CS3260 Tutorial 7    -    (week Oct 6 – Oct 10)

7A and B.   The Sweden National Board of Health and Welfare launched the IS Swede system in 2001, which links hospitals and ambulances through extensive use of wireless technologies.  The system consists of three main components: wireless LAN, wireless WAN and GPS.  Each ambulance is equipped with a wireless access point, which offers a connection range of 200 feet using the IEEE 802.11b wireless LAN standard.  Paramedics can use a handheld device to collect a patient’s critical measurements, such as pulse, blood pressure, medication administered, etc., and then transmit the information to the ambulance through an electromagnetic signal.  The ambulance then transmits the information to the hospital through a wireless WAN.  The system can also receive real-time treatment instructions from hospital doctors.  The GPS is used to track the current location of the ambulance so that the hospital can prepare for emergency staff and resources well ahead of time.

a) Traditionally, paramedics inside an ambulance communicate with hospitals through voice over a radio channel.  Compare the benefits/costs of the IS Swede system with the traditional radio system in terms of reach, range, responsiveness and other relevant dimensions.  Explain your answer.

b) Explain how these depend on factors such as language, technical and professional skills.

c) How do the advantages of the IS Swede system (over the voice-radio system) depend on the scale and connectivity of Sweden's hospital system?