An overview on the use of satellite communications for disaster management and emergency response

In disaster situations, communication is vital to organise and coordinate Search and Rescue (SAR) operations. In some disasters it may not be possible to use the existing terrestrial communication network due to damaged infrastructure, broken cables and/or energy sources, overload on the network, or non–existing communication network. To overcome the damaged/congested network problem and support the SAR activities to mitigate effects of the disaster, satellite communication is used, since it provides a robust, reliable, flexible, easy to deploy capacity, high bandwidth, and a long coverage range. This paper is an overview of the use of satellite communications for the disaster management and emergency response. This paper is intended to be a general resource and capacity building for the disaster managers and responders.