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Project FireEye
Canadian Boreal Community FireSmart Project: Micro-UAV’s
Unmanned Aircraft Vehicles (UAV) Quad Rotor systems are already being leveraged globally in Disaster Rescue and Relief Services, High Resolution Aerial Mapping, Military Applications, Police and Security Services. But high costs, airspace logistics, size and legislation issues have made UAV difficult to implement. Micro-UAV are hobby classed/priced devices.
The Forest Management Division, Fire Sciences Section has teamed up with the NWT based Western Willow Ventures Inc. to explore the practical applications and limitations of Micro Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (Micro-UAV) in wildfire management.
Western Willow Ventures Inc. ARDi (Aerial Research Drone 1) joined the scientists at the Canadian Boreal Research Community FireSmart Project in Fort Providence, NT. A short list of exploratory research showed that Micro-UAV’s exhibits great potential to assist wildfire management professionals to:
- Scout escape routes and safety zones
- Detect spot fires outside the perimeter of the fire
- Document values at risk to wildfire
- Visually confirm the location of resources on the fireline
- Record and observe fire behaviour
- Cost effectively map fire perimeters and fire growth
- Document crown fraction burn
Micro-UAV’s – another tool in the wildland fire management tool box.
Figure 1 - ARDi lifts off at the CBC FireSmart Project site.
Figure 2 - GNWT fire modeller Franco Nogarin models beside ARDi.
Figure 3 - ARDi - a micro-UAV upclose.
