Abstract
In this work, we introduce a software-defined unmanned aerial systems (UAS) model, which can provide access to sensitive places where Wi-Fi communication is most needed for rescue operations. The proposed UAS model is equipped with smart obstacle avoiding assistance and can navigate in a global positioning system (GPS) denied environments to accomplish rescue operations successfully. We conduct indoor simulations of the developed UAS model with mounted light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensors. Although the experimental results suggest that a larger battery weight and a higher energy consumption are needed than theoretically estimated, the proposed UAS model shows promise to be used in smart disaster management.