A hybrid MANET-DTN routing scheme for emergency response scenarios

Emergency response operations are a promising application area for mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs). Most existing MANET routing protocols assume that an end-to-end path between source and destination can be established. However, this assumption may not hold in a hastily formed network established during an emergency response. This paper evaluates a store-and-forward mechanism for proactive routing protocols to mitigate the effects of network disruptions. The mechanism is integrated into two routing protocols. The modified protocols are evaluated in an emergency response scenario that includes a disaster area mobility model and a wireless obstacle model. The scenario represents a realistic first responder operation after an incident in a chemical facility. The evaluation results show that networks for disaster responses benefit from the modified routing protocols.