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More Robust Telemetry Tould Avoid Problematic Delays or Failures in Time-Critical Communications

This antenna tower exhibits a rigid construction. But how vulnerable is its foundation to landslide or liquefaction?

Are the data transmission facilities in today’s networks durable enough to survive a severe earthquake? Some commercial links will stay operational, but others may suffer from partial damage, such as misalignment of antenna systems, rupture of underground cables or failure of other critical lifelines.

During the Northridge earthquake, there was fire and water on the Simi Valley Freeway, due to broken gas and water pipes under the street. What would happen to underground phone cables in an event like this?

The surviving telecommunications facilities will certainly suffer from heavy traffic, as they have in all previous, smaller events. Besides the exceptional seismic data traffic in a severe event, remember that many people will pick up the phone immediately in order to verify their child´s well-being at school!

In the affected regions, including those with light shaking, heavy congestion will slow down telecommunications, particularly dial-up telephone systems and the Web. As a result, the time required for the sensor’s modem to connect and transmit data through public carriers will be significantly increased.

The following issues need to be addressed:

• How "real" is real time for emergency response management today?
• In a disaster, real time information could be incomplete or even biased away from the most damaged areas
• As we all know too well, misleading information can have fatal consequences for emergency response
• What if valuable resources are lost in an earthquake? An earthquake rescue scenario
• Final questions