EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION

SYSTEM USING WIRELESS MESH

TECHNOLOGY WITH MOBILE
APPLICATION

PROJECT DESIGN S.Y 2017-2018

Dep artm ent of Com pute r Engineering

Weste rn Minda nao State Univ ersity
CHONA B. CASPE

SITTI HASANA E. TALIB

JEETHRYLLE M . RECERA

ALEXANDER KIM R. WAING

RALP R. YOSORES
Western Mindanao State University
College of Engineering and Technology
Department of Computer Engineering

APPROVAL SHEET

This is to certify that the undersigned have supervised the preparation of and read the
Design Project paper prepared by CHONA B. CASPE, ALEXANDER KIM R. WAING, SITTI HASANA
E. TALIB, RALP R. YOSORES and JEETHRYLLE M. RECERA entitled Emergency Communication
System using Wireless Mesh Technology with Mobile Application and that the said paper has
been submitted for final evaluation by the Oral Examination Committee.

As the members of the Oral Examination Committee, the undersigned certify that we
have examined this paper and hereby recommend that it is to be accepted as partial
fulfillment of the COE 150 Design Project 2 (Project Implementation) requirement for the
degree BS Computer Engineering.

oilman
r
,,,.,,.,, o1. 'Jt,IS, Mt:lrdl 'I, lo/6
Date Dote

Dote
This Design Project 2 paper is hereby approved and accepted by the College of
Engineering as partial fulfillment of the course requirement for COE 150 Design Project 2
( Project Implementation).

Date

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION SYSTEM USING WIRELESS MESH TECHNOLOGY WITH MOBILE APPLICATION
 n
ess Mesh Technology with Mobi le Appli catio
Emergency Communication System using Wirel

Abstract
required
r at any time or place in the world; aid is then
Disasters, both natural and man-made, can occu
al times for first
24 - 48 hours after a disaster are the critic
to support the victims of the disaster. The first
designed and
s. Thus, the researchers and developers
responders in administrating aid to the victim
mobile application
system using wireless mesh technology with
implemented an emergency communication
thei r smartphone
to inform or contact the rescuers through
that can allow: (1) the victims and/or survivors
the Admin who is
rgency Wi-Fi Network using an application; (2)
(android) that is connected to the establish Eme
survivors via
g and man ning the com man d cent er to receive all the help-request of the victims and /or
monitorin
to communicate with
with the other rescuers and/ or responders
the web application; (3) the Admin together
connected to the
E-connect app), a mobile application that is
one another using their smartphone (with an
a 10, 000 sq.
rgency Wi-Fi Netw ork. The coverage area was 100 meters by 100 meters resu lting in
establish Eme
were connected
from the main access poin t by SO meters and
meter, all remote access points were distanced
In-M ultip le-O ut
Wireless Distr ibuti on System WDS Mesh. Remote access points were using Mult iple-
through
was foun d out that
using Single-In-Single-Out SISO antenna. It
MIMO antenna and the main access poin t was
unid eal whe n
all the access poin ts in linea r direc tion will halve all their band widt h whic h was
arranging

expanding to a bigger network.

mun icati on
wireless mesh as an alter nativ e means of com
It has been concluded that it is possible to use

/VHF radio frequencies.

instead of being dependent on the existing UHF

communication mesh re d.
Keywords: Wi-Fi, mobile application, emergency , , , • scue, 1saster

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 Emergency Communication System using Wireless Mesh Technology with Mobile Application

Acknowledgement

At the end of this project, we would like to take some time to thank all the people without whom this

project would never have been possible.

To the faculty of the Computer Engineering Department; Engr. Heidee Soliman, Engr. Nadine

Evangelista, Engr. Darcy Roy Francisco, Engr. Arvin Evangelista, Engr. Ferdinand Guardo, Engr. Marinella Tose,

without their assistance and dedicated involvement in every step throughout the process, this project would

have never been accomplished. As well as their unmeasurable patience during mock defenses and multiple

consultations for us to be more prepared and well geared for the final defense, we thank you.

Each of us are grateful to all of those with whom we had the pleasure to work during the process of

creating the software and hardware of our project.

To Engr. Daniel Santillan of Cygnal Technologies, for sharing advise and technical support about Mikrotik

routers and networking as well as serving as our project consultant.

