Satellites (and windmills) propel UNHCR effort to get food and assistance where it's needed.

Humanitarian tragedies such as that in the Great Lakes region of Africa are well-known to the general public who are informed of such disasters via images and footage from journalists and field workers on site, brought to the rest of the world over high-speed data transmission networks and broadcasting satellites. Nevertheless, the scale of such disasters is often difficult to comprehend. For aid agencies, such as the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which are charged with feeding and sheltering the large numbers of displaced persons, these situations represent an enormous logistical task as they struggle to get people and aid to where it is needed as quickly as possible. With more than 80 per cent of its 5,000 staff working directly in the field, often in isolated, dangerous and difficult conditions, UNHCR relies heavily on communications systems to coordinate its efforts and keep in touch with its workers and those from other agencies.

In 1994, when the tragedy of Rwanda resulted in more than 1 million desperate people arriving at the small Zairian border town of Goma, UNHCR's established means of communication - HF (high frequency) radio transmission - was overwhelmed. Even the installation of multiple INMARSAT satellite telephone terminals at each UNHCR location was not able to cope with the volume of voice, data and fax communications needed to coordinate the international response to such an unprecedented humanitarian disaster.

In an effort to expand its communications capability, UNHCR turned to a relatively new type of technology - the Very Small Aperture Satellite (VSAT) terminals. Although "small" in name, the 3.7-metre reflector diameter meant that the VSAT satellite dishes were much larger than anything the organization had previously used. But the installation was worth the effort. The VSATs provided UNHCR's offices with eight simultaneous communications channels, where before they had had only one.

UNHCR staff quickly discovered that using VSAT systems required much "cleaner" electrical power than had hitherto been available, making it necessary for the organization's technicians to become knowledgeable about generators and "no-break" power supplies. And as the Coma office rapidly expanded to some 70 staff, technicians had to install a PABX in order to provide everyone with easy access to the newly installed communications system. But there remained the problem of how to provide phone and fax capabilities to a neighbouring UNHCR office in Gisengy, Rwanda, a short distance from the Zairian border. The solution proved to be the installation of a UHF (ulna-high frequency) Rural Telephone link, another technology new to UNHCR'S technical team.

While the implementation of these new systems went a long way towards improving communications with the outside world, the organization also needed to make improvements to its communications capabilities between field staff working in the area. To this end, dozens of VHF (very high frequency) repeaters were installed on every accessible - and sometimes not so accessible - vantage point.

Is the UNHCR satisfied with the quality of the communications it can provide? "Not yet", replies Jay Rushby, Head of Telecommunications. "In the last three years, my colleagues have connected over 120 of our offices to the organization's e-mail system using the terrestrial airline data network, SITA, as the carrier. We are busy now developing the means to provide similar secure e-mail connectivity to remote offices over wireless paths." UNHCR will also deploy a more cost-effective satellite communications system using the INTELSAT DAMA service. This network will enable offices to communicate with one another; and with headquarters in Geneva, through the earth station located at Leuk, Switzerland. In addition, the organization is planning to try a vehicle tracking system, using a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) service, in conjunction with two-way HF radio. This will enable the automatic tracking of UNHCR vehicles over a large area, ensuring greater security for workers and materials, and more efficient coordination of transport resources.

The distribution of clockwork radios that do not require batteries allows the reliable dissemination of mass information to the refugees themselves. At the moment, this is often done with the active support of international broadcasters, who undertake to transmit specially-produced programmes. UNHCR's Mass Information Unit is looking at the possibility of also broadcasting locally on VHE using small, portable, low power transmitters. This will enable UNHCR staff and camp leaders to advise their groups about more topical issues, such as the times clinics will be held or which water sources to use (or avoid), and to provide other information that will make life a little more bearable for people living in difficult conditions.

