O5G-N-IoT

Open 5G campus networks for emergency operations supported by Internet of Things (IoT) technologies

© Project O5G-N-IoT

Project description
The 5G mobile communications standard has been in the starting blocks since 2019. In public, 5G is often only associated with faster mobile internet. But 5G can do much more. Especially in the area of the so-called Internet of Things (IoT), there are many areas of application for companies. A major challenge here is the cost-intensive construction of so-called private 5G networks, the so-called 5G campus networks. The often closed solutions and few, established providers slow down the expansion and the innovative opportunities for companies. Building on this core infrastructural problem, the application-specific 5G-capable IoT devices needed for innovation cannot be developed.

The example of the "rescue forces of the future" makes this clear: The tasks of rescue forces are perceived as very important. This contrasts with the public sector communication technologies available for rescue forces, such as TETRA, LTE and various other proprietary solutions. These solutions are closed and in some cases do not meet all the requirements for today's emergency operations.

The O5G-N-IoT project therefore focuses on open architectures for the Internet of Things for industrial research and pre-competitive development. On the one hand, the focus is on the development and integration of 5G components, e.g. cameras and sensors such as gas detectors for emergency response teams. On the other hand, an open 5G infrastructure is being developed that not only provides for the use of rescue forces, but also provides suitable technical support. A portable 5G system complements the solution. This brings the guiding idea of an end-to-end programmable 5G+ system of the CampusOS lead project in the application fields of the O5G-N-IoT.

Market perspective and product promise
The open 5G campus network avoids dependencies on an equipment supplier and thus strengthens the ability to innovate in the application and thus among companies. New innovative products include innovative firefighting masks with communication functions, thermal imaging cameras with video streams, wireless mission control. A digital twin provides the emergency services with a digital image of the situation picture and thus supports emergency services in a holistic manner.

Challenge and innovation
The innovation consists on the one hand in the application of 5G technology for rescue forces within the framework of a digital twin, which provides a digital image of the situation picture, but also in the extension of a 5G infrastructure dynamically in the case of deployment with terminals for emergency forces through open interfaces. In this way, emergency forces can either build on their own portable 5G infrastructure, enter and use an existing infrastructure or use a mixed operation of both options. The integration of IoT end devices such as sensors also takes place in the use case in accordance with the approach of an end-to-end programmable 5G+ system. The envisaged location solutions in the upcoming 5G versions will also be deployed for emergency services and for the use of the digital twin, allowing location data to be used for operations. To ensure resilience and scalability of the complex, dynamic system, formal methods are used for static and dynamic quality assurance of the solution.

Use Cases
Security technology is a global growth market and is characterised by rising freight and passenger traffic volumes, an increase in climate and natural disasters, the risk of terrorist attacks and increasing urbanisation. This results in an increasing demand for security products. In order to assess a situation in a scenario, live data and location data are often needed to create situational awareness and thus be able to react correctly in the respective situation. Innovative terminals must be able to provide this situational awareness in a user-friendly and compact way. 5G technology makes it possible to develop systems that offer low response times, higher transmission speeds and reliable transmission.

Rescue forces need to get a picture of the situation as quickly as possible when they arrive at the scene. Especially in the case of natural disasters, it is not always possible to use the existing communication infrastructure, as it may have been destroyed by them. For this case, portable 5G systems are being created, which make it possible to quickly deploy communication infrastructure and provide the necessary infrastructure for the operation. Using a digital twin of the deployment scenario, the necessary data will be compactly recorded and a shorter response time for the emergency services will be created, because every second counts.

Consortium
akquinet nx2 GmbH, Dräger Safety AG & Co. KGaA, University of Lübeck, Technical University of Lübeck

Duration
April 2022 - March 2025

Budget
Total funds: 3.3 Mio €
Funding amount: 2.2 Mio €