Reliable and Secure Data Forwarding in Post Disaster Situation using Peer to Peer Opportunistic Network

Abstract

Traditional communication infrastructures become incapacitated in the immediate aftermath of newlinelarge-scale disasters. Researchers are thus exploring various unconventional approaches to newlinequickly re-establish minimal communication support for ensuring better coordination among newlinestakeholders during disaster management. The alternative communication interfaces (Wi-Fi newlineand Bluetooth) of the mobile devices (smartphones, Tablets etc.) carried by the victims and newlinevolunteers can be harnessed in a post-disaster scenario to set up peer-to-peer opportunistic newlinenetworks (also known as, Delay Tolerant Networks or DTNs) so that post-disaster situational newlineinformation can be collected from different affected areas and transmitted to the control station newlineover these DTNs. newlineEfficient data forwarding in opportunistic DTNs solely depends on the willingness and newlinecooperation of the participating nodes as they need to forward others data at the cost of their newlineown battery power and storage. Moreover, there may exist few unscrupulous nodes in such newlinenetwork who want to deliberately distort situational data or disrupt the forwarding services out newlineof some malicious intentions. Securing privacy in a personal smartphone based communication newlinenetwork is another major concern. This research efforts address the aforesaid challenges in newlinepost-disaster communication over peer-to-peer opportunistic DTN through the development of newlinea new set of network architecture and protocols for reliable and secure data dissemination. newline newline