[HamWAN PSDR] HamWan - Vashon Node?

[Tom Hayward]

On Mon, Mar 27, 2017 at 10:41 PM, Daniel Luechtefeld <
daniel.luechtefeld at gmail.com> wrote:
> Speaking personally, it's the lack of detailed, concrete use cases that
are
> discouraging me from spending my own time and money for a pilot. We could
> build it, but what would we use it for?

EmComm use cases will depend on the needs of your served agency. What role
do you serve for them now? Which of these processes do you think can be
improved? What needs are currently unmet? What needs would be unmet if x
component in the system were to fail (i.e., fiber to the island)?

I volunteer with Pierce County Search and Rescue, so I can answer some of
these questions in that context. Search management has largely moved from
paper maps and highlighters to computer mapping and document generation.
Some software can be served locally, but this is impossible with services
like Google Earth (an invaluable resource to the search manager). We have
also increasingly been using APRS to track teams, which benefits greatly
from data sharing via APRS-IS (our autonomous APRS receiver cannot hear
everything). These are the needs of my served agency.

To meet these needs, we've subscribed to Verizon hotspot service for our
command vehicle. This works great most of the time, and the government plan
has reasonably priced unlimited data. But it doesn't work everywhere. And
when it doesn't work, there's no way to "ham" our way into creating Verizon
service.

There is an area we train in frequently that does not have Verizon service.
It is tucked in a valley where cell signals don't reach, and there's really
no business case for Verizon to expand there. When we are in this area, we
still want to use internet mapping data, share data with APRS-IS, and
remain in contact with the county DEM duty officer in case we are needed
elsewhere. I did some line-of-sight mapping (caltopo.com's viewshed feature
is great for this) and found that from a ridge above this valley, you can
see the HamWAN Baldi site! The ridge is also accessible by road. I drove up
there and set up my portable HamWAN client
<http://hamwan.org/index/2013-07-28%2014.04.10.jpg>. Then, I used a second
nearly identical setup to relay the signal into the valley and configured
the routing on these modems so that the HamWAN network was shared. Back in
the valley, I set our command vehicle to associate with the relay station.
Now we had ~10 Mbps access to internet mapping resources, HamWAN's
on-network APRS-IS systems, and the VoIP app on my phone could receive
calls from DEM.

EOC operations are undoubtedly different. Rob has been doing some work with
the Snohomish County EOC and nearby hospitals. I believe he has installed
an autonomous VoIP phone network via HamWAN. He has also experimented
with Sahana
disaster management software <https://sahanafoundation.org/>. Not being
involved with EOC operations, I can't really paint this into a use case.
Maybe Rob can fill in.

HamWAN is all about sharing data between computers and other network
devices like VoIP phones and cameras. Answer my questions from the
beginning of this message and think about how computers could be used at an
EOC. If they have any need to share or access data outside of the building,
I think you'll find your use case for HamWAN.

Tom
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