Privileged communication and coordination network for managerial decision support in disaster and emergency scenarios

Disasters and emergencies frequently disrupt conventional communication infrastructure, critically impeding coordination and response efforts during these events. This study presents ATA-AIKON, an integrated mesh network platform based on LoRaWAN, which is designed to provide uninterrupted communication under disaster conditions. The system combines five key components within a single platform: a custom mesh routing protocol, a novel encryption algorithm based on the Collatz conjecture, integration of four environmental sensors (temperature, humidity, air quality, and radiation) for CBRN early warning, solar-powered autonomous operation with adaptive power staging, and comprehensive disaster simulation testing. Eight identical nodes were deployed across the Atatürk University campus and evaluated over a 180-day field-testing period. The results indicate an average packet delivery ratio of 92.4% ± 1.31 across the network, with 94.2% connectivity maintained even under two-node failure conditions. The Collatz-based encryption algorithm consumed 63% less RAM than AES-128 on embedded systems (64 bytes vs. 176 bytes), with a throughput of 880 KB/s—well above the maximum LoRa data rate. The change-of-value reporting strategy reduced data traffic by an estimated 60–70%, and the weighted average power consumption of 38.2 mW enabled continuous off-grid operation. A five-year total cost of ownership analysis (USD 22,900) demonstrated substantial cost advantages over commercial Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) and satellite systems, while achieving higher reliability (97.2%). These findings suggest that ATA-AIKON represents a viable, cost-effective, and resilient solution for disaster communication; however, further validation across diverse geographies and independent cryptanalysis of the proposed encryption algorithm are recommended.