To Blaze Jude Garcia, for the giving us his time and unconditional support in finishing the project.

To our co-majors who help us more during the testing phase of the project.

To our friends who lend their place and time during overnight works for each and every small

improvements we made.

We thank you all.

And most of all, we dedicate this project the most to each of our parents, whose love and guidance are

with us in whatever we pursue, for believing in us and being there for practical and emotional support. They are

the ultimate role models.

"I can do all this through him who gives me strength."

Philippians 4:13

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 Table of Contents
Abstract........................ .................····················•···········•····························································· ..................,1•
Acknowledgement.................................................................................................................................. .. ..... 1
Chapter 1............................................................................................................
........... .......... ...................... 1
................................................... 1
Background of the Study ...................................................................................
........................................................ !
The Costumer ...............................................................................................
........................................................... 2
Need ............................................. ................................................ ............
.................................................. 2
Objectives .................................. ............ ............ ................................................
............ ............ .............................. 3
Scope and Limitations ....................................................................................
............ ....................................... 3
Significance of the Study ....................................................................... ............
................................................... s
Chapter 2. ........... ........... ........... ................................. .................................
................................................ ....... S
Review of Related Design Literature Studies ................................................
.................................................. 10
Chapter 3...................................................................................................
........................ ................................. 10
Project Design Procedures ........................................................................
............ ................................. 10
A. Hardware Development ........................................................................
........................ ....................... 11
B. Software Development ........................................................................
.................................. 12
1. Conceptual Framework ........................................................................
................................. 16
2. Implem entatio n ....................................................................................
............................................. 16
C. Prototype Development ........................................................................
.................................•.......... 23
Chapter 4.................................................................................•· ......................
............ ............ ...................... 23
Testing, Presentation and Interpr etation of Data .................................... ............
.............................................. 23
A. Field Test of the Design ........................................................................
............................................. 23
B. Software and Hardware Testing ............ ................................................
............................................ 24
C. Summary of Test Results ........................................................................
..................................... 27
D. Results and Discussions ........... ......................................................................
.................................... ........ 28
E. Conclusion ..............................................................................................
.................................................. 30
Chapter 5......................•............................................................................
........................ ................... 30
A. Conclusions........... ................................... ............ ....................................
............ ............................... 30
B. Recommendations ................................... .................................... ............

s ···•·•····• ···· ••· ····•······ ······ ·····••••••••••• •••••••••••........... ......................................... •···················· ••······· •· •1h
Re~erence
r1
·······•·························•··•·•· iv
Appendix A......•......................................................................................... •········•·
•·•·············· ················· •··········· ···· v,
Appendix B...........•..•.•..•.......•.............•..........•......•........................ •···· •·······
··········· ··········· ····· ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••• vii
Appendix C ••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •··········
........... ................................. .... x1
Appendix 0 ...................................................................................................
 List of Tables
Table 3.1 List of Hardware Materials .....................•........•......•.......................................•.............................. 18
Table 3.2 Ust of Project Costlns .............................•..................................•.•................................................. 18
Table 4.1 Summary of the Admln Software Test Results................................................................................ 24
Table 4.2 Ust of Components Tested for the Hardware Testing ..................................................................... 24
Table 4.3 Summary of the Hardware Test Results ......................................................................................... 25
Table 4.4 Summary of the Victim App Software Test Results ......................................................................... 26

Table 4.5 Summary of the Rescue App Software Test Results ........................................................................ 26

List of Figures
Figure 2.1 Ust of Disaster Relief Applications .................................................................................................. 7

Figure 3.1 System Block Diagram ....................•...........................•................................................................. 10

Figure 3.2 The overall Conceptual Framework of the System ....................................................................•... 12
Figure 3.3 Conceptual Framework between the Admln and of the responders ............................................... 12
Figure 3.4 Rescue Application Flow Chart .............................•....................................................................... 13
Figure 3.5 User Application Flow Chart ...•.............................•........•.......•.•........•........................................... 14
Figure 3.6 Web Application Flow Chart ..........•.......•...•..........•.......•............................•.................................. 15
Figure 3.7 Actual Image of the Remote Access Point ..................................................................................... 19
Figure 3.8 Actual Image Inside the Remote Access Point Endosure (Hapmlnl) ................................................ 20

