Going beyond the traditional
limitations of communications
May 20, 2013
Noriyuki Fujita, Takashi Egawa
NEC Corporation
Page 1
Problems Communication faces at disasters
▐ Immediate request of use
 People needs communication at the very moment of disasters.
Half-a-day interruption? Noooo!
▐ Enormous amount of traffic
 Tens-times call request continues for a day after major earthquakes
 If we could have managed them, people had called more, no doubt
Limit of use
congestion
Page 2
Sorry, it’s
not yet repaired
Traditional strategy to combat disasters
▐ Robust facilities
Japan’s buildings are robust thanks to ‘building standards law’
Japanese operators have long experience of their own
▐ Redundancy
Ring-topology fiber, backup facilities, remote data center,…
▐ Quick repair
temporary radio station, handy switches, satellite link, …
▐ Restriction of communications/ prioritization
Some calls (e.g., calls from Govts, rescue teams) are prioritized,
but others are restricted
Page 3
Limitation of traditional methodologies
▐ Cost
Robust facilities, redundant links, equipment for quick repair
… all increases the CAPEX
▐ Training
Special system often doesn’t work in emergency
System doesn’t start up, people don’t know how to use it
▐ Limited coverage
Prioritization of important traffic is a way, but it saves prioritized,
limited number of users only
We have been agonizing to balance
these limitations with various requirements
Page 4
We have mighty computers in our hands today
▐ Thanks to the Internet, access speed has increased drastically
 Mbps is not rare today. Will be common in the future
▐ Mobile phone is a mighty, handy computer
 It can store and process information as digital data
▐ Well-designed data center survives earthquakes and tsunamis
We may overcome one of many traditional limitations
If we use mobile as receivers of broadcast?
If we use mobile’s processing power?
If we store & send ‘I’m alive’ message as digital data?
If we store data and wait to communicate till possible?
Page 5
Cell Broadcast Service (CBS)
-- if mobile is broadcast receiver? --
Phuket, Thailand, 20 May 2013
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a) Emergency Alert by Cell Broadcast Service (CBS)
• Actions in a few seconds in advance of strong quakes significantly
reduce damages
– Automatic quake detection/notification gives you in distant area a few
seconds
– Human lives can be saved from collapse of buildings
• Accurate and timely delivery of disaster information is critical
Broadcast delivery based on automatic earthquake detection
and its impact analysis
Earthquake Early Warning
An earthquake occurred in the
Pacific Ocean.
Please prepare for strong quakes.
Tsunami Warning
People near a coast, please
immediately evacuate to a safe
place such as on a hill.
Mobile
user
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b) Delivery of Evacuation Information
• Evacuation information should be delivered to
mobile phones in damaged areas
• CBS is network congestion tolerant
– It enables to deliver urgent information under congestion after a
disaster.
An evacuation instruction from disaster
Evacuation Instruction （Example)
“ABC city issued an evacuation advisory.
A large fire occurred in …
Please get to your nearest evacuation place
immediately.
Evacuation place is: C-1 park for D district,
E-4 elementary school for B district…”
Mobile user
In Japan the service is used for smaller disasters today
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System Structure of NEC’s Cell Broadcast Service
• Broadcasts information to cell phones in the suffered area
– Cell Broadcast Center (NC7000-CB) broadcasts messages to phone cells
– Automatic operation is triggered via M2M interface of NC7000-CB
– Message input operation is performed manually via Web I/F of Area
Management Server (NC7000-AM)
Web I/F
Emergency Alert
Provider
(Human Operator)
Cell Broadcast Service (CBS)
Area Management Server
NC7000-AM
Service Area
Broadcast Protocol
(SABP) *1
Cell Broadcast Center
NC7000-CB
Machine to Machine (M2M) I/F
Common Alerting Protocol
(CAP) *2
Mobile Base
Stations
Earthquake
Detection
Cells
*1 SABP is a 3GPP standard protocol.
*2 CAP is an OASIS standard protocol.
Emergency Alert Provider (Machine)
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RNCs
9
SUPL Location Platform (SLP)
-- if we use mobile’s processing
power? --
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a) Position Report on Emergency Call
• In Japan, on receiving an emergency call, a Public Safety Answering
Point (PSAP) can acquire the caller’s position information based on
A-GPS or Cell.
– Emergency calls from mobile phones increased in Japan Quake 2011.
Public Safety Answering Point
(PSAP)
Emergency Call
110: Police
119: Medical/Fire
118: On the sea
Position Information
Rescue
Fire
Accident on the sea
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b) Utilization of Location Services for Consumers
• Web-based position information service is helpful when call
is restricted.
– Navigation services for getting to an evacuation place
– Tracking services for locating families and friends
Navigation Services
Tracking Services
Self Positioning
Position Information
People having difficulties to get home
(at Japan Quake 2011)
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System Structure of NEC’s Positioning Solution
• NC7600-AG provides Positioning Service (A-GPS and Cell) for
SUPL-Enabled Terminals (3G/LTE)
– compliant with OMA standards: Secure User Plane Location (SUPL)
and Mobile Location Protocol (MLP)
– supports self positioning and position requests by SUPL Agent
– will also provide A-GLONASS
A-GPS:
Assisted GPS
LBS: Location Based Service
A-GLONASS: Assisted Global Navigation Satellite System
Position Request
SUPL Agent
LBS Provider
SUPL-Enabled
Terminal (SET)
Secure User Plane
Location Protocol
(SUPL)
NC7600-AG
SUPL Location
Centre (SLC)
SUPL Positioning
Centre (SPC)
Self Positioning
Phuket, Thailand, 20 May 2013
SUPL Location Platform
(SLP)
13
Mobile Location
Protocol
(MLP)
PSAP
LBS
End User
Disaster Voice Messaging Service
(DVMS)
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Communication Problems in Japan Quake 2011
• Huge volume of phone calls generated in Metropolitan area to inform
his/her situations, to inquire others’ safety, etc.
