent Situation Communication Services during Disasters

Natural disasters, calamities and catastrophes are cohabiting phenomena of human civilization. ICT and telecommunications technologies can play a life saving role in natural and man-made disaster preparedness, management and response. The optimum use of all relevant means of telecommunication in the event of a disaster is a complex multidimensional problem. Even simple use of ICT enable technologies would alert people before a disaster strikes and could give clear advice about what action should be taken. An effective disaster plan, combined with efficient use of mobile telecommunications, can help to minimize the impact of natural disasters, simplify the delivery of aid to victims, and help nations get back on their feet as quickly as possible. However not in all nations that are affected by natural disasters are able to use mobile technology. Case in point is Bangladesh where mobile penetration is only 16%, network coverage has not yet widely expanded to the remote and inaccessible areas and poor people can not also afford mobile phones. Such situations require an innovative approach that may use different telecommunication technologies for disaster management. The case study, new services such as communication and information sharing in remote areas of developing countries, dissemination of early warning and forecasting during disasters have been analyzed. OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) and the mesh communication models have been proposed as the vehicle for implementing a set of services for disaster response. Cost, power and wireless mesh networking are the most prominent features of OLPC that encouraged selecting OLPC as a tool to be used in communication purpose in remote areas that are lacking mobile networks.