Development and assessment of a resilient telecoms system

Abstract

Emergency telecommunication infrastructure is essential for residents and emergency responders during natural disasters to coordinate life-saving and life-preserving efforts. Ensuring resilience of the emergency telecommunication infrastructure is of critical importance for regions with an increased likelihood of natural disasters. We developed an integrated modeling framework for assessing emergency telecommunication systems. The framework used performance models to assess coverage and surge capabilities for a given system architecture. The performance models assess the telecom system value using a multiple objective decision analysis value model with stake-holder and technology performance measures. After constructing a life cycle cost model for emergency telecommunication systems, we conducted an illustrative value versus cost trade-off analysis using three alternative decision frames. The decision analysis framework allows for exploration of the system design tradespace so that decision-makers can select the best emergency telecom architecture using a defensible and transparent, performance-driven methodology.