• Network operators restricted phone calls to avoid a system stop
– Fixed network: 90 percent calls were restricted at most (NTT East)
– Mobile network: 90 percent voice calls and 30 percent packets were restricted
at most (NTT DOCOMO)
• The key problem is how to establish an alternative communication means
when telephony system is hardly available
Safety
confirmation
Public Network
OUT OF
SERVICE
OUT OF
SERVICE
Request
for relief
Phuket, Thailand, 20 May 2013
Suffering situation
inquiry
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Notification of
the rescheduling
Alternative Communication Means in Disasters
• Voice communication is required in disasters to carry feeling of relief
Text-based communication means
Voice-based communication means
SMS
available
in disasters
Facebook
MMS
Mobile Phone
Fixed Phone
Twitter
Email
Message
Board
unavailable
in disasters
Mobile and fixed phones, SMS, and MMS are affected by
call restriction
Twitter and Facebook are available in disasters, but
they are not for urgent communications
Disaster Voice Messaging Service (DVMS)
was developed after Japan Quake 2011
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DVMS
NEC’s Disaster Voice Messaging Solution: NC7000-RX-VM
• NEC provides a voice messaging solution for disasters that
– utilizes the subscriber database of the operator,
– is scalable to huge message traffic, and
– delivers prompt messages with push notifications.
2. Uploads the
voice message
Huge message traffic
can be handled
Voice messages are
delivered with small delay
3. Notifies
message arrival
1. Records a voice
message in a terminal
NC7000-RX-VM
Voice Messaging Server
Sender
5. Notifies
delivery result
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Users can send/receive
messages by designating
telephone numbers
(without pre-registration)
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4. Downloads the
voice message
Receiver
HTTP
Push Notification
User Interface Example in the Client
• A user can send a voice message similar to making a telephone call
Enter phone number
of the receiver
Record a voice message
(up to 30 seconds)
Tap “Send” button
Receive notification
of delivery result
Sender
Service is enabled
by SMS broadcast
Receive notification
of message arrival
Receiver
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Tap “Download & playback”
button
DVMS availability
• Messages can be sent via Android/iOS application or a few
models of feature phone
• Messages can be received via Android/iOS application or web
browser
 Almost all of the mobile phones can receive messages in
Japan
• Mobile operators (DOCOMO, KDDI, SoftBank) show lists of
DVMS-compatible mobile devices
Receiving
• Feature phones with web browser
• Windows Phone
Sending&Receiving
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• Android
• iOS
• (a few feature phones)
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Operations of DVMS
• Service operation policy in Japan
– DVMS is enabled when a disaster occurs (earthquake, typhoon,
snowstorm, etc.)
– DVMS is also available on 1st and 15th days every month as trial
Mobile portal site of KDDI on Nov. 28, 2012
Recent cases
Disaster message board is enabled
Snowstorm in Hokkaido
(November 27, 2012)
Earthquake in Sanriku
(M7.3, December 7, 2012)
Earthquake in Awaji
(M6.3, April 13, 2013)
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DVMS is enabled
Structure of DVMS network in Japan
• DVMS will cover all residents in Japan by cooperation of mobile operators
• Interconnection has started among NTT DOCOMO, KDDI and SoftBank Mobile
since April 2013
TCA, MIC
DVMS Interconnection Guidelines by TCA (Nov. 28, 2011)
NTT DOCOMO
KDDI
DVMS
DVMS
SoftBank
Mobile
DVMS
Interconnection
Smart phones and feature phones
TCA: Telecommunications Carriers Association
MIC: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications
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Others
DTN
(Delay/Disruption/DisconnectionTolerant Network)
-- If we store data and communicate
when possible? --
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Delay Tolerant Technology at disasters
End-users
Oh, you are
here! I have
messages for you
Portable
base station
on a car
Mails, messages
Moves around
Moves around
• How to find the target is usually difficult at DTN,
but at disasters it is rather easy
(People say ‘ok, that car delivers us the message!’)
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Use cases of DTN
Info sharing inside devastated area
Disaster info broadcast
Municipalities,
Govts, etc.
Evacuation
info, etc.
‘I’m alive’ ‘I found
xx missing’, etc.
End-users
Communication among end-users
Sharing survived
communication infrastructure
uplink
Mail, etc.
© NEC Corporation 2013
Page 24
Communication
with outside of
devastated area
Wi-Fi access point w/ DTN function
Normal mode: temporary WiFi access point
(used e.g., at crowded event to enhance capacity)
Disaster mode: DTN enabled
Wi-Fi with DTN
Solar panel (190W max)
+ battery (200Wh*3)
Can supply AC and
USB power
Portable DTN access point
© NEC Corporation 2013
Battery （200Wh）
Fixed DTN access point
Works 8-10h
Page 25 Research funded by MIC, JP Govt
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