Figure 3.9 Actual Image Inside the Remote Access Point Enclosure (Haplite).................................................. 20
Figure 3.10 Actual Image of the Enclosure's Parts and Materials Used ........................................................... 21
Figure 3.11 Actual Image of the Main Access Point located at the Command Center ...................................... 22
Emergency Communication System using Wireless Mesh Technology with Mobile Application f CHAPTER 1

Background of the Study

Disasters, both natural and man-made, can occur at any time or place in the world; aid is then required

to support the victims of the disaster. According Ron Austin et al., the first 24 - 48 hours after a disaster are the

critical times for first responders in administrating aid to the victims. This is known as the golden 24 hours where

85% to 95% of live rescues are made. In this kind of situation, aid response is critical. Most of the

communication infrastructure gets damaged during the disaster and proper communication cannot be

established in the area which leads to longer delays in emergency operations and increase damage to life and

property. In a condition like this, one of the requirements in the disaster recovery and emergency response

situations is an established reliable and continuous communication between the officers and rescue workers (V.

Menon, J.P. Pathrose, and J. Priya, January 2016). Therefore, the researchers used this motivation to address the

problem of the community when it comes to disaster response. It is possible that battery-powered wireless

mobile communication devices such as cell phones, tablets and phablets will survive in this state. If these are

connected to the emergency wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) network using with E-connect application that is installed in

the android smartphone, the victims are able to inform or contact the admin which translates to quicker and

efficient rescue operations.

The Customer

The Zamboanga City Disaster Risk Reduction Office (ZCDRRMO) team and all under its division are

responsible for responding to disasters and for assisting state and local governments units and individuals. It has

been also recognized that an effective response must be supported by a broad coalition of international,

regional, and local actors, such as emergency managers, civic leaders, responders, non-government

organizations (NGO) and the public (A. Weinert, H. Hu, C. Spenksy, and B. Bullough, 2015).

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Emergency Communication System using Wireless Mesh Technology with Mobile Application ( CHAPTER 1

Need

Since there is no safe place in this world, we cannot foresee when the disaster will happen. Though

typhoons can be predicted because of the given technology, but other disasters such as earthquakes, landslides,

and tornadoes are still unpredictable. Also, the Philippines is located in the Pacific ring of fire where it is prone

to these kinds of disaster. If ever the telecom carriers such as Globe and Smart signals or one of the towers will

be down, basically the worst-case scenario is that there will be no communication at all. For instances, survivors

and/or victims can use their mobile phones to inform the rescuers using the E-connect app and possibly report

their status and location, thus, making rescue operation quicker and efficient is possible.

Object ives

1. General Objective

The main objective of this research is to design and develop an emergency communication system

using wireless mesh technology with mobile application.

2. Specific Objectives

Specifically, the research aims to:

• determine the optimal range or distance between the two access points that generates

stable signal interconnection utilizing Mikrotik routers for the mesh technology;

• determine the optimal hotspot range that the users can connect to the established wireless

mesh network;

• design and develop the web application for the command center using Html, CSS, JavaScript,

MySQL, and PHP;

• design and develop the mobile application using Cordova hybrid platform and Android Java

which will be used by the victims and rescuers; and

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Emergency Communication System using Wireless Mesh Technology with Mobile Application
f CHAPTER 1

determine if wireless mesh technology can be an alternative means of communication

•
instead of being dependent on the existing UHF/VHF radio frequencies.

Scope and Limitatio ns

This study focused on establishing an emergency communication system using wireless mesh

technology with mobile application. The following are the scope, delimitatio n and limitation of the study:

1. the Wireless routers or Access Points are placed in an open area;

2. the poles, where wireless routers and other components placed, are be installed in a flat surface/ground in

order for it to stand straight;

3. this study doesn't include designing of the poles and only used the existing poles available in the market;

4. Ingress Protection or IP Rating which is responsible for classifying and rating the degree of protection provided

against intrusion (body parts such as hands and fingers), dust, accidental contact, and water by mechanical

casings and electrical enclosures is not considered in this study. The researchers dropped this motion for

considering the protection of the components due to limited time and budget constraints;

5. The researchers' materials used in this project is only intended for prototyping and proof of concept;

6. The system has no way to determine the exact location of the victim who request help, unless the victim has

indicated in his/her message; and

7. The only android mobile application that is used this study is the E-connect App.

Significance of the Study

The generalization of this study would be a great contributio n to the society especially to the disaster

risk reduction management councils and other non-government institution who conduct rescue operations .

