Hybrid satellite-aerial-terrestrial networks in emergency scenarios: a survey

Natural disaster or large-scale unexpected events easily make the terrestrial network overloaded，paralyzed, or totally destroyed. It is highly demanded to build an emergency network which can be deployed rapidly, offer high data rate and wide coverage. The emergence of aerial platforms especially the low altitude platforms (LAPs) indicates a stable and reliable direction for the development of emergency network. Hybrid satellite-aerial-terrestrial (HSAT) networks have the ability to provide effective services rather than traditional infrastructures during the emergency situation. In this paper, the aerial platforms and the HSAT networks are surveyed and the key technologies are discussed from several aspects. The challenges of the HSAT networks are also outlined finally.