Communications of the ACM
New Automatic Forest Fire Detection System By sing Surveillance Drones
The new Forest Fire Detection Index under development by researchers at the Technical University of Madrid is being designed to detect forest fires using a color index based on methods of vegetation classification.
Credit: CITSEM-UPM
Researchers from the Technical University of Madrid (UPM) in Spain are developing the Forest Fire Detection Index (FFDI) to detect forest fires using a new color index based on methods for vegetation classification.
FFDI is designed for environmental surveillance systems using drones, and the researchers developed a new line of study focusing on surveillance systems based on the imaging processing for their application to different phenomenon that have impacts on the environment.
In terms of deforestation, the researchers developed various algorithms that enable them to detect the fire and smoke generated during a forest fire as well as their fundamental characteristics, such as area and wind direction. The algorithms have high accuracy in real time, and they show low computational load, which enables them to address the problem quickly; the technology also lets the researchers implement the algorithms in autonomous systems and perform continuous monitoring.
The researchers say FFDI could result in more cost-effective outcomes than conventional systems implemented using helicopters or satellites.
"We carried out diverse detection tests using commercial drones and the results confirm the utility, efficiency, versatility, and low cost of the developed algorithm, becoming an efficient tool for surveillance and monitoring of such events," the researchers say.
From Technical University of Madrid (Spain)
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