State-of-the-art camera-based wildfire detection systems can cover very large areas, but may encounter problems e.g. when monitoring a certain area of interest, if its visibility is limited or due to other constraints (camera installation, cabling, etc). On the other hand, temperature sensors could be more suitable for such applications, however it is generally not feasible to place millions of sensors to monitor a large forest area. However, it is possible to deploy a few hundreds of sensors to protect an archeological or cultural heritage site. As a result, the development of an integrated system with IR and regular cameras supplemented with a wireless sensor network to remotely monitor areas of archaeological interest can protect them more efficiently from the risk of fire. In FIRESENSE, multi-sensor data will be integrated to an innovative forest fire management system that provides real-time information to the fire-fighters. The fire management system will also be able to process and interpret the weather data coming from meteorological sensors, which will provide crucial information for the prediction of fire propagation, as well as the efficient protection and preservation of archaeological sites against the impact of other extreme events such as storms, floods, and strong winds.

FIRESENSE contibutions

FIRESENSE aims to develop a powerful, innovative and cost-efficient approach that can be used for the protection of cultural heritage providing:

• High reliability The system utilizes different sensing technologies (CCTV cameras, PTZ, IR, temperature sensors). The different types of sensors operate independently and they are periodically tested on-line (live check).
• Early detection of fire Automatic detection of flame/smoke/rise in temperature.
• Forest fire management The system provides real-time information about fire’s extent/location through WSN, while it also estimates and visualizes its propagation based on the area’s fuel model, the local weather conditions and ground morphology.
• Automation of the fire fighting The output of the FIRESENSE system can activate water pipe networks for watering, like the fire sprinkler in buildings. Such water pipe networks are usually organized in sectors, which can be timely and separately activated in the areas threatened by the fire.
• Early warning for extreme weather conditions Local weather stations will provide useful sensor readings like temperature, wind direction and speed, relative humidity, barometric pressure, rain gauge etc. Short-term and long-term weather forecasting will be made available to the system as well, which makes it straightforward to use it as an early warning system for extreme conditions.

Significant features

• Modular architecture that allows for easy system upgrades and extensions depending on the particular needs of different archaeological sites.
• Protection of archaeological sites through a non-destructive and non-intrusive intervention.

Scientific and tecnological Contributions

• Integration of multiple sensors
• Contributions to fire and smoke detection algorithms
• R&D on Wireless Sensor Networks (new sensors and network architectures)
• Use of advanced data fusion techniques
• Estimation and 3-D visualization of fire propagation.

Societal and economical impact

The FIRESENSE system will

• locate high risk areas before the outbreak of fires and prevent human casualties and property losses.
• specify appropriate actions when facing forest fires, which can result in better management of resources and reduced loss of forested area
• protect forested areas of extreme cultural importance, which constitute a significant portion of historical heritage in many European countries
• have a positive contribution to environmental issues, as the forest fires are significant causes of air pollution, harmful carbon emissions, biodiversity loss through elimination of animal and plant species and water supply problems
• reduce losses for natural hazards and prevent man-made hazards (forest arsons) from happening
• contribute to the protection of cultural heritage, the basic asset on which tourism is built.