A Taxonomy of Specialized Ad Hoc Networks and Systems for Emergency Applications

Specialized ad hoc networks and systems (SAHNS) can facilitate design and implementation of applications supported by them. We propose a SAHNS taxonomy for emergency preparation and response (EPR) applications. It is constructed by a simple method based on extracting critical requirements for an arbitrary application area. Once the taxonomy is constructed, each path in the taxonomy tree identifies either an existing or a new potential SAHNS design for EPR applications. In the latter case, a new SAHNS design is discovered. In the future, existing and potential SAHNS designs will be evaluated using the parameters from the taxonomy tree. The ultimate goal of this work is development of a method and tools for systematic development of specialized ad hoc networks or systems for an arbitrary application area.