DUNE2014

The extreme and arid terrain around Ashcroft, BC.

Our first major field trial will be in the arid BC Interior in October 2014, in a Mars-like, often-filmed, terrain of high mountains, deep valleys, rocky volcanic ground, dust and grasslands. We are calling this field test the Deployment of Unified Networks for Emergencies 2014 test, DUNE2014, and will be providing information across social media with the tag #DUNE2014 and blogging live on these pages. DUNE2014 will operate around Kamloops and Ashcroft, BC. The Village of Ashcroft in the Thompson-Nicola region is the driest, hottest, location in southern Canada and a frequent location for wildfires, in addition to being close to other public safety threats.

We will deploy our AMECom vehicle to the region, interfacing to networks provided by our project partner Thompson Rivers University, but also using our self-deploy satellite communications capability. Responder and other agencies arranged by our partner EMBC will deploy PSBN-grade smartphone, vehicle, and fixed communication infrastructure in multi-day tests.