SatComms for Natural Disasters (Inmarsat) (IPP funded)

www.inmarsat.com

Overview

Inmarsat provides in-situ powerful but easily deployable equipment, including Inmarsat’s new Global Xpress (GX) satellite equipment during disaster response scenarios. Global Xpress (GX) terminals allow communications at speeds not previously possible for emergency response teams and mobile BGANs allow responders to provide in situ impact assessments. Rapid deployment at the disaster area provides the national coordinating authority with the infrastructure to run national and local disaster response communications, at scale.

Solution benefits

  • For natural disaster affected areas communications are frequently severely damaged, and impact assessment and response are predominantly paper based.
  • Inmarsat and its partners have been working closely with governments to enable urgent communications deployment to affected areas.
  • Dramatic improvements in the efficiency of data collection, benefits distribution as well as command and control processes.

Key technical features

  • Global Xpress (GX) terminals allow communications at speeds not previously possible for emergency response teams and therefore provide a step change for disaster response.
  • Mobile BGANs allow responders to provide in situ impact assessments enabling faster responses and support to affected inhabitants.
  • An innovation around Global Xpress allows advanced bandwidth management to improve usage efficiency and thereby keep costs to reasonable levels.
  • Bandwidth management of the SatComms solution is critical as there could be some users wasting capacity with heavy video downloads and other bandwidth consuming apps.

Case studies

Working with the Philippines Governments Department of Social Welfare and Development, that co-chairs the National Disaster Reduction and Response Council that coordinates government inter agency responses following a disaster event, in the Philippines, supported by IPP. This provides the Philippine government with a resilient capability to rapidly restore communications and increase command and control of recovery operations within 24 hours of the occurrence of a disaster.

Organisation overview

As the pioneer and world leader in mobile satellite communications, Inmarsat has been powering global connectivity for nearly four decades. We provide governments, commercial enterprises and humanitarian organisations with mission-critical voice and high-speed data communications on land, at sea and in the air.