Space Apps Challenge 2018

Solar Spot | Spot That Fire!

The Challenge | Spot That Fire!

Build a crowdsourcing tool for citizens to contribute to early detection, verification, tracking, visualization, and notification of wildfires.

FlameBreaker

Concept of application for active participation, information service and citizens' awareness

THEME

Wildfire prevention and control

TITLE

FlameBreaker App

JUSTIFICATION

Wildfires are events of natural or human action, that result in devastating damages to the fauna and flora that were affected, destruction of the heritage (national, private, among others) and besides that, catastrophes that lead to the loss of lives and contribute severely with the global image of climate change.

An app concept was analyzed, which would invites the ordinary citizen to participate directly in the combat and prevention of wildfires. Containing the purpose of collaborative community in which the population is essential to send photos and text messages, containing information of wildfires in certain localities. This function has a social effect, as it enables the inhabitants' cooperation with the preservation of sustainable development.

FlameBreaker connects to a fire detection system that relies on sensors scattered in an area, which will analyze weather conditions, sending a risk message to smartphones app and an alarm system, which will help in communication. Futhermore, the aplication uses the information provided by fire/hot spot sensing satélites, such as NASA’s (NOAA, GOES 16 / ABI) or other national institutes that provides space monitoring systems like Brazil’s INPE (National Institute of Spacial Research, from direct translate from brazilian portuguese).

PROBLEM

How the population could contribute in the earlier detection of wildfires?

GOALS

GENERAL

Implement a communication tool that will provide the participation of the population and the exchange of information with authorities and local residents.

SPECIFIC

Early identification of wildfires;

Increase detection speed;

Check weather conditions;

Perform forms of detection through satellite, denunciations and sensors;

Create an information-sharing community;

Raise awareness in the protection communities of the place where they live;

Train people from the community to maintain the system of sensors.

PRINCIPLE OF THE SYSTEM'S OPERATION

Our system consists of data analysis "in loco", to try to reduce the most the margin of error and a faster detection of a possible anomaly, also using auxiliary systems of monitoring like NASA’s MODIS/VIRS products, database of the local government, videos, photos and reports made by the population.

The obtained data will be confronted in order to exclude possible readings that contain outliers, using only the closest points and seeking a convergence between them, so that they can be applied in already existing mathematical models that present a notorious assertiveness in the ability to predict the possibility of an event occurring (FMA, FMA +).

The population will be able to contribute with comments, photos and videos in the app, and can also be helped at the same time, in case of occurrences of events, the application will be connected directly to the competent bodies. Being tied to other apps so that escape routes, safe zones, chats for volunteer brigades can be provided and teamed up.

The rescue system will occur like this, from the time the app is installed, it will request access to your location, even if the app is closed, in case of incidents that people can not communicate, our system will detect that there are people needing help, so that even if there was no eye contact, brigades will know the existence of relief.

Due to the difficulty of communication of some regions, we decided to choose the method of propagation of the information by radio waves, and it could be sent to radio stations of the region, danger alerts.

For people who have some special needs or, we will equip the device in the place with sounders, so that they can evacuate the region and to also serve as a way to locate where is the specific location of the focus.

SpaceApps is a NASA incubator innovation program.