Russia Develops Onboard AI to Detect Forest Fires from the Air
Drones equipped with neural networks can now spot fires and map them in real time, boosting the country’s wildfire monitoring capabilities.
Russia’s environmental protection system is entering a new era. Traditional patrols are being replaced by high-tech forest fire monitoring networks. These systems can track conditions across millions of hectares of forest in real time—from the Far East to Siberia. Since 2010, the early warning system Forest Watch has been operating in most Russian regions. Its success has even led to adoption abroad, including in South Africa, Bulgaria, and Brazil.
To make monitoring even more effective, the company Geoscan has developed an onboard artificial intelligence system that helps drones quickly identify fires from the air.
The neural network automatically detects fire sources and links them to geographic coordinates, which are transmitted along with a live video feed to a ground station. The system continues to gather data even outside of video coverage zones and sends the information once a signal is restored.
The solution has already been tested in Yakutia, where wildfire risk is especially high. The technology not only improves rapid response but also helps assess damage and plan recovery.
