I-Corps: Wildfire Incident Command Decision Support System

该项目的重点是开发一种事件指挥决策支持解决方案，旨在通过提供安全、成本和收集实时数据的能力优势，在野火情况下产生准确的态势感知。该技术由地面站软件组成，将与带有机载传感和通信设施的无人机（UAV）一起工作，将允许UAV控制、数据处理和可视化。使用无人机进行实时火灾监测和预测需要跨多个学科的工程知识。该技术将实时图像处理与遥测技术相结合，根据该地区的天气和植被信息开发估算和预测模型。这项技术将是第一个将火灾预测和监测的各种要素集成为一个综合技术工具的技术之一。将实时无人机传感数据集成到有效的火灾预测软件中，将使事故指挥官能够及时做出明智的决策，从而优化资源分配过程并挽救生命。全球范围内的野火对环境和社会经济构成严重威胁，影响深远。除了生命损失和对人类健康的长期影响外，野火还对生态生物多样性产生严重影响，并对受灾地区造成不利的经济影响，除了消防费用外，还造成木材和基础设施损失、工资损失和恢复费用。数据收集及其解释以产生态势感知，即应急信息学，是应对任何大规模危害或灾害的主要挑战。这项研究利用无人机进行野火监测，可以为事件管理者提供工具，这些工具将提供改进的态势感知，并帮助他们在复杂情况下做出决策，从而产生社会效益，如节约成本、生命和财产安全以及环境效益。

This project is focused towards the development of an incident command decision support solution that is designed to enable generation of accurate situational awareness in a wildfire situation by providing advantages in safety, cost, and ability to gather real-time data. The technology, consisting of ground station software that would work in conjunction with an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) with onboard sensing and communication facilities, would allow UAV control, data processing, and visualization. Real-time fire monitoring and prediction using UAVs requires engineering knowledge across multiple disciplines. This technology combines real-time image processing with telemetry to develop estimation and prediction models based on weather and vegetation information of the area. This technology will be one of the first to integrate the various elements of fire prediction and monitoring into one comprehensive technological tool.Integrating real-time UAV sensory data into effective fire-predictor software will allow an incident commander to make timely and informed decisions which can optimize the resource allocation process and save lives. Wildland fires across the globe pose a serious environmental and socio-economic threat with far-reaching consequences. In addition to loss of lives and long-term repercussions on human health, wildland fires have severe effects on ecological biodiversity and adverse economic impacts on the affected areas with timber and infrastructure losses, lost wages, and rehabilitation costs, in addition to firefighting costs. Data collection and its interpretation for generation of situational awareness, known as Emergency Informatics, is a major challenge in responding to any large-scale hazard or disaster. This research, leveraging the use of UAVs for wildfire monitoring, can yield tools at the disposal of incident managers that will provide improved situational awareness and help them make decisions in complex situations resulting in societal benefits such as cost savings, safety of lives and properties, and benefits to the environment.