Wildfires are an issue of increasing global concern, as the extent and severity of wildfires around the world has greatly escalated in recent years. At a recent conference in Birmingham, Dr. Kamran Mahroof highlighted the pressing need for advanced technology in wildfire management, particularly noting the increasing occurrences in regions such as West Yorkshire. One fire department, the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, is already taking to all-terrain vehicles to combat this emerging threat. They use powerful mapping tools to strategically maximize their efforts.
Unprecedented wildfires have recently decimated communities along the West Coast. A shocking recent case in Greece underscored the urgent importance of good detection and response tactics. Closer to home in West Yorkshire, sites such as Marsden Moor and Ilkley Moor have experienced an increase in wildfires too.
Explaining how the 6G-VERSUS research project — a European Union-funded initiative — can improve wildfire detection through cutting-edge technology, Dr. Mahroof broke down the importance of this research project. Furthering that work, this project seeks to develop a comprehensive system — fusing robotic dogs with aerial drones. Combined, these two projects will greatly improve situational awareness for first responders.
“Wildfires are a global phenomenon and have been increasing in frequency and intensity in recent years.” – Dr Kamran Mahroof
Dr. Mahroof’s international team looks forward to visiting Greece next year as a part of the 6G-VERSUS project. Through that coordination, they will work on development of pilot programs with experts Dr. Konstantinos Katsaros and Dr. Lazaros Karagiannidis from the Institute of Communication and Computer Systems (ICCS). The long-term objective of this research is to detect wildfires as soon as possible, thus allowing responders rapid reaction.
The West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service recently implemented new lightweight personal protective equipment. This equipment improves firefighters’ effectiveness on the job for extended operations. This equipment improves their safety when responding to wildfires. With the advent of climate change, wildfires are an increasingly persistent danger to the area.
“In the Greek pilot of SNS-JU 6G-VERSUS, we’re developing a combined robotic dog and aerial drone system that boosts situational awareness for first responders during wildfires.” – Team
Dr. Mahroof stressed the need to use technology to meet these new challenges. He said, “AI can be used to analyze real-time camera feeds, and using 6G links we can deliver that information in real-time. This allows the teams to identify the most at-risk people quickly, and get the right resources mobilized to them, while protecting responders.”
The 6G-VERSUS project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Innovation Action programme, reflecting its significance in addressing the global challenge of wildfires. Wildfires are still gaining intensity and frequency under the impacts of climate change and further initiatives like these are essential to improving our prevention, preparedness and response efforts.
