Managing rescue and relief operations using wireless mobile ad hoc technology, the best way?

The self-organizing and decentralized features of wireless mobile ad hoc networks make them suitable for a wide variety of applications. In this paper, we explore their use in rescue and relief applications in emergency situations. We propose to study the efficiency of some routing and MAC protocols under the client-server architecture. The presence of dynamic and adaptive routing and MAC protocols will enable ad hoc networks to be formed quickly, and ensure communications during the rescue operations. Extensive simulations were performed to show the impact of both the routing and MAC layer choice over multiple QoS parameters (delay, throughput, energy, etc.) in small and large scales rescue areas. We conclude the paper by some remarks that may be very useful for the relevant agencies to enhance the efficiency of rescue and relief operations.