IP Over Satellite Increasingly Attractive
FEMA uses satellite technology routinely for emergency operations, training and a number of other vital missions. While no upgrade is planned for the agency's five mobile emergency response trucks, FEMA has increased its capability in response to the number of terminals it used during the four hurricanes that hit Florida in 2004, according to a FEMA official.
Among other things, FEMA runs the Disaster Management Interoperability Service network backbone for connecting first responders. The service, which has been demonstrated over Inmarsat and GBS links, allows users to publish information about local disasters on a secure network where first responders can access the data and post feedback. They also have access to maps, weather data and basic collaboration tools such as instant messaging. Connecticut, Florida and Maryland are among the states which already have deployed this system statewide, and the service is a key component in the Department of Homeland Security's Homeland Security Information Network.
"A private satellite network solution is costly due mostly to the equipment," says the FEMA official. "Purchasing the equipment required to both uplink and downlink the signals make this a costly project for back-up emergency use. FEMA has invested in a limited amount of this equipment in the Ku-band satellite range. As in every method of data communications, the amount of bandwidth available is the driving force as to whether a solution is viable for use or not."
The most compelling solution that FEMA has encountered recently is Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology. "The ability to employ VoIP technology over a satellite signal is the biggest change in portable solutions. This technology will require the deployment of less equipment for complete communications system requirements," the official says. "The cost of data transmissions over satellite still puts this technology off into the future, however, the technology improvements open the door for new rapid deployment solutions."
Other organizations with responsibility for homeland security share a similar view. "Satellite technology is a critical part of our architecture to enable interoperability and efficient operations," says a Northern Command spokesman. "The efforts within industry to develop smaller aperture antennas, which are more efficient and bring greater bandwidth, will improve our efficiency and effectiveness. This, along with [the use of] IP, both within industry and the [Department of Defense] Transformational Communications Architecture, are critical trends to enhance our operations."
Lot Of Details To Attend To
The security of the U.S. border and ports is a huge concern for the government. The Automatic Identification System, an identification card for vessels, is intended to intercept potentially dangerous cargo. The system, being developed for the U.S. Coast Guard, will rely on satellite-based resources to do its job. In April, the Coast Guard Maritime Domain Awareness Program Integration Office held a meeting with five satellite companies from the United States, Canada and Norway to compare technical approaches and designs regarding the collection of the identification signal from space using commercial satellites. The consensus was that the technical challenges were substantial but surmountable, says Guy Thomas, science and technology advisor for the program integration office.
"The [Coast Guard] is continuing to look at the use of civilian satellites for ocean surveillance," Thomas says. "We are moving out with initial planning to put Automatic Identification System receivers on the Orbcomm replacement constellation now under design." The test satellite for the system is scheduled to be launched in March, he says. The possible use of commercial radar satellites and commercial imaging satellites for ocean surveillance also is under consideration. "We are also looking at near space, with the idea of possibly using high-altitude, long-endurance platforms equipped with passive sensors such as Passive Coherent Location multi-static exploitation technology using reflected energy from satellite downlinks to do ocean surveillance. NASA is looking at the technical aspects of this concept," says Thomas.
On land, state agencies such as the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, keep moving forward, mindful of the importance of satellite-based solutions. California embraced satellite technology long ago and the state is upgrading the 80 sites which make up the its Emergency Digital Information Service.
The systems covered here just scratch the surface of the potential for satellite use in homeland security. A lot of satellite gear is standing by, ready for immediate activation in a hazards response environment. Peter Brown is Via Satellite's Senior Multimedia & Homeland Security Editor.
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