A new system which uses satellites, drones and artificial intelligence to fight wildfires has won Ireland's first defence innovation challenge.
A team from Maynooth University worked with the Defence Forces' aerial firefighting team and other stakeholders to develop the CoPilot AI platform.
As winners of the Science Foundation Ireland-Defence Organisation Innovation Challenge, they receive €1 million to further develop their system which is the first of its kind in the world.
Announcing the winning team at Casement Aerodrome at Baldonnel, Tánaiste Micheál Martin said: "To witness the innovation, and creative problem-solving by so many of the teams involved in this challenge is really encouraging."
Team leader Prof Tim McCarthy, from Maynooth's Faculty of Science and Engineering, explained: "Over 18 months, we designed, built and tested an intuitive Common Operational Picture platform to improve how digital data from satellites, aircraft and drone sensors can be captured, pooled and shared in real time between various responder agencies."
Wildfires are a growing problem across the globe with the United Nations predicting the incidence of extreme wildfires will increase by 50% by the end of this century, with devastating effects on human health, the environment and the climate.
Last year, wildfires in EU member states caused damage costing at least €2 billion and in the US the damage between 2021 and 2022 was estimated at €11.2bn.
All the projects entered for the challenge were demonstrated in a multi-agency exercise in the Dublin mountains with personnel from the Defence Forces, the fire service, Coillte and other organisations taking part.
The runner up prize was won by the MISTRAL team, from Tyndall National Institute based at University College Cork and Trinity College Dublin, who designed a system showing that a small number of high-flying drones could ensure safe communications for Defence Forces operating in remote areas, including those on peacekeeping duties overseas.
