Traditional forest fire prevention has long relied on manual patrols and lookout tower observations, facing three major pain points: low efficiency—forest rangers patrol an average of only 20-30 kilometers per day, resulting in long coverage periods across large forest areas; numerous blind spots—areas with complex terrain and difficult access for personnel become monitoring dead zones; and slow response—the time from reporting a fire to the fire command center and the actual mobilization of firefighting supplies often takes several hours, missing the golden window for early detection and suppression.
The introduction of drone technology is fundamentally changing this situation. Compared to satellite remote sensing, drones have a faster response time and higher resolution; compared to manual patrols by forest rangers, drones provide faster and more agile early warning of forest fires.
Forest fire prevention scenarios demand diverse performance from drones:
- Fixed-wing drones: Long endurance and wide coverage, suitable for routine patrols over large areas;
- Multi-rotor drones: Maneuverable and capable of hovering, suitable for detailed inspections of key areas and fire reconnaissance;
- Compound-wing drones: Combining the advantages of both, gradually becoming the mainstream choice
Using different types of drones to build a rapid early warning and defense line for forest fire detection.
The sensors onboard the drone serve as its "eyes" and "brain":
- Infrared thermal imager: capable of penetrating smoke and vegetation to detect temperature anomalies.
- High-definition visible light camera: working with AI algorithms to identify smoke patterns and diffusion trends.
- Multispectral/hyperspectral sensor: enabling combustible material classification and fire hazard assessment with an accuracy rate of up to 81.94%.
- Gas sensor: capable of detecting characteristic fire gases such as carbon dioxide and methane.
The drone shelter (cabin) is a key infrastructure for achieving routine unmanned patrols:
- The shelter integrates autonomous takeoff and landing, automatic charging, route storage, and data transmission.
- Drones can operate 24x7 autonomously, completing takeoff, patrol, monitoring, and return for recharging entirely on a pre-set route.
- 5G ultra-low latency network enables real-time backhaul of 4K high-definition images, with fire source positioning error controlled within 10 meters.
When a fire breaks out, drones can quickly approach the fire scene:
- Equipped with a dual-light pod, they can accurately detect fire sources even in dense smoke, at night, or under vegetation cover.
- They transmit real-time high-definition images of the fire scene, the fire line's spread trend, and wind direction data, providing the command center with an "all-knowing perspective."
- They utilize thermal imaging and positioning systems to precisely locate the fire source and its intensity.
- Utilizing imagery to accurately extract burned areas, machine learning algorithms improve the classification accuracy of burned area regions to 93.75%.
- Infrared thermal imaging enables comprehensive, thorough investigation of remaining fires after extinguishing, promptly identifying potential reignition hazards.
SANRAY UAV is a high-tech enterprise specializing in overall solutions for FPV, drones, and related equipment, possessing mature solutions for specific professional fields.
