Research groups in Idaho are using unmanned aircraft systems to aid in wildfire recovery and prevention. “We are looking at the vegetation,” said Dr. Thomas Wuerzer, a Boise State University professor leading an unmanned aircraft research team, “We are not looking in your back yard.”
They hover about 400 feet in the air and take pictures of land. Scientists can then determine how badly an area has been burned and what its risk for mudslides and other damage is. They can also work to prevent fires by analyzing vegetation and finding the more fire-prone areas.
Dr. Wuerzer says the research project he’s leading will help people who live near the foothills better protect their homes from fire. But even though he’s working in an area near subdivisions, he’s not permitted to fly over any residential areas, and he says pictures are only taken of uninhabited land.
“There’s no intention to spy on our people and our residents,” Wuerzer explained, “This is about increasing quality of life. This is about helping with better knowledge. And if technology helps with that, I think we should certainly support that.”
The aircraft that Wuerzer and his team are using have been donated by the military. They cost around $1,500 dollars an hour to operate. That bill is split by BSU and the Department of the Interior.
Source: KBOI