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COMMUNICATION CONVERGENCE FOR IMPROVEMENT OF THE UNMANNED AERIAL SEARCH AND RESCUE MISSIONS
Authors:
Damir Nozica1
,
Damir Blazevic1
,
Tomislav Keser1
1Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Information Technology Osijek, Croatia
Received: 2 February 2023
Revised: 8 May 2023
Accepted: 21 June 2023
Published: 30 June 2023
Abstract:
Exponential progress in integrated circuits, best described by Moore’s Law, has enabled tremendous advances in applied computing. Today, more than ever, there are palm-sized embedded devices with computational capabilities millions of times greater than those of what was once the lead computer on the Apollo 11 mission. Such levels of integration enable the fusion of functionalities that were once unimaginable, or at least impractical. Furthermore, today’s existing technologies rely mostly on one or two communication technologies to organize UAVs for efficient search and rescue missions that largely do not utilize the communication convergence principle, thus omitting the potential for better search yield and rescue success. This paper recognizes that niche where communication convergence lacks its potential and presents a concept for the convergence of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LoRa and/or satellite IoT communication technologies to serve as an airborne communication infrastructure, a backbone generally, and enables a swarm of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to communicate efficiently wherever there is no local terrestrial communication infrastructure (such as GSM, Wi-Fi, digital radio, etc.). The concept was elaborated and applied to a use-case localization application scenario (of Wi-Fi enabled devices) for the purpose of search during rescue operations.
Keywords:
Communication convergence, aerial search and rescue, UAV swarm, UAV formation topology
References:
[1] V. Lomonaco, A. Trotta, M. Ziosi, J.de.D.Y. Ávila, N. Díaz-Rodríguez, Intelligent Drone Swarm for Search and Rescue Operations at Sea. arXiv, 2018. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.1811.05291
[2] R.D. Arnold, H. Yamaguchi, T. Tanaka, Search and rescue with autonomous flying robots through behavior-based cooperative intelligence. Journal of International Humanitarian Action, 3, 2018: 18.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s41018-018-0045-4
[3] A.L. Alfeo, M.G.C.A. Cimino, N. De Francesco, A. Lazzeri, M. Lega, G. Vaglini, Swarm coordination of mini-UAVs for target search using imperfect sensors. Intelligent Decision Technologies, 18(2), 2018: 149-162.
https://doi.org/10.3233/IDT-170317
[4] D. Nožica, D. Blažević, T. Keser, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Swarm Uses Wi-Fi to Search for Stranded People in Remote Areas Embedded devices as active scanners in search for Wi-Fi- enabled mobile phones. 2021 10th Mediterranean Conference on Embedded Computing (MECO), 7-10 June 2021, Budva, Montenegro, pp.1-4. https://doi.org/10.1109/MECO52532.2021.9460147
[5] W. Wang, R. Joshi, A. Kulkarni, W.K. Leong, B. Leong, Feasibility study of mobile phone WiFi detection in aerial search and rescue operations. Proceedings of the 4th Asia-Pacific Workshop on Systems, 29 – 30 July 2013, Singapore, Singapore, pp.1-6. https://doi.org/10.1145/2500727.2500729
[6] M.A. Khan, I.M. Qureshi, F. Khanzada, A Hybrid Communication Scheme for Efficient and Low-Cost Deployment of Future Flying Ad-Hoc Network (FANET). Drones, 3(1), 2019: 16.
https://doi.org/10.3390/drones3010016
[7] A. Calabro, R. Giuliano, Integrated Wi-Fi and LoRa network on UAVs for localizing people during SAR operations. 2021 AEIT International Conference on Electrical and Electronic Technologies for Automotive (AEIT AUTOMOTIVE), 17-19 November 2021, Torino, Italy, pp.1-6.
https://doi.org/10.23919/AEITAUTOMOTIVE52815.2021.9662760
[8] F. Ahmed, J.C. Mohanta, A. Keshari, P.S. Yadav, Recent Advances in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: A Review. Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering, 47, 2022: 7963-7984. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-022-06738-0
[9] Y.-H. Ho, Y.-R. Chen, L.-J. Chen, Krypto: Assisting Search and Rescue Operations using Wi-Fi Signal with UAV. Proceedings of the First Workshop on Micro Aerial Vehicle Networks, Systems, and Applications for Civilian Use, 18 May 2015, Florence, Italy, pp.3-8. https://doi.org/10.1145/2750675.2750684
[10] T.D. Dinh, Pirmagomedov R, Pham VD, et al. Unmanned aerial system–assisted wilderness search and rescue mission. International Journal of Distributed Sensor Networks, 15(6),2019: 155014771985071. https://doi.org/10.1177/1550147719850719
[11] S. Kashihara, A. Yamamoto, K. Matsuzaki, K. Miyazaki, T. Seki, G. Urakawa, M. Fukumoto, C. Ohta, Wi-SF: Aerial Wi-Fi Sensing Function for Enhancing Search and Rescue Operation. 2019 IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC), 17-20 October 2019, Seattle, USA, pp.1-4.
