Supporting the Red Cross organisation in communication and live-video surveillance, Bad Kreuznach

• Supporting the Red Cross organisation in communication and live-video surveillance during an open-air event

• Approx. 10.000 – 12.000 visitors (using their cell phones)

• Location: approx. 3,000 m²

• Covered area: 35ha

• Set up a communication system for destroyed and overloaded infrastructures such as mobile radio, TETRA, landlines

• Use of mobile ad hoc networks (MANet) for security, first responder and rescue forces to communicate at the scene

• A connection between the incident location and two remote operation control centres

• To overcome a critical elevation profile with obstacles

Secure, robust and reliable communication is provided by IP-based mobile ad hoc networks (MANet) that can be quickly established using no existing infrastructure. These MESH systems provide:

• 7x IP-MESH Radios deployed city-wide
• Central PTZ camera at the event site included in the network controlled by the control centre for situational awareness
• High data rate IP-connectivity between operations centre, control centre and event location
• Two mobile IP-MESH radios (first responder units) including GPS tracking and a body-worn camera moving through the masses (>10k individual)
• One hill to overcome between the control centre and event location by using a 4x4 radio as a„hop“

MANet provides reliable ultra-robust communication at the scene at any time, and quick and mobile access to mission-relevant information from central databases. First responders at the scene are supplied with all the necessary information, and themselves provide up- to-date operational information from the location for all subscribers.

• Live video transmission from the scene and even outside the pre-defined surveillance area in a difficult historical urban environment

• Robust and reliable data transmission despite about 10.000 cell phones in use

• Data transmission via 2-3 hops without data reduction

• Live video transmission during emergency cases with bi-directional communication between emergency doctor and first-aid attendant

• Operation centre can direct a doctor exactly to an injured individual to support first responders due to the GPS-positioning

• For future telemedicine applications smart devices can be connected easily to the IP-MESH via WIFI to document, report and live-stream data, video and audio

• The PTZ camera provides a location overview on a video-wall with remote control capability in the operations centre and control centre.

Preventive measures often can only be taken to a certain extent. Teams can determine the situation on site and the degree of damage only locally and spontaneously.

Therefore, communication between operations centres/control centres and local teams plays a vital role in assessing situations and coordinating resources. Public communication networks and infrastructures are often corrupted or not available in such situations.