Using GIS to Develop a Mobile Communications Network for Disaster-Damaged Areas

Because communications infrastructure may be damaged in disasters, the authors explored how to rapidly set up a communication system using ZigBee (a wireless sensor network) and geographic information systems (GIS). They present the example of Tsukuba City, Japan after the 2011 Great Eastern Japan Earthquake and how GIS data helped staff in the control center coordinate communication nodes with the evacuation center and others.