Black Swift Technologies has published an insightful article on how its Black Swift S2 UAS (unmanned aerial system),outfitted with a specialized payload,is enhancing wildfire management in forested regions.
Utilizing aerial surveillance through manned aircraft is a crucial aspect of wildfire management and suppression. However, operating in perilous, low-altitude settings comes with important risks. The CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reports that 26.2% of fatalities among wildland firefighters in the U.S. are linked too aviation incidents. To mitigate the dependence on manned aerial operations, the U.S. Department of the Interior began deploying unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) a decade ago to assist in mapping fires and predicting their trajectories. The integration of UAS into wildfire response efforts is expanding, enhancing both real-time decision-making during incidents and improving predictive models for fire behavior and weather. nonetheless,existing airspace regulations and concerns about interference with manned aircraft over wildfire zones restrict the full potential of UAS in this field.
For UAS to play a comprehensive role in wildfire management, tailored solutions for data sharing are essential, focusing on airspace management and situational awareness through integration with common operating picture (COP) software. Black Swift Technologies, based in Boulder, CO, is collaborating with leading software developers to create a solution for wildland firefighting, drawing on insights from NASAS UAS Traffic Management (UTM) initiatives in urban environments, as well as BST’s own advancements in UAS for wildfire analysis, model enhancement, and active fire monitoring.
Established in 2011, Black Swift Technologies (BST) is renowned for producing dependable, robust, and highly precise UAS capable of carrying scientific payloads in challenging atmospheric conditions, including high-altitude, arctic, desert, and turbulent environments. Their specialized aerial platforms are utilized globally for various atmospheric research missions in extreme conditions, such as monitoring wildfires, volcanoes, tornadoes, and hurricanes.
Through a NASA SBIR-funded initiative, BST developed the Black Swift S2™ UAS, specifically designed for earth observation missions, boasting a proven track record of prosperous operations in harsh environments.
The S2-VTOL is a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) fixed-wing UAS (Figure 1) featuring a custom payload aimed at enhancing wildfire management in forested areas. By measuring and reporting hazardous airborne emissions in near real-time, this system empowers fire managers, health officials, and researchers to analyze various fire and emission characteristics and forecast their impact on air quality.
Figure 1: The Black swift S2-VTOL in action
By providing near real-time data on environmental conditions, the S2 enables fire managers, health services, and researchers to evaluate a range of fire and emission characteristics and predict the fire’s effects, including air quality implications. BST’s solution aims to deliver a comprehensive view of the current fire situation, incorporating data beyond standard near real-time EO/IR imagery. This initiative integrates several technologies developed by BST, including trace gas and particulate measurement, soil moisture data, accurate real-time wind assessments, and vegetation characterization sensors for UAS (Figure 2).
Figure 2: UAS integration in active wildfire operations
Envisioning the Future
Modern UAS platforms present a variety of applications for wildland firefighting, offering both data and imagery that extend beyond traditional ISR roles. Recent advancements in air quality monitoring capabilities with small drones have been limited by the size and weight of instrumentation.However, new UAS sensor and aircraft technologies enable improved assessments of airborne hazards related to wildfire activities and public safety, providing better data for modeling airborne risks from wildfires and tools for evaluating burn conditions (such as dryness, fuel load, and species) to enhance controlled burn planning and pre-fire hazard assessments.UAS can also serve as part of the containment strategy, supplying fire-starting materials for backburns and targeting hotspots with retardant or water. Long-endurance solutions can facilitate communication relays, ensuring coverage in areas where terrestrial networks are unavailable, thus enabling vital voice and data communications for team safety and effective management strategies.
Demonstrated Operational Expertise
Unlike many UAS manufacturers, Black Swift Technologies has transitioned from proof-of-concept to real-world operational applications. With BVLOS flights capturing photogrammetric images and trace gas measurements over the Makushin Volcano (2036 meters) from a base located 25 km away, and conducting research in various harsh environments typical of scientific field campaigns, BST has established itself as the preferred UAS platform for demanding organizations like NASA and NOAA.This extensive experience in developing UAS for precise atmospheric measurements, which necessitates rigorous system integration expertise, positions them uniquely for advancing systems tailored for wildfire applications.
Recently, BST released a white paper outlining its vision and strategy for enhanced UAS integration into wildfire management and suppression.The white paper is available for download here.
