INVESTIGATION OF REQUIRED CHANNELS FOR SATELLITE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS IN SUPPORT OF EARLY-STAGE TELEMEDICINE DURING MAJOR DISASTERS

The purpose of this investigation was to calculate the number of channels necessary for satellite-based communications in support of early-stage telemedicine during major disasters. Erlang's equation was used in the calculation. Based on the medical data acquired from the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake (Kobe Earthquake), we expected that 29 satellite channels would be sufficient for the disaster-relief operation of a telemedicine system using hospital-to-hospital communications in Japan. It should be noted that the calculated number of channels does not include management channels or channels for inquiries about safety. Assuming a required transmission capability of 3.0 Mbps for each channel, a bandwidth of 87 Mbps (3×29) must be secured for satellite communication channels.