Coast Guard Uses New Tech To Restore Communications Following Hurricanes

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

Rescue 21 diagram. See larger image.

Washington DC (SPX) Oct 20, 2005
The U.S. Coast Guard restored full maritime radio communications in the Venice and Port Sulphur areas of Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina by using a Disaster Recovery System portable antenna tower, enabling search and rescue operations to continue in the devastated region.

"The tower was designed as a critical component of the Rescue 21 command and control system to provide emergency communications following a crisis," said Capt. Robert Mobley, Rescue 21 project manager.

The Coast Guard received a transmission from the motor vessel Douglas within days of deploying the system after the vessel struck an object in the southern portion of the Mississippi River. The clear communications transmitted via the system allowed the Coast Guard to respond to the vessel's emergency.

The success of the system and subsequent cases is due to collaborative efforts of engineering teams from both the Coast Guard and the prime contractor, said Mobley.

"It's one thing to work on a project such as this in the lab, but to see it operating in the field and providing needed support, is gratifying," said Mobley.

Despite adverse conditions, technicians and engineers deployed a system designed to be an independent, stand-alone module that does not have to rely upon any infrastructure such as Internet, electricity or communications.

The fully functional, temporary disaster communications system is self-sufficient and has its own generator and satellite connectivity to the Coast Guard's Operations Systems Center, in Martinsburg, W. Va.

"Martinsburg is a natural choice for a downlink site because it is the Coast Guard's central communications hub," said Mobley. "Seven successful search and rescue cases since deployment have already proven the tower's worth."

The Disaster Recovery System would not normally be deployed until the full Rescue 21 communications system is functional, but contingency planning efforts allowed the Coast Guard to deploy the system early and ensure communications for mariners in the storm-ravaged area.

Currently entering the full production phase, Rescue 21 has been developed to replace outdated communications technology and will become the Coast Guard's command and control system along 95,000 miles of coastline, including navigable rivers and lakes, in the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and Puerto Rico.

The system is intended to improve communications with 78 million boaters who use U.S. waterways, and it is the second largest acquisition program by the Coast Guard. General Dynamics C4 Systems is the prime contractor for the Rescue 21 project.

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

Analysis: Quake Largest U.N. Relief Effort

United Nations (UPI) Oct 20, 2005
The south Asia earthquake, centered in Pakistan, presents the United Nations, a veteran of disasters worldwide, with its worst logistical nightmare ever as it strives to save the lives of tens of thousands of survivors.

DISASTER MANAGEMENT Coast Guard Uses New Tech To Restore Communications Following Hurricanes Analysis: Quake Largest U.N. Relief Effort UCF Researchers To Develop Water Purification System For Hurricane Relief UN Demands World Not Let Pakistan Quake Victims Die	CLIMATE SCIENCE Mountain Winds May Create Atmospheric Hotspots Climate Model Predicts Dramatic Changes Over Next 100 Years Warmer Seas, Wetter Air Make Harder Rains as Greenhouse Gases Build Link Between Tropical Warming And Greenhouse Gases Stronger Than Ever
EARTH OBSERVATION The Next Generation Blue Marble Interview With Volker Liebig On The Loss Of Cryosat Wetlands Satellite Mapping Scheme Yielding First Results DigitalGlobe Unveils Plans For WorldView I And WorldView II Imaging Systems	ENERGY TECH Outside View: The Oil Tsunami It Whistles; Change In Pitch Tells All In This New Sonic Gas Analyzer Medis Receives General Dynamics Order For Next Phase Of Military Fuel Cell Research Program Honda Unveils Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Concept Car
EPIDEMICS Creating DNA Vaccine Could Help Save Lives, Slow Spread Of 'Bird Flu' Generic-Drug Companies To Produce Tamiflu Expert: Don't Rely On Tamiflu For Bird Flu China Reports New Bird Flu Outbreak As Pandemic Fears Grow	FLORA AND FAUNA UCSD Study Shows 'Junk' DNA Has Evolutionary Importance U. of Colorado Researcher Identifies Tracks Of Swimming Dinosaur In Wyoming Creeping Crinoids! Sea Lilies Crawl To Escape Predators, Video Shows Half-Animal, Half-Plant Microbe Found
FROTH AND BUBBLE Acid Rain And Forest Mass: Another Perspective Mystery Fumes Envelope Lagos Katrina Floodwaters Not As Toxic To Humans As Previously Thought, Study Says UCSD Leads Team To Build Geographic Information System To Assess Toxic Hazards From Katrina	ABOUT US Ancient Anthropoid Origins Discovered In Africa Scientists Uncover Why Picture Perception Works The Roots Of Civilization Trace Back To ... Roots The Mechanics Of Foot Travel

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement