[LINK] Queensland Floods Report Lacks Communications Strategy

[Tom Koltai]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: link-bounces at mailman.anu.edu.au 
> [mailto:link-bounces at mailman.anu.edu.au] On Behalf Of Tom Worthington
> Sent: Thursday, 4 August 2011 8:35 AM
> To: link at mailman.anu.edu.au
> Subject: [LINK] Queensland Floods Report Lacks Communications Strategy
> 
> 
> The Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry Interim Report 
> was released 
> 1 August 2011: 
> http://floodcommission.qld.gov.au/publications/interim-report
> 
> Several or the recommendations refer to the use of telecommunications 
> for flood warnings, telephones, SMS, mobile phones, the 
> Internet and the 
> web. However, what is lacking from the Queensland response to 
> the flood, 
> and the report's recommendations, is an overall strategy for 
> the use of 
> telecommunications for disaster preparedness and response. The 
> recommendations refer to different forms of telecommunications in 
> different places, rather than an overall strategy of preparing clear 
> messages and then issuing them via all available and appropriate 
> communications channels.
> <SNIP>

Correct Tom, in fact the lack of telecommunications infrastructure as as
a result of:

1.	the torrential rain blanking out the microwave backhaul links
2.	the power failures (Mains) (SEQEB) and then batteries at towers
and exchanges

Makes the entire telecommunications infrastructure plan suspect.

The ACMA's official response is to devote the 4.9 GHZ spectrum to
emergency services, yet an analysis of 4.9 GHz performance in high
humidity areas and during heavy tropical rain does not return stellar
performance statistics.

We had a similar discussion on Link sometime ago in relation to
bushfires.
I believe my suggestion then was to utilise the 27 GHZ (old CB radio)
frequencies in telemetry mode for maximum reach including skip.

CB radios were a community based help and assistance frequency in the
eighties.
Their use somewhat diminished by the introduction of Smartphones.

GHz frequencies are not promising for long range low power voice
communications required in emergencies.


TomK

/body