Newton Prize 2017 – Catastrophe-Tolerant Telecommunications Network

2017 Newton Prize winner, Dr Trung Duong from School of EEECS (ECIT)

What is the project about?

The primary objective of our research is to propose Catastrophe-Tolerant Telecommunications Network (CTTN) to overcome severely limited communications of telecommunications networks under hostile conditions in disaster scenarios. Our solution is to leverage contemporary wireless technologies and infrastructure, which will provide seamless connectivity even under critical condition, and is deployed in Vietnam.

 

What were the project outcomes? 

We have made trial in the areas prone to natural disasters in Quang Nam province and regularly check and upgrade our current environment monitoring system. The project outcome has been frequently informed to the local government representatives in Hiep Duc district, Dien Ban city, Que Son district etc of Quang Nam province. We also closely work with the Vietnam Disaster Management Authority to promptly inform the local community on increased rainfall that might lead to flooding or landslides and allow them to make evacuation plans. The Vietnam Disaster Management Authority (VDMA) has incorporated this concept into their national disaster response plans.

 

ODA - Direct benefit?  

According to the Climate Risk Index 2017, Vietnam is among the 10 countries most affected by natural disasters and extreme climate events globally. In 2017, over 375 people were reported dead or missing, over 4 million other people affected, and economic losses estimated at over Vietnamese dong (VND) 51.6 trillion (ca. GBP 1.9 billion). The Newton Fund supported research by Duong in collaboration with Vietnamese partners at Duy Tan University, Nong Lam University, and Thuyloi University proposed a novel CTTN that could overcome communications failures (e.g. network congestion) resulting from telecommunications networks severely damaged (e.g. physical destruction, lack of power supply) by natural disasters. This research will play a vital role in the evacuation and rescue of citizens during natural disasters.