Ad-Hawk Aerial Connectivity Network: An Integrated and Empirical System Evaluation

Wildfires in the United States have been increasing significantly in both frequency and size in recent
decades, requiring unprecedented resource and communication efficiency on the part of wildfire management
organizations. However, while the methodology and technology to combat wildfires have improved, the
connectivity infrastructure in rural regions of the country is either incompatible with newer technology or
altogether non-existent. Due to this, many modern communication methods are rendered useless in areas where
a connection is needed most, complicating the overall fire management procedure. To improve communication
and logistics between responders on the front lines and headquarters, a team of NASA research associates has
developed the schematic for a rapidly deployable mobile ad-hoc internet-enabled Wi-Fi network that can bring
stable internet access to any desired area. This paper contains the testing and analysis of the Ad-Hawk project conceived in the summer of 2022 and developed in the summer of 2023.