Sistema de monitoreo de incendios en el cerro Casigana mediante UAVS para el apoyo operativo del Cuerpo de Bomberos Ambato

Abstract

This research work focuses on the design and implementation of a wildfire monitoring system on Cerro Casigana using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), aimed at supporting the Ambato Fire Department in detecting and monitoring heat sources in areas of difficult access. The system integrates aerial monitoring, real-time video transmission, and thermal sensors to strengthen the response capacity against forest fires. Initially, testing was conducted with a thermal sensor connected to an ESP32 microcontroller to validate the detection of temperature variations and establish a basic monitoring system. Subsequently, an FPV thermal camera was installed on a UAV, enabling the transmission of real-time thermal video to a ground station for the analysis of thermal events. The developed system comprises a UAV equipped with an FPV thermal camera, a video transmitter, and a flight control system. Field tests carried out in different areas of Cerro Casigana evaluated flight stability, video transmission, thermal detection, and operational capacity. Furthermore, pre-training operations were performed using YOLOv8 to identify potential fire sources through thermal imagery. The results demonstrated stable transmission and adequate real-time thermal detection, constituting an innovative technological alternative to strengthen the prevention and response actions of the Ambato Fire Department against wildfires.