https://doi.org/10.1109/GHTC46095.2019.9033073
[12] O.A. Saraereh, A. Alsaraira, I. Khan, P. Uthansakul, Performance Evaluation of UAV- Enabled LoRa Networks for Disaster Management Applications. Sensors, 20(8), 2020: 2396.
https://doi.org/10.3390/s20082396
[13] M. Behjati, A.B. Mohd Noh, H.A.H. Alobaidy, M.A. Zulkifley, R. Nordin, N.F. Abdullah, LoRa Communications as an Enabler for Internet of Drones towards Large-Scale Livestock Monitoring in Rural Farms. Sensors, 21(15), 2021: 5044. https://doi.org/10.3390/s21155044
[14] L. Davoli, E. Pagliari, G. Ferrari, Hybrid LoRa- IEEE 802.11s Opportunistic Mesh Networking for Flexible UAV Swarming. Drones, 5(2), 2021:26. https://doi.org/10.3390/drones5020026
[15] A.-M. Dragulinescu, S. Halunga, C. Zamfirescu, Unmanned Vehicles’ Placement Optimisation for Internet of Things and Internet oUnmanned Vehicles. Sensors, 21(21), 2021: 6984.
https://doi.org/10.3390/s21216984
[16] M. Silvagni, A. Tonoli, E. Zenerino, M. Chiaberge, Multipurpose UAV for search and rescue operations in mountain avalanche events. Geomatics, Natural Hazards and Risk, 8(1), 2017: 18-33.
https://doi.org/10.1080/19475705.2016.1238852
[17] M. Campion, P. Ranganathan, S. Faruque, UAV swarm communication and control architectures: a review. Journal of Unmanned Vehicle Systems, 7(2), 2019: 93-106. https://doi.org/10.1139/juvs-2018-0009
[18] Advantech Provides LRPv Solution Using Semtech LoRa Technology for Intelligent Monitoring Applications. Advantech Co., Ltd. https://www.advantech.com/en/resources/news/96d1606b-4429-4cb2-a9cc-aa3b1ee379c9 (Accessed 2 February 2023).
[19] Swarm – Low cost, global satellite connectivity for IoT. SWARM. https://swarm.space/ (Accessed 2 February 2023).
[20] DJI Store – Official Store for DJI Drones, Gimbals and Accessories (Croatia). DJI Sky City, Shenzhen, China. https://store.dji.com/hr (Accessed 2 February 2023).
[21] Core Specification. Bluetooth SIG, Inc., Kirkland, USA.
https://www.bluetooth.com/specifications/specs/core-specification-5-3/ (Accessed 2 February 2023).
[22] E.K. Hung, D.A. Townes, Search and Rescue in Yosemite National Park: A 10-Year Review. Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, 18(2), 2007: 111-116. https://doi.org/10.1580/06-WEME-OR-022R1.1
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Volume 10
Number 1
March 2025
Last Edition
Volume 10
Number 1
March 2025
How to Cite
D. Nozica, D. Blazevic, T. Keser, Communication Convergence for Improvement of the Unmanned Aerial Search and Rescue Missions. Applied Engineering Letters, 8(2), 80–90.
https://doi.org/10.18485/aeletters.2023.8.2.5
More Citation Formats
Nozica, D., Blazevic, D., & Keser, T. (2023). Communication Convergence for Improvement of the Unmanned Aerial Search and Rescue Missions. Applied Engineering Letters, 8(2), 80–90. https://doi.org/10.18485/aeletters.2023.8.2.5
Damir Nozica, et al. “Communication Convergence for Improvement of the Unmanned Aerial Search and Rescue Missions.“ Applied Engineering Letters, vol. 8, no. 2, 2023, pp. 80–90, https://doi.org/10.18485/aeletters.2023.8.2.5.
Damir Nozica, Damir Blazevic, and Tomislav Keser. 2023. “Communication Convergence for Improvement of the Unmanned Aerial Search and Rescue Missions.” Applied Engineering Letters 8 (2): 80–90. https://doi.org/10.18485/aeletters.2023.8.2.5.
Nozica, D., Blazevic, D. and Keser, T. (2023). Communication Convergence for Improvement of the Unmanned Aerial Search and Rescue Missions. Applied Engineering Letters, 8(2), pp.80–90. doi: 10.18485/aeletters.2023.8.2.5.
