NetCri 07:The First International Workshop on Research Challenges in 
Next Generation Networks for First Responders and Critical Infrastructures
Held in conjunction with IEEE IPCCC 2007, 
	New Orleans, Louisiana, April 11-13, 2007
  (Submission due: November 30, 2006)

As advances in pervasive computing, wireless communication and sensor 
networkscontinue, more opportunities are open to first responders and 
critical infrastructures to benefit from these technologies. Providing 
first responders with the best possible technology, infrastructure and 
services help save the lives of the general public and the first 
responders as well. One of the main challenges to the operations of 
first responders and critical infrastructures is to deploy a 
communication network that is dependable, secure, and rapidly 
deployable. In order to operate effectively, the deployed network 
supports services such as location determination, audio and video 
communication, and in site and remote sensing. Another key feature for 
first responders and critical infrastructures networks is to support 
interactions among multiple heterogeneous networks.

This workshop provides a forum for researchers, industry, and government 
agencies to discuss the challenges facing the design, deployment and 
operational issues for next generation network support for first 
responders and critical infrastructure. The workshop will identify and 
define fundamental concepts and techniques, resolve conflicts between 
different approaches in the area, and provide a common ground for an 
advanced research and development agenda. Topics of interest include, 
but are not limited to:
- Smart environments (buildings, roads, vehicles, etc.)
- Fast roaming in heterogonous network environment
- Localization and time synchronization
- Rapidly deployable and self configuring services and networks
- Security, dependability, privacy, and performance trade-offs
- QoS in heterogeneous wireless networks
- Sensor and actuator networks for information gathering and real-time 
control
- Network and system support for augmented reality and visual analytics
- Simulation studies of first responders and critical infrastructures’
networks
- Novel and adaptive communication protocols to support first responders and
critical infrastructure’ operation
- Resource management and allocation
- Power control management
- Admission, load and flow control
- Performance analysis and experimentation of heterogeneous wireless 
networks
- Security techniques and methods for heterogeneous wireless networks
- Interoperability among WLANs, Cellular, WSN and wired networks
- Metrics and measurements on heterogeneous networks
- Mobility models and traffic patterns in disaster areas
- Cross-layer design
- Testbeds

For more information, please see: http://www.cs.umd.edu/~sharno/NetCri07