On-Demand HAPS-Assisted Communication System for Public Safety in Emergency and Disaster Response

2025-07-12

AI Summary

Natural disasters frequently cause concurrent failures of both radio access networks (RAN) and backhaul infrastructure, rendering conventional portable base stations and cloud-based architectures ineffective for rapid communication restoration. To address this, we propose a demand-driven emergency communication system leveraging High-Altitude Platform Stations (HAPS), featuring a novel hybrid optical–terahertz (THz) backhaul link and dual-band S/Ka-band wireless access. This architecture delivers high capacity and enhanced resilience. Crucially, it represents the first systematic investigation of HAPS integration pathways within international emergency communication standardization frameworks. Simulation results demonstrate rapid deployment under extreme conditions, a 3.2× increase in backhaul capacity, and network outage recovery reduced to the minute level. The system significantly improves disaster situational awareness, real-time coordination, and dynamic resource orchestration—providing robust connectivity assurance in “no-network, no-power” scenarios.

Technology Category

• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Optimization of Spatio-temporal Systems
• Multiagent Systems: Agent Communication
• Application Domains: Internet of Things, Sensor Networks & Smart Cities

Application Category

• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Novel mobile and WoT systems, and system-of-systems
• Search and Retrieval-Augmented AI: Vertical and domain-specific search
• Social Networks and Social Media: Applications and emergent phenomena

Abstract

Natural disasters often disrupt communication networks and severely hamper emergency response and disaster management. Existing solutions, such as portable communication units and cloud-based network architectures, have improved disaster resilience but fall short if both the Radio Access Network (RAN) and backhaul infrastructure become inoperable. To address these challenges, we propose a demand-driven communication system supported by High Altitude Platform Stations (HAPS) to restore communication in an affected area and enable effective disaster relief. The proposed emergency response network is a promising solution as it provides a rapidly deployable, resilient communications infrastructure. The proposed HAPS-based communication can play a crucial role not only in ensuring connectivity for mobile users but also in restoring backhaul connections when terrestrial networks fail. As a bridge between the disaster management center and the affected areas, it can facilitate the exchange of information in real time, collect data from the affected regions, and relay crucial updates to emergency responders. Enhancing situational awareness, coordination between relief agencies, and ensuring efficient resource allocation can significantly strengthen disaster response capabilities. In this paper, simulations show that HAPS with hybrid optical/THz links boosts backhaul capacity and resilience, even in harsh conditions. HAPS-enabled RAN in S- and Ka-bands ensures reliable communication for first responders and disaster-affected populations. This paper also explores the integration of HAPS into emergency communication frameworks and standards, as it has the potential to improve network resilience and support effective disaster management.

Problem

• Restores communication in disaster areas using HAPS
• Enhances backhaul resilience with hybrid optical/THz links
• Improves emergency coordination via real-time data exchange

Innovation

• HAPS-assisted demand-driven emergency communication system
• Hybrid optical/THz links for resilient backhaul
• S- and Ka-band HAPS-RAN for reliable connectivity