Effective application distribution system for internet-less communication during disasters

Smartphone-based disaster communication systems have been the topic of many recent studies. However, existing systems unrealistically assume that prior to a disaster, the required applications have been installed in the smartphones of all users. In disaster areas without Internet access, obtaining the software required for communications systems is difficult because application distribution platforms, such as Google Play, are web-based. In this paper, we present RecurShare, which is a novel application distribution system. The key idea of RecurShare is to be able to distribute applications without the Internet by running a web server that can be accessed using the default web browser and the tethering function of Android smartphones. We evaluated the feasibility of RecurShare experimentally and showed that RecurShare functions without problems on a variety of commercial devices. Also, user feedback suggests that RecurShare sufficiently guides users through the application distribution process in a manner that is easy to understand. Furthermore, we found that RecurShare can distribute itself at an exponential rate and that it can transmit files at speeds that are comparable to those of commonly used wireless communication systems.