New Zealand police tests heli-borne mobile phone network
Vodafone has tested a system that generates a portable mobile phone network to help rescue helicopters communicate with personnel on the ground.
Telecomms giant Vodafone has reported that it has successfully tested a system that generates a portable mobile phone network to help rescue helicopters communicate with personnel on the ground. Vodafone said it recently tested the prototype with New Zealand’s Police Search and Rescue in the Hunua Ranges, an area of bushland near South Auckland.
The ‘Search and Rescue Network’ creates an area of mobile phone coverage beneath a helicopter as it flies overhead, giving rescuers the ability to communicate with cell phones below, said Vodafone. The firm said it will continue to work with the police to further develop the system, adding functionality such as GPS and call bridging.
Auckland SAR co-ordinator for Police Sgt Dene Duthie said: “It is very exciting to have a two-way communications system in a zero-coverage area that actually lets us communicate directly with a missing person. There have been a number of cases in the past where technology could have saved us time, money and potentially lives. We are looking forward to this going further.”
The idea for Search and Rescue Network came after American tourists Rachel and Carolyn Lloyd were rescued in the Tararua Ranges in May 2016, said Vodafone. The mother and daughter had been missing for several days before a rescue helicopter spotted their ‘HELP’ sign laid out in rocks on the ground.
Vodafone technology director Tony Baird said: “After watching the Lloyd’s story, we figured there must be a way Vodafone innovation could help SAR teams locate missing people faster. With this innovation, it’s like we’re creating a searchlight across the bush using a mobile signal. We’re really keen to keep working with SAR to get this technology to a stage where it could be used in real-life search and rescue operations.”
In its current form, the system detects a cell phone ‘ping’ – a signal mobile phones emit when they are attempting to connect with a nearby cell site, explained the company. Once the ping is detected by equipment inside the helicopter, it shows up on an onboard computer screen, giving SAR teams a narrowed search area to locate a missing person.
When they hear the helicopter overhead, the missing person on the ground can check for signal bars on their cell phone and make an emergency call, which would be answered by the rescue crew inside the helicopter.
Further tests are required before the Search and Rescue Network will be ready to be deployed in live operations, said Vodafone.
Watch footage of the testing here.