In a valley, a forest or a high-altitude area, the first challenge in a rescue operation is often not simply locating a person. Terrain can disrupt communications, limit visibility and leave responders with only fragments of information to guide their next move.

Against that backdrop, a research team from Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University and Xi'an Technological University is developing WildGuard—Intelligent Emergency Rescue for Complex Outdoor Environments. The project examines how more usable information can support outdoor emergency response in complex terrain.

The work began with a survey of existing rescue technologies and operating practices. From there, the team chose to apply LoRa, an existing low-power, long-range communications technology, within a rescue application framework that connects user-side information nodes, ground rescue nodes, UAV-enabled mobile nodes and a command interface.

 

 

Figure 1. Team members conduct an outdoor communication and positioning test.

WildGuard is not presented as a new LoRa technology. Its focus is the application of existing technology to rescue tasks: how information can be collected, how a field link can be organized, and how the information that returns can be considered by rescue personnel.

Prototype work, communications testing and scenario-based workflow refinement are continuing as the team examines how the application may fit different terrain and operating conditions.