Dutch drone company Avy—an alumnus of ESA's Business Incubation Center Noordwijk, next to the Agency's ESTEC technical center in the Netherlands—looked into using its long-range Aera drone to raise the alarm on summer wildfires on a real-time basis.
Last year more than 750 football fields worth of forests and dunes went up in flames due to summer wildfires. By equipping Aera with a camera, first responders could obtain early warning of new fires and real-time information while en route to the scene.
Testing took place with Dutch company CHC Helicopter and regional public safety organization Veiligheidsregio Noord-Holland Noord.
Provided by European Space Agency