Indra deploys Europe’s most advanced forest surveillance and firefighting system in Gran Canaria

Indra, one of the leading global technology and consulting companies, has completed the deployment in Gran Canaria of the largest and most advanced early detection and protection system against forest fires currently in service in Europe.

Indra's Faedo system currently covers the surveillance of two thirds of the territory of the island of Gran Canaria, more than 1,000 square kilometers, and it protects an area in which several priceless natural parks that have been declared biosphere reserves are concentrated.

Faedo consists of a set of thermal cameras and weather stations that monitor day and night and send images and data in real time to the control center. A powerful software based on artificial intelligence processes them and searches for any smoke plume or heat source to determine if a fire is taking place.

For Indra experts, Faedo differs from other systems "because of its ability to distinguish small fire outbreaks very early, with an extremely low level of false alarms. The more hours it is on duty, the more it learns and the more efficient and smart it becomes," they stress.

The system is also integrated with Cecopin’s (the Island Operations Coordination Centre) predictive simulator and incident control center to form the most advanced solution put into service to date. Once the fire is detected and the alarm is triggered, the system analyses the meteorological conditions of wind, humidity, temperature and vegetation volume to determine in which direction and at what speed the fire could spread.

The command center studies all the information on a 3D mapping model created with the simulator's virtual reality board. Based on it, they plan the intervention, identifying population centers that could be affected, access and evacuation routes, nearby hydrants, etc. They also have a simulation system to analyse what would happen if any of the variables were to change.

The command center has all the tools to plan, activate and coordinate the deployment, maintaining contact with the team on the ground. They are supported by an advanced command vehicle that travels to the area to direct firefighting activities.

The deployment of this state-of-the-art system is part of the Alertagran program, integrated in the Intelligent Gran Canaria Initiative (IGCI), promoted by the Local Government of the island to improve the service of the Island Operational Coordination Center (Cecopin for its Spanish acronym). Phases 1 and 2 of the project having been completed, Phase 3 and 4 are now being addressed, which will further improve prevention and protection capabilities by improving communications for surveillance and firefighting teams and access control to affected areas in the event of an incident.

For Indra experts, the introduction of all these technologies "is essential to protect forests, as well as the lives and properties of people living in rural areas". With climate change, they explain, "the number of large fires is increasing. Countries such as Portugal, the United States and Australia have already suffered the devastating consequences of fires of such magnitude that they are impossible to control. It is better to do everything possible to prevent them, because otherwise the damage they cause afterwards is enormous."

Technologies to protect forests and respond to emergencies are evolving at breakneck speed and incorporating all kinds of advances. Artificial intelligence, cloud computing, hyperconnectivity, sensorisation, the Internet of Things, the use of drones and even data collected from space with earth observation satellites will multiply protection in the coming years. It will be an essential technology to have a resilient, digitalized environment and increase the productivity and sustainability of the countryside, which will undergo a far-reaching digitalization.

About Indra

Indra (www.indracompany.com) is one of the leading global technology and consulting companies and the technological partner for core business operations of its customers worldwide. It is a world-leader in providing proprietary solutions in specific segments in Transport and Defence markets, and a leading firm in Digital Transformation and Information Technologies in Spain and Latin America through its affiliate Minsait. Its business model is based on a comprehensive range of proprietary products, with a high-value, end-to-end focus and with a high innovation component. In the 2021 financial year, Indra achieved revenue of €3.390 billion, with over 52,000 employees, a local presence in 46 countries and business operations in over 140 countries.