UNDRO/CNES experiments in the use of an ARGOS transmitter in disaster relief operations

It has been found that in cases of disaster emergencies conventional communications are often disrupted. The possibility has, therefore, been considered to provide emergency communication facilities utilizing satellite technology. In this context, the Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Coordinator (UNDRO) and CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales) agreed to cooperate in a series of experiments. The experiments involve the use of a specially-designed Argos transmitter provided by UNDRO. This transmitter is a portable device, weighing around 8 kg and powered by six 4.5 volt batteries. A message is stored in a memory device of the Argos unit, and automatically transmitted once every 55 seconds. The message can, thus, be picked up by one of two satellites of NOAA which passes over the area once every two or three hours. The feasibility of the considered approach is evaluated.