January 8, 2026
When earthquakes level cities or floods cut off entire regions, rescue teams race against time with one critical challenge: staying connected. A new theoretical framework developed by an international research team could significantly improve how emergency wireless networks function in disaster zones, potentially saving lives through better coordination.
Led by Ikenna Uzoma Ajere of the Federal University of Technology in Owerri, Nigeria, the research team has developed a hybrid mobility model that more accurately represents how search-and-rescue teams actually move and communicate during emergencies. The work addresses a critical gap in understanding Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs), the self-organizing wireless systems that become lifelines when conventional infrastructure fails.
*When Networks Must Work Without Infrastructure*
Mobile Ad Hoc Networks operate without fixed communication towers or cables. Devices connect directly to each other, forming temporary networks that can function even when conventional systems are destroyed. During disasters, these networks allow rescue teams, medical personnel, and coordination centers to exchange vital information.
However, designing effective MANETs for disaster response requires accurately simulating how rescue teams move. Current simulation models fall short because they treat movement either as completely independent individual actions or as rigidly coordinated group behavior. Real search-and-rescue operations involve both: team members coordinate closely but also split up, regroup, and adapt to changing conditions.
This mismatch between simulation and reality means network designs may fail when deployed in actual emergencies, potentially costing lives.
*Bridging Two Approaches*
The research team, which includes experts from Nigeria, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine working through the PENKUP Research Institute, proposes combining the strengths of existing models into a unified framework. Their hybrid approach recognizes that rescue personnel sometimes operate independently and sometimes move as coordinated units, switching between modes as circumstances demand.
The model incorporates several key features. It differentiates between roles such as team leaders, field operators, and medical personnel, acknowledging that different roles involve different movement patterns. It allows dynamic switching between individual and group behaviors as situations evolve. It applies spatial constraints based on disaster scenarios, recognizing that rubble-filled urban areas impose different movement limitations than flooded rural regions.
Crucially, the model includes flexible cohesion thresholds that determine when team members need to stay together versus when they can operate independently. This reflects real rescue operations where tight coordination is essential during dangerous building searches but less critical during wider area surveys.
*Real-World Applications*
The framework addresses practical challenges rescue coordinators face daily. When multiple teams search a collapsed building, some members may investigate different floors while maintaining radio contact. The hybrid model can simulate this partial coordination, testing whether network protocols keep everyone connected despite physical separation.
Similarly, when rescue operations shift from search to evacuation, team structures and movement patterns change dramatically. The proposed model can represent these transitions, allowing network designers to test whether systems remain robust through operational phases.
Co-author Dr. Kennedy Oberhiri Obohwemu, founder of the PENKUP Research Institute, emphasized the collaborative nature of the work. “This project exemplifies how PENKUP brings together diverse expertise to address complex real-world challenges,” he said. “Combining insights from computer science, emergency management, and communications engineering, we’ve developed a framework that better represents the reality rescue teams face in disaster zones.”
*Testing Network Designs*
The immediate application of this research lies in improving how engineers test and refine routing protocols, the rules determining how data packets travel through ad hoc networks. Current testing often uses oversimplified movement models, potentially missing problems that would emerge in actual deployments.
With a more realistic mobility model, engineers can identify weaknesses in network protocols before disasters strike. They can determine which designs maintain connectivity when teams split up, which handle the data loads of coordinated operations, and which adapt effectively when rescue priorities shift.
The research team includes Celestine Emeka from Family Health International in Ukraine, Kingsley Chimaobi Akabuokwu from Results Consortium Limited, Oluwafemi Emmanuel Ooju from the World Health Organization in Nigeria, Mary Oluwayemisi Akadiri from Global Banking School, and Syeda Morsheda Sogra and Syeda Faiza Sogra from Scholars School System, all affiliated with PENKUP Research Institute.
*Beyond Current Limitations*
Existing mobility models typically fall into two categories. Entity-based models treat each network node as an independent agent making individual movement decisions. These capture personal autonomy but miss coordinated team behaviors. Group-based models assume tight collective movement but fail to represent moments when team members separate.
Real search-and-rescue operations resist such simple categorization. A rescue team might maintain tight formation while navigating a hazardous collapsed structure, then spread out to cover more ground during a missing person search, then regroup when extracting injured survivors. The hybrid model can represent this fluid reality.
The conceptual framework also acknowledges that different disaster types create different operational environments. Earthquake rescue in dense urban areas differs fundamentally from flood response in rural regions or wildfire evacuations in forested terrain. The model allows spatial constraints and movement parameters to vary accordingly.
*Implementation Challenges Ahead*
The research team acknowledges that translating this conceptual framework into working simulation software requires substantial additional development. Parameters must be calibrated using data from actual disaster responses. Computing requirements must be assessed and optimized. The model needs validation against real-world rescue operations to confirm it genuinely improves realism.
These challenges open opportunities for future research. Collecting detailed movement data from rescue exercises could refine parameter choices. Partnerships with emergency management agencies could provide validation scenarios. Computational optimization could make the model practical for large-scale simulations.
The team also suggests extending the framework beyond search-and-rescue to other MANET applications including military operations, wildlife tracking, and vehicle networks, all of which involve complex mixtures of individual and coordinated movement.
*Implications for Emergency Preparedness*
For emergency management agencies and disaster response planners, this research offers a path toward more reliable communication systems. Better simulation tools lead to better network designs, which translate into more robust coordination during actual emergencies when every minute matters.
The work also highlights the value of international collaboration in addressing global challenges. Disasters respect no borders, and solutions developed through diverse international partnerships can benefit emergency responders worldwide.
As climate change increases the frequency and severity of natural disasters, and as urban populations grow in earthquake-prone and flood-vulnerable regions, the need for reliable emergency communication systems intensifies. Research like this, improving the fundamental tools for designing such systems, contributes to global disaster resilience.
The complete study appears in the International Research Journal of Advances in Engineering and Technology and provides detailed technical specifications for researchers and engineers working on mobile ad hoc network design.
Check it out here:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/399544426_A_Realistic_Hybrid_Mobility_Model_for_Search-and-Rescue_Teams_in_Mobile_Ad_Hoc_Networks
https://aimjournals.com/index.php/irjaet/article/view/446
