Optimal selection of wireless channels for real-time communication in ambulances

The design and implementation of ambulances that exchange high quality video, vital signs, voice and text communications, and patient information in real-time with the emergency room are becoming a reality. For instance, the Disaster Relief and Emergency Medical Service (DREAMS™) project has developed such ambulances. Through wireless internet access, the ambulances take advantage of the widespread cellular coverage in rural and urban areas to transfer audio, video and vital signs. In this paper, our goal is to improve the intelligence of the channel selection mechanism of the ambulance based on metrics such as data transfer efficiency and reliability. Using a simple optimization algorithm, we propose a strategy to assign the next designated channel for the high priority data.