Customer: Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Italy
Duration: April 2005 – January 2007

The project

The project aim has been at developing a communication system based on a ad-hoc network (able to configure itself automatically, and operate without any supportino infrastructure) which, being connected with a satellite communication system, can offer an effective resource to provide communication tools for teams working in the field of safety and Civil Protection, belonging or not belonging to the same organization.

The system objectives are:

  • Organize a communication service interconnecting structures belonging to different organizations:
    • Among the members of a team
    • Among different teams cooperating in the same operation
    • With the remote command and control centers (Decision Maker)

    The communication is managed at the middleware layer, which operates as negotiator between the sources and the recipients of information.The systems transmit in real-time the data, with the same outrightness of PTT-based vocal communications

  • The main elements of the proposed telecommunication network are:
    • Absence of a fixed infrastructure
    • Easy interface to existing networks
    • Possibility of transmitting images, data and voice at broadband
    • Self- configurability and high mobility
  • The system cooperate with existing equipments (tactical radios and satellite terminals), thus allowing a broadband and multiaccess digital transmission of voice/data.
  • The system is based on self-configurable equipments, which are able to provide an adaptive mesh network without preconfigured elements.
  • By interfacing a system terminal with terrestial or satellite networks, it is possible to ensure the sharing of all information among different teams, and/or between a team and a command and control center
  • The satellite terminal can connect the terminals within the cell covered by the SAVION network with any other cell or with a remote center
    • Two different modalities are expected:
      • Very high mobility with a satellite I/F towards GLOBALSTAR
      • Broadband with a portable device such as VSAT (Skyplexnet, etc.)
    • In the first case, the size of the terminal is similar to those of a cellular phone
    • In the second case, the dimensions are similar to those of a terminal equipped with an antenna of a 80 cm diameter

RadioLabs activities

Definition of Technical Specifications

The partners

The Partners of the SAVION Project are: