Wildfires that have plagued countries like Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, taking lives, and causing substantial damage, may soon have less rein with the introduction of an advanced, early fire detection drone system.
This technological breakthrough, developed in collaboration with mobile operator, Cyta, and the start-up company, Probotek, as part of Huawei’s Smart & Green Village program, promises to revolutionize wildfire prevention.
The system allows for direct connection and communication with drones, which can be piloted from anywhere in the world through a high-speed 5G mobile network. What differentiates this new system from previous ones is the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) tools that enable real-time video analysis to detect wildfires swiftly and efficiently.
Mr. Radoslaw Kedzia, Vice President of Huawei for Central and Eastern Europe and the Nordic region, highlighted that the technology could potentially tackle numerous global challenges, including climate change.
Kedzia underlined the symbiotic relationship between technology and nature, stating, “Technology should not be an opponent of nature but help nature to develop.” He was also confident that this partnership with Probotek would bring humanity one step closer to a safer future.
The Executive Director of Probotek, George Delaportas, highlighted the critical nature of early fire detection, saying “this is the rule of the first 15 minutes. The sooner we detect a fire, the more time we have to put it out.” He revealed that in a pilot project in Greece, fires were quickly detected in an average of just 2.5 minutes. Probotek aims to further reduce this time while also working to minimise false alarms.
The system features a platform that facilitates coordinated efforts among all services involved in firefighting, including the utilization of sensors placed on trees to aid the drones. Also, the drones will have access to charging stations established on the edges of forests to enable automatic take off, landing, and recharging.
Their cloud solution allows live streaming of drone-recorded videos. Once a fire is detected, the system sends notifications via SMS, email, or phone calls to the appropriate authorities to initiate firefighting efforts as quickly as possible.
As part of its future plans, Probotek plans to test larger drones capable of carrying special fire extinguisher balls designed to douse or contain wildfires in their initial stages before fire crews arrive.
While the system is currently in a testing phase, it is anticipated that it will soon find its way into countries that regularly battle wildfires. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, where wildfires ravage vast areas every year due to inadequate firefighting resources, investments in this advanced project may offer a reliable solution for addressing the perennial problem of early fire detection.
Usually, fires in uninhabited and inaccessible regions are only discovered hours after their ignition. By then, the fires will be difficult to fight, which proves why adopting such fire detection technology is a necessity for the countries plagued by such disasters.
As wildfires continue to pose a danger to lives, property and the climate, the marriage of technology, drones, and artificial intelligence offers a beacon of hope in the quest for a safer, greener future.
