Researchers successfully test mesh network for use during natural disasters

Researchers in Puerto Rico have successfully tested the Owl Emergency Network. This is a WiFi-based network that should enable communication between victims and aid workers in the event of natural disasters.

In the event of natural disasters, the Owl Emergency Network, a project supported by IBM, aims to ensure that people can continue to communicate at all times, even if cell towers are damaged or other technical problems occur. The system consists of small wireless transmitters and receivers that together form a mesh network with a range of about 160 square kilometers.

In Puerto Rico, a pilot project was successfully carried out in recent weeks to test the hardware and software. The area was hit by Maria, a fifth category hurricane, in 2017.

The transmitters and receivers of the Owl Emergency Network are called ducks because they float after a flood, just like a rubber duck. In terms of software, the clusterduck mesh network uses IBM Watson Studio, Watson Cloud APIs, and APIs from The Weather Company.

The Owl Emergency Network was the winning project of the Call for Code 2018 Global Challenge, a competition for developers to come up with solutions to better prepare humanity for natural disasters. To make the project a reality, the Project Owl team received not only a $200,000 cash prize, but also development support through IBM’s Code and Response program.