UNHCR is also looking to the day when its staff will be able to take advantage of a wide range of new Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite (GMPCS) systems currently under development. In fact, the organization is already using GMPCS technology, in the form of INMARSAT Mini-M satellite phones, for the transmission of both voice and electronic mail. In the near future, telephone over global satellite systems should become even more accessible and affordable. The large-scale implementation of GMPCS systems was given international go-ahead at a conference held by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in October 1996, when more than a thousand delegates from the world's telecommunications administrations and private industry agreed on a set of principles and prepared a draft Memorandum of Understanding covering global deployment of these new satellites.

But what makes these systems better for field workers than the systems in place today? Firstly, because GMPCS systems will use large constellations of low- and medium-Earth orbiting satellites to pick up and relay telephone calls to their destination, they have the advantage of being virtually "disaster proof". Secondly, even though some systems will normally interact with the local fixed telephone system to shunt their calls around the globe, most can, if necessary, function on their own, using satellite-to-satellite communications or portable gateways to get traffic through. This means that they are, unlike today's cellular phones, suitable for use in areas which have little or no telephone service of their own.

For organizations like UNHCR, which have many staff working out in the field in remote regions, new GMPCS systems could represent a real breakthrough. Field workers will be able to contact one another, the local base camp, and even co-workers in regional offices or back at headquarters, as easily as pushing a button. The speed and quality of calls, whether they be to the next camp five kilometres away, or back to the Geneva office, will be of at least the same high standard as today's best systems. And GMPCS will also support the electronic dispatch and receipt of faxes, messaging, including e-mail and two-way paging, Internet access, fax and the transfer of data between computers.

Field workers, as well as having reliable, highly portable communications systems at their disposal, could use laptop computers or electronic personal organizers to quickly consult specific databases and to update information as often as required. And those organizing the often complex logistics of a large-scale relief effort will be able to be kept informed at all times of changing needs and conditions in the field.

Mr. Rushby is quick to point out that GMPCS would not necessarily replace existing systems, however. "For many of our communications needs, radio will remain the technology of choice, because of its ease of use, reliability and low cost. But for certain applications, these new satellite systems will certainly bring a new dimension to our telecommunications capability, and aid in our international relief efforts."

Meanwhile, the UNHCR Telecommunications Unit continues to look for new ways of employing telecommunications to improve the organization's operational effectiveness in delivering assistance to refugees and, at the same time, the safety of its field staff.

With the need for international aid, a constant in a world frequently beset by both natural and man-made disasters, telecommunications technologies will increasingly be one of the key factors that make the difference between success and failure in the struggle to preserve human life.

The invaluable work of the International Movement of the Red Cross and Red Crescent is well known to people all over the world. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has, for nearly 80 years, played a unique part in alleviating the suffering of victims of natural and man-made disasters. It has cared for refugees and displaced people and for the injured, comforting the traumatized and bringing assistance to the most vulnerable around the world through its network of 170-member National Societies and its 128 million volunteers.

Communications play a vital role in the operations of the agency, in coordinating relief operations, in keeping in contact with other agencies in the area, in ensuring the security and safety of staff and aid recipients, and in keeping the regional and international offices appraised of what is going on.

The importance of reliable communications technology to the IFRC is reflected in the establishment of an Emergency Response Unit for Telecommunications. In cooperation with the Red Cross National Societies, telecommunications teams have been set up and kits of standard pre-packed essential communications equipment have been prepared. Teams can be deployed on a 24-hour notice, ensuring that the organization is able to respond in the shortest possible time when disaster strikes.

At present, the IFRC makes use of a wide range of communications technologies, depending on the nature of the communications needed, and the local infrastructure available.

Satellite communications are increasingly used for international links and in new kinds of applications. The IFRC installed its first satellite equipment in 1987, and today has more than 30 satellite stations around the world, providing a range of services such as voice, e-mail and fax.

VHF radio is widely used for local communication. VHF systems can be installed in refugee camps, vehicles or field hospitals, with links to the delegation base camp. The range of the system can be extended using repeaters, and field workers can also be equipped with walkie-talkie handsets, enabling them always to maintain direct contact with the base. At present, the IFRC has about 250 base and mobile stations in the field and about 1,000 walkie-talkies in use.

