title: Airborne Optical and Thermal Remote Sensing for Wildfire Detection and Monitoring.
abstract: For decades detection and monitoring of forest and other wildland fires has relied heavily on aircraft (and satellites). Technical advances and improved affordability of both sensors and sensor platforms promise to revolutionize the way aircraft detect, monitor and help suppress wildfires. Sensor systems like hyperspectral cameras, image intensifiers and thermal cameras that have previously been limited in use due to cost or technology considerations are now becoming widely available and affordable. Similarly, new airborne sensor platforms, particularly small, unmanned aircraft or drones, are enabling new applications for airborne fire sensing. In this review we outline the state of the art in direct, semi-automated and automated fire detection from both manned and unmanned aerial platforms. We discuss the operational constraints and opportunities provided by these sensor systems including a discussion of the objective evaluation of these systems in a realistic context.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Vision Research, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada. allison@cse.yorku.ca.
authors.forename: Robert S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Allison
authors.affiliation: Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service, 1219 Queen Street East, Sault Ste Marie, ON P6A 2E5, Canada. joshua.johnston@canada.ca.
authors.forename: Joshua M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.affiliation: Flight Research Lab, National Research Council of Canada, 1200 Montreal Road, M-3, Ottawa, ON K1A 0R6, Canada. gregory.craig@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca.
authors.forename: Gregory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Craig
authors.affiliation: Flight Research Lab, National Research Council of Canada, 1200 Montreal Road, M-3, Ottawa, ON K1A 0R6, Canada. Sion.Jennings@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca.
authors.forename: Sion
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jennings
mesh_terms: D000401:Aircraft; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D065928:Forests; D006801:Humans; D058998:Remote Sensing Technology / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D013696:Temperature; D000075923:Wildfires
keywords: airborne sensors; detection patrols; fire detection; fire monitoring; fire spotting; unmanned aerial vehicles; wildfire