COMMUNICATION CONVERGENCE FOR IMPROVEMENT OF THE UNMANNED AERIAL SEARCH AND RESCUE MISSIONS
Authors:
Damir Nozica1
,
Damir Blazevic1
,
Tomislav Keser1
1Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Information Technology Osijek, Croatia
Received: 2 February 2023
Revised: 8 May 2023
Accepted: 21 June 2023
Published: 30 June 2023
Abstract:
Exponential progress in integrated circuits, best described by Moore’s Law, has enabled tremendous advances in applied computing. Today, more than ever, there are palm-sized embedded devices with computational capabilities millions of times greater than those of what was once the lead computer on the Apollo 11 mission. Such levels of integration enable the fusion of functionalities that were once unimaginable, or at least impractical. Furthermore, today’s existing technologies rely mostly on one or two communication technologies to organize UAVs for efficient search and rescue missions that largely do not utilize the communication convergence principle, thus omitting the potential for better search yield and rescue success. This paper recognizes that niche where communication convergence lacks its potential and presents a concept for the convergence of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LoRa and/or satellite IoT communication technologies to serve as an airborne communication infrastructure, a backbone generally, and enables a swarm of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to communicate efficiently wherever there is no local terrestrial communication infrastructure (such as GSM, Wi-Fi, digital radio, etc.). The concept was elaborated and applied to a use-case localization application scenario (of Wi-Fi enabled devices) for the purpose of search during rescue operations.
Keywords:
Communication convergence, aerial search and rescue, UAV swarm, UAV formation topology
References:
[1] V. Lomonaco, A. Trotta, M. Ziosi, J.de.D.Y. Ávila, N. Díaz-Rodríguez, Intelligent Drone Swarm for Search and Rescue Operations at Sea. arXiv, 2018. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.1811.05291
[2] R.D. Arnold, H. Yamaguchi, T. Tanaka, Search and rescue with autonomous flying robots through behavior-based cooperative intelligence. Journal of International Humanitarian Action, 3, 2018: 18.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s41018-018-0045-4
[3] A.L. Alfeo, M.G.C.A. Cimino, N. De Francesco, A. Lazzeri, M. Lega, G. Vaglini, Swarm coordination of mini-UAVs for target search using imperfect sensors. Intelligent Decision Technologies, 18(2), 2018: 149-162.
https://doi.org/10.3233/IDT-170317
[4] D. Nožica, D. Blažević, T. Keser, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Swarm Uses Wi-Fi to Search for Stranded People in Remote Areas Embedded devices as active scanners in search for Wi-Fi- enabled mobile phones. 2021 10th Mediterranean Conference on Embedded Computing (MECO), 7-10 June 2021, Budva, Montenegro, pp.1-4. https://doi.org/10.1109/MECO52532.2021.9460147
[5] W. Wang, R. Joshi, A. Kulkarni, W.K. Leong, B. Leong, Feasibility study of mobile phone WiFi detection in aerial search and rescue operations. Proceedings of the 4th Asia-Pacific Workshop on Systems, 29 – 30 July 2013, Singapore, Singapore, pp.1-6. https://doi.org/10.1145/2500727.2500729
[6] M.A. Khan, I.M. Qureshi, F. Khanzada, A Hybrid Communication Scheme for Efficient and Low-Cost Deployment of Future Flying Ad-Hoc Network (FANET). Drones, 3(1), 2019: 16.
https://doi.org/10.3390/drones3010016
[7] A. Calabro, R. Giuliano, Integrated Wi-Fi and LoRa network on UAVs for localizing people during SAR operations. 2021 AEIT International Conference on Electrical and Electronic Technologies for Automotive (AEIT AUTOMOTIVE), 17-19 November 2021, Torino, Italy, pp.1-6.
https://doi.org/10.23919/AEITAUTOMOTIVE52815.2021.9662760
[8] F. Ahmed, J.C. Mohanta, A. Keshari, P.S. Yadav, Recent Advances in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: A Review. Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering, 47, 2022: 7963-7984. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-022-06738-0
[9] Y.-H. Ho, Y.-R. Chen, L.-J. Chen, Krypto: Assisting Search and Rescue Operations using Wi-Fi Signal with UAV. Proceedings of the First Workshop on Micro Aerial Vehicle Networks, Systems, and Applications for Civilian Use, 18 May 2015, Florence, Italy, pp.3-8. https://doi.org/10.1145/2750675.2750684
[10] T.D. Dinh, Pirmagomedov R, Pham VD, et al. Unmanned aerial system–assisted wilderness search and rescue mission. International Journal of Distributed Sensor Networks, 15(6),2019: 155014771985071. https://doi.org/10.1177/1550147719850719
[11] S. Kashihara, A. Yamamoto, K. Matsuzaki, K. Miyazaki, T. Seki, G. Urakawa, M. Fukumoto, C. Ohta, Wi-SF: Aerial Wi-Fi Sensing Function for Enhancing Search and Rescue Operation. 2019 IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC), 17-20 October 2019, Seattle, USA, pp.1-4.
https://doi.org/10.1109/GHTC46095.2019.9033073
[12] O.A. Saraereh, A. Alsaraira, I. Khan, P. Uthansakul, Performance Evaluation of UAV- Enabled LoRa Networks for Disaster Management Applications. Sensors, 20(8), 2020: 2396.
https://doi.org/10.3390/s20082396
[13] M. Behjati, A.B. Mohd Noh, H.A.H. Alobaidy, M.A. Zulkifley, R. Nordin, N.F. Abdullah, LoRa Communications as an Enabler for Internet of Drones towards Large-Scale Livestock Monitoring in Rural Farms. Sensors, 21(15), 2021: 5044. https://doi.org/10.3390/s21155044
[14] L. Davoli, E. Pagliari, G. Ferrari, Hybrid LoRa- IEEE 802.11s Opportunistic Mesh Networking for Flexible UAV Swarming. Drones, 5(2), 2021:26. https://doi.org/10.3390/drones5020026
[15] A.-M. Dragulinescu, S. Halunga, C. Zamfirescu, Unmanned Vehicles’ Placement Optimisation for Internet of Things and Internet oUnmanned Vehicles. Sensors, 21(21), 2021: 6984.
https://doi.org/10.3390/s21216984
[16] M. Silvagni, A. Tonoli, E. Zenerino, M. Chiaberge, Multipurpose UAV for search and rescue operations in mountain avalanche events. Geomatics, Natural Hazards and Risk, 8(1), 2017: 18-33.
https://doi.org/10.1080/19475705.2016.1238852
[17] M. Campion, P. Ranganathan, S. Faruque, UAV swarm communication and control architectures: a review. Journal of Unmanned Vehicle Systems, 7(2), 2019: 93-106. https://doi.org/10.1139/juvs-2018-0009
[18] Advantech Provides LRPv Solution Using Semtech LoRa Technology for Intelligent Monitoring Applications. Advantech Co., Ltd. https://www.advantech.com/en/resources/news/96d1606b-4429-4cb2-a9cc-aa3b1ee379c9 (Accessed 2 February 2023).
[19] Swarm – Low cost, global satellite connectivity for IoT. SWARM. https://swarm.space/ (Accessed 2 February 2023).
[20] DJI Store – Official Store for DJI Drones, Gimbals and Accessories (Croatia). DJI Sky City, Shenzhen, China. https://store.dji.com/hr (Accessed 2 February 2023).
[21] Core Specification. Bluetooth SIG, Inc., Kirkland, USA.
https://www.bluetooth.com/specifications/specs/core-specification-5-3/ (Accessed 2 February 2023).
[22] E.K. Hung, D.A. Townes, Search and Rescue in Yosemite National Park: A 10-Year Review. Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, 18(2), 2007: 111-116. https://doi.org/10.1580/06-WEME-OR-022R1.1
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Volume 10
Number 1
March 2025
Last Edition
Volume 10
Number 1
March 2025
How to Cite
D. Nozica, D. Blazevic, T. Keser, Communication Convergence for Improvement of the Unmanned Aerial Search and Rescue Missions. Applied Engineering Letters, 8(2), 80–90.
https://doi.org/10.18485/aeletters.2023.8.2.5
More Citation Formats
Nozica, D., Blazevic, D., & Keser, T. (2023). Communication Convergence for Improvement of the Unmanned Aerial Search and Rescue Missions. Applied Engineering Letters, 8(2), 80–90. https://doi.org/10.18485/aeletters.2023.8.2.5
Damir Nozica, et al. “Communication Convergence for Improvement of the Unmanned Aerial Search and Rescue Missions.“ Applied Engineering Letters, vol. 8, no. 2, 2023, pp. 80–90, https://doi.org/10.18485/aeletters.2023.8.2.5.
Damir Nozica, Damir Blazevic, and Tomislav Keser. 2023. “Communication Convergence for Improvement of the Unmanned Aerial Search and Rescue Missions.” Applied Engineering Letters 8 (2): 80–90. https://doi.org/10.18485/aeletters.2023.8.2.5.
Nozica, D., Blazevic, D. and Keser, T. (2023). Communication Convergence for Improvement of the Unmanned Aerial Search and Rescue Missions. Applied Engineering Letters, 8(2), pp.80–90. doi: 10.18485/aeletters.2023.8.2.5.