Information gathering, salvage operations and communication will be quicker and efficient every disaster when

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E~ ' lency Communication System using Wireless Mesh TechnoloSY with Mobile Application f CHAPTER 1
the lives of the people are really at stake. The researchers also believe that this could also contribute to the vast

knowledge in terms of utilization of other frequency radio slanals ind not only depending on the established

UHF Ultra-High Frequency band In the half-duplex radio communication which Is the commonly used for rescue

operation.

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Emergency Communication System using Wireless Mesh Technology with Mobile Application
I CHAPTER 2

Review of Related Design Literature Studies

When conducting disaster relief, there are two relevant challenge arise: (1) setting up an immediate

emergency wireless network to interconnect on-the-field rescuers with the survivors; (2) disseminating

information to everyone especially when there is infrastructure damage. On this section, the researchers cited

among other works of different researches and projects pertaining on how they come up with their design for

the communication for disaster relief and recovery.

1. Communication

Saneatsu Arimura, et. al. (2013) proposed a self-power supplied micro wireless ballooned network to

promptly ensure communicatio n and grasp information about the affected area, resident's safety and the

distributions of the relief goods on the occurrence of disaster. In their study, they have equipped the wireless

ballooned network with a camera for aerial surveillance of the disaster area. A new enhancement for an

emergency and disaster relief system called Critical and Rescue Operations using Wearable Wireless sensors

networks were proposed to offload data from the disaster area wherein heterogeneous wireless devices like

smartphones and sensors could connect and is monitored by a cloud Internet-of-Things platform. A generic

system architecture that is adaptable to various technologies integration at different levels identified as on-

body, body-to-body, and off-body (D.B. Arbla, M.M. Alam, A. Kadri, E.B. Hamida, and R. Attia, 2017).

Another proposal is a Shelter Communication System (SCS), which consists of a server and PCs connected

to the Internet. An SCS could fill information gaps within an evacuee center. K. Mase (2011) has presented

communication needs of evacuees in shelters during a post-disaster period and advocates that it is essential to

develop a completely new communication service for those in shelters to maintain communication channels

with those outside shelters as well as with those in other shelter.

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Emergency Communication System using Wireless Mesh Technology with Mobile Application f CHAPTER 2

F. Englert, et. al. (2015) believe that in an emergency situation, coordination and information

dissemination are two of the most important tasks. In order to realize this, they designed and implemented a

hybrid communication system to support the relief work of the responders, in particular, coordination and

information synchronization among the stakeholders through the usage of mobile devices. Their focus lies on

the relief works carried out by the firefighters. The communication system on the firetrucks is designed to

support location determination, W-LAN ad hoc for on-site communication, UMTS or similar technology for

communication with the central headquarters and a publish/subscribe queuing server.

N. Rajkumar, et. al. (2015) proposed an Emergency-Relay, which is designed and implemented on smart

phones to provide a communication for disaster recovery. Emergency-Relay includes Help-Button that provides

data communications for rescue workers by send-out emergency messages as energy-efficiently discovers

nearby messaging nodes and Emergency-Relay is implemented as a prototype application on the Android

platform using the WI-Fi interface. They also presented a summary in table form of some existing approach for

communication during disaster recovery in which they have Identified the benefits and limitations of each

research paper.

2. Applications currently used in Disaster Relief

In response to various disasters, both man-made and natural, a number of companies and some

individuals are providing solutions by creating applications that use mobile and wireless technology for disaster

warning and relief operations. The applications currently used during disaster relief and emergency focus mainly

on early warning information and emergency response information.

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 Emergency Communication System using W ireless Mesh Technology with Mobile Application f CHAPTER 2

List of Applications used for Disaster Relief

Application Uses

WI-Fi Bullhorn record and broadcast custom messages

Wireless Emergency
send emergency messages via mobile service provider
Alerts (WEA)
used for campus safety which enables two-way communication
UveSa/e between the campus police and the students using email, voice
or push notification via Wi-Fi or data connections
aids during emergencies and displays important location based
Person Finder
information like shelters
wireless system communication and the ability to stay connected
UfeNet
when cell and internet services are offline
creates connection between families and provides location-based
Ufe 360 Family Safety map that tracks family members, crime and the listings of
registered sex offenders

Shelter View used to find the nearest shelters for the victims in disaster areas

a push-to-talk that lets users send voice messages to different

Zello
channels that can be heard by anyone listening to the channel
. . .
Figure 2.1 Ust of Disaster Relief Applications

The Wi-Fi Bullhorn is a wireless Linux computer coupled to a sound amplifier, a battery source and two

"bullhorn style speakers". It is controlled by web page served by the device. The web page offers stored

messages (e.g. "Please proceed to the nearest exit"), warning alarms, soothing music, as well as the ability to

record and broadcast custom messages (H. Lin, E. Schoenmackers, and R. Nichimura).

The Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) was created by the Department of Homeland Security's Science &

Technology Directorate and Federal Management Agency (FEMA), in collaboration with the mobile service

providers wherein during in an emergency. The authorized government agency would send emergency

messages via mobile service provider where phones are WEA enabled (https://www.ready.gov).

Live Safe is an application that focuses on campus safety that was created by Kristina Anderson. It

enables two-way communication between the campus police and the students using email, voice or push

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 Emergency Communication System using Wireless Mesh Technology with Mobile Application f CHAPTER 2

notification via Wi-Fi or data connections (Fox, Zoe). Also, the Person Finder is an application created by the

Google Inc., response team aid emergencies which enables the victims to get in touch with friends and families

and Crisis Map displays important location based information like shelters, etc., (Google Inc.). llfeNet, a new

wireless system that allows people to communicate device-to-device during the aftermath of a natural disaster,

offers emergency response teams the ability to stay connected when cell and internet services are offline. Aside

r from LifeNet, also, there is

Life 360 Family Safety, this application helps you to communicate with your families and keep connected

via a variety of devices such as the iPhone, android, iPad, blackberry and other cellular phones. It provides

location-based map that tracks family members, crime and the listings of registered sex offenders. It includes a

map, chat and alert capabilities (B. Murray, 2013). The Shelter View, an apple application, is used to find the

nearest shelters for the victims in disaster areas (Google Inc.). Lastly, the le/lo application is a push-to-talk that

lets users send voice messages to different channels that can be heard by anyone listening to the channel just

like the military's walkie-talkie or radio. Victims can post some messages asking for help, while volunteers are

talking to them directly, letting them know when help is on the way. Users can also talk to each other in private

chats. This is a one tech application tool for volunteers to find a person who needs rescue

(http://money.cnn.com).

3. Comparison of Wireless Network

The physical damage to network devices is perhaps the most common communication failure during

disaster. When disaster strikes, the "pipes" that make up our communications networks often become

congested with exceptionally high levels of data traffic, as those affected seek to contact family and friends,

emergency personnel work to coordinate relief efforts, and hundreds more upload pictures and videos of the

damage.

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Emergency Communication System using Wireless Mesh Technology with Mobile Application f CHAPTER 2

The consequence of communication Infrastructure failure Includes prevention of emergency response.

Here are preventive measures to keep networks intact.

a. Point-to-Point Wireless Network

Point-to point wireless topology is used for the connection of the antenna points in the

order
mobile telecom sectors for the propagation of signal from one place to another in line of sight

(http://wif inotes.co m). It is the simplest network architecture that can set-up to connect two locations.

the data
The study aims to establish connection from the rescuer to the admin and provides a bridge for

from one person to another.

b. Wireless Mesh Networks

The characteristics of WMNs are derived from the (mesh) topology and the dynamics of

reliable
wireless environments. This presents low up-front costs, easy network maintenance, robustness,

kinds of
service coverage and minimal mobility of mesh routers. WMNs are rapidly used in many

internet
scenarios like broadband home networking, community networking, building automation and

H. de
access particularly in rural areas (R. Matos, S. Sargento, K.A. Hummel, A. Hess, K. Tutschku and

it
Meer, 2013). Therefore, the study aims to use the MESH network for the remote area because

Also,
supports for ad-hoc networkin g and capabilities of self-reforming, self-healing and self-organizing.

wireless
there is no limitation to move all the traffic through one mesh device; load is shared by multiple

mesh devices (Dr. S. Chatta).

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