Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Physics / Master / Master of Philosophy

Most times people are unprepared to face natural disasters resulting in chaos, increased number of deaths, etc.Emergency responders need an efficiently working communication network to get in touch with the emergency services like hospitals, police, fire and rescue as well as people who are stranded. Such a network is also the need of the hour for survivors to contact their near and dear ones. One of the major barriers of communication during an emergency is the destruction of network elements. In case the communication devices survive the calamity, odds of the network getting congested are certainly high because almost everyone will be trying to use the same network resources. An important factor when dealing with emergency situations is the calls for an immediate response and an efficient Emergency Communication Systems (ECS). Currently there is a capability gap between existing ECS solutions and what we dream of achieving. Most current solutions do not meet cost or mobility constraints. An inexpensive, portable and mobile system will fulfill this capability gap. The main purpose of this research is to optimize the altitude and received signal strength of an aerial base station to provide maximum radio coverage on the ground as well as propose the best fit radio propagation channel model to carry out the experiment for the current scenario.