NOVA FCT's ‘Floresta Limpa’ Project Uses Artificial Intelligence in a System to Prevent Wildfires

Universidade Nova de Lisboa (Portugal) - Press Release: The “Floresta Limpa – Automatic and Participatory Surveillance of Fire Protection Zones” project, led by researchers from NOVA LINCS – Laboratory for Computer Science and Informatics at NOVA FCT, has launched the ‘Floresta Limpa’ platform, which explores innovative Artificial Intelligence techniques to minimize the risk and impact of wildfires.

This platform enables the continuous monitoring of the cleaning and maintenance of fire fuel management strips (FGCI), as legally required, to protect human lives, forests, the environment, and material assets. Additionally, it provides an Android App to assist and facilitate the work and contributions of municipalities, authorities, and the general public regarding the maintenance status of these areas.

The NOVA FCT research team designed and developed the smartphone application, which is maintained and updated by the Portuguese company World IT and is already available on the Android Play Store. The app is currently configured for the municipalities of Almada, Mação, and Santarém and is progressively being expanded to cover a larger set of regions. The researchers have also launched the website www.florestalimpa.pt, providing information about the project and a data portal for accessing the open data that underpins the system.

This application is the result of a research project funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT – project PCIF/MOG/0161/2019), which lasted four years and was supported by INESC.ID, the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), the Municipality of Mação, and The Navigator Company.

By leveraging satellite-based vegetation index data and applying Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning algorithms, the developed system will automatically and regularly assess the cleaning status of fire fuel management strips. It will also monitor the evolution of combustible material in other areas of interest, such as recently burned, deforested, or newly planted regions, which play a crucial role in containing the spread of wildfires.

In its various aspects, the project will enable the collection of updated and verified information on the state of fire fuel management strips (FGCI), contributing to:

• Improved planning of cleaning and, particularly, inspection activities
• Increased public awareness of wildfire prevention needs
• Enhanced firefighting effectiveness through access to reliable and up-to-date information

Project coordinator and NOVA LINCS – NOVA FCT researcher Carlos Viegas Damásio highlighted the project's importance and relevance: “This research project stands out for the results achieved and the measures implemented, which will allow continuous monitoring of fire fuel management strips. It is a crucial step toward obtaining relevant information, given the challenges posed by the extensive and dispersed nature of these areas, particularly north of the Tagus River.”

For NOVA LINCS, this research project has also reinforced the connection between society, education, and research. “Throughout these four years of research, we have counted on the support of researchers, scholarship holders, and students, who were vital to the creation of the system, platform, app, and website.”

Visit the Floresta Limpa website here.

Link to the APP.

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