Grant: Applied Research and Development Grants - Level 1

MVT GoSolutions is a Canadian leader in developing geospatial technologies based on drones. They have recently joined the national and provincial efforts to manage wildfires and forest fires more efficiently. Traditionally, the detection and surveillance of wildland fires have mainly been performed by combining stationary observation networks known as watchtowers, aerial detection patrols, and satellite imagery. Watchtowers are nowadays equipped with IoT sensors that can continuously monitor the environment; however, they are point-wise and cannot cover a large area. Satellite imagery is a significant means of wildfire management covering large swaths of land and identifying medium to large fires. However, satellite visit periods are often too infrequent, and image resolution is too low to promptly detect small, developing hotspots. Aircraft can be deployed at higher frequencies to gather sensory observations of priority areas. Compared to manned aircraft, unmanned aircraft can reach a lower flight altitude without endangering operators' lives, they can fly to hard-to-reach areas, and they can also be used as frequently as needed. Technical advances and improved affordability of small yet efficient sensors empower unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) with the capacity to gather high-resolution data of small fires or hotspots. With this regard, CGQ will assist MVT in developing a tool that can detect and geo-localize hotspots from the data captured by a UAV equipped with ranging, visual, thermal, inertial, and positioning sensors via applying advanced geospatial analytics.