RAIN4C: A Multi-Layer Framework Integrating Satellite and Aerial Networks for Reliable Communications in Emergency Scenarios

Reliable communication infrastructures are critical in emergency management scenarios, as traditional terrestrial networks often suffer severe degradation or failure. To overcome these limitations, integrated multi-layer networks combining satellite systems, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) swarms, and terrestrial assets offer promising solutions. In this context, we propose RAIN4C (Reliable Aerial and Satellite Networks for joint Communication, Computation, and Caching for Critical scenarios), a comprehensive framework specifically designed to fulfill communication, computational, and data management requirements in emergency situations. The RAIN4C architecture leverages adaptive drone swarm coordination, intelligent multi-layer caching, and hybrid orchestration strategies, effectively addressing the limitations of isolated network segments. Through a representative use case on enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) offloading, our evaluations validate the proposed RAIN4C framework and demonstrate significant improvements in terms of network reliability, latency reduction, and resource efficiency compared to traditional approaches.