Participatory sensing platform to revive communication network in post-disaster scenario

Disaster responses are severely hindered due to the destruction or non-availability of the communication network. This research work proposes mobile adhoc network architecture integrated with participatory sensing concepts, for reviving the communication network in disaster hit areas. The development of such an architecture requires a new routing methodology to cater to the challenging environment. This paper proposes a design that utilizes the existing the mobile devices such as smartphones, laptops, etc. in the field to provide the required communication facility. The mobile adhoc network architecture proposed is implemented and tested using several android based mobile phones. An android application named Android app for Emergency Communication (AEC) was developed and it enabled users to send messages to emergency services as well as their dear ones even when they are in regions with no cellular coverage.