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wildfires

The Role of Satellite Imagery of Earth in Disaster Response

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In recent times, the use of satellite imagery has become increasingly important in disaster response efforts. With the progress in technology, satellite data has emerged as a tool for monitoring and analyzing the impact of natural calamities.

Ranging from earthquakes to floods to wildfires, remote sensing through satellites enables real-time monitoring and evaluation of affected regions. This article delves into the role of satellite imagery in disaster response and showcases its advantages and practical applications. [Read more…] about The Role of Satellite Imagery of Earth in Disaster Response

Carnegie Mellon developing drones to fight wildfires

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The brown haze that settled over Pittsburgh and other US cities last summer was merely an irritant to most residents, but for researchers at