Maths and technology at the service of fire prevention

Descartes is said to have said: “Everything in nature happens mathematically”Does this apply to forest fires as well? It seems so, because a team of researchers from the Polytechnic University of Madrid (Spain) has developed a project in which numerical-based information is of paramount importance for preventing or predicting fire behavior.

The figures provided by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment regarding the number of fires in the country are staggering: in 2015 alone, There were about 12,000 open burnings that burned over 100,000 hectaresPrevention research is therefore important when trying to avert environmental disasters caused by fires, the sad event of summer in Spain.

“Wireless sensors and big data can help prevent forest fires. But how?”

Some studies, as conducted by the group B105 Electronic systemthe network of scientists at the Technical University of Madrid, Valencia Polytechnic University and ISDEFE The company suggests that with the help of technology and data computing, fires can be prevented or prevented from spreading whenever they occur.

A sensor network that can provide information in real time

But what does this innovative project consist of? Wireless node network It spans an entire region and can provide physical and environmental details such as temperature, soil moisture, wind direction and speed, which are important values ​​in assessing fire risk at a particular location.

these are Small and energy efficient sensor It has a processor and a radio interface that allows the collected data to be sent to a central node, which in turn sends them to the control center.

Interpretation of the big data provided by these sensors may evolve along with other variables such as satellite imagery, historical data, ground models, mathematical formulas, etc. pattern of fireis important in this kind of disaster for two reasons. prevention Areas determined by data analysis to have a high fire risk environment, and Fire extinguishing support as needed Network can provide live data Facilitate the work of those brigades within the site.

All in all, a commendable project that combines the classical sciences such as mathematics and physics with technological innovation to address the environmental, and therefore social, problems that are causing more and more damage to Spain’s forests every year. .

sauce: world, country



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