HF radio is used for communications over longer distances, typically more than 100 kilometres. It mostly carries voice traffic but can also be used for data transmission in office-to-office communications. HF equipment is usually installed in IFRC offices, vehicles and often in field workers' homes, for reasons of security. At present, the Federation has about 100 HF base stations and 250 HF mobile stations in the field.

Electronic mail is being increasingly used as a tool for communications by both National Societies and Federation offices around the world. To date, some 47 Federation offices and 34 National Societies are hooked up, using a range of e-mail systems and the Internet. E-mail represent a reliable, low-cost way for the Red Cross to keep in contact with its own people and those working in other organizations around the world, regardless of time zones.

Pactor is a system which enables the transfer of data and e-mail messages over radio. Within the Federation secretariat, the system allows the desk officer to send radio messages directly from his or her computer. Around 60 Federation offices and several National Societies are linked to the Pactor system.

The Internet and the World Wide Web is increasingly used to disseminate information on the IFRC and its work. Situation reports, weekly news, publications such as the World Disaster Report, and other documents such as the Code of Conduct, are accessible via the Web.

Sadly, perhaps, the sum of human progress since the creation of the Red Cross movement in 1863 has not seen any decline in the workload of that organization, nor in the value of the work it performs around the world. There continue to be, worldwide, both natural and manmade disasters which stretch the finances and human resources of the world's oldest humanitarian network. But today, thanks to new developments in the field of telecommunications, the logistical work involved in large-scale relief effort has been made a little easier, and the Red Cross has been able to act more quickly to pinpoint the areas which most need aid, and to alleviate the suffering of those in need.

RELATED ARTICLE: 'Elegant and Effective'

According to Alain Crausaz, the leader of the regional UNHCR telecommunications team, the most difficult installation involved the placement of a repeater 3,300 metres up the side of the Nyiragongo volcano. Everything, including the cement and water to mix with it, had to be hand-carried up the side of the mountain. The installation team did, however, discover one unexpected advantage which solved the problem of powering the equipment. The team noticed that convection currents caused by the heat rising from the crater created a constant wind, so they contacted the technical support group in Geneva and asked if it were possible to find wind-driven electrical generators to take advantage of this "windfall". The right equipment was eventually located, quite naturally, in Holland, he home of he windmill! This proved o be an elegant and effective solution, because, although recent events in the area have prevented any maintenance visits to this site for more than five months, it has remained operational, running on wind and solar-sourced electricity and providing essential communications over an area of about 100 square kilometres.

RELATED ARTICLE: 'Deliverance'

Early Sunday morning, a truck carrying two humanitarian workers on their way to a refugee camp in Goma, Zaire, strikes a landmine. Both workers are wounded, one very badly. But minutes later, a nurse travelling on the same road finds the workers and uses her VHF radio to arrange for their transportation to the Red Cross Federation hospital in Kibumba Camp. She is able to give the surgical team at the hospital advance warning, and they are ready to operate immediately. The lives of the two workers are saved, and other humanitarian agencies working in the area are warned by radio of the incident and are able to take appropriate security precautions. This dramatic incident is just one example of the necessity of reliable communications links for humanitarian agencies like the Red Cross. We regard telecommunications as a key factor in the delivery of aid, and we accord them a high priority in our strategic and operational planning.

- John Black Head of the Field Support and Telecommunications Service of the IFRC

RELATED ARTICLE: Space Technology to Aid Tele-links

Plans for a 185-national conference on "Space Benefits for Humanity in the Twenty-first Century", to be held in Vienna in 1999, were brought closer to completion on 12 June by the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.

Concluding its annual session (3-12 June), the Committee took an unprecedented decision that the third United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE III) would also be open o international and non-governmental organizations, as well as to space-related industries.

Since space activity is expected to become a world economic engine of the future, the aim of UNISPACE III would be to promote the utilization of space technology and its application to assist in solving global or regional problems in the twenty-first century. Therefore, the Conference, which would also provide a good opportunity for a critical evaluation of international space technology in disaster management - prediction, early warning, mitigation and reduction - environmental and agricultural monitoring, space-based technology for development, telecommunication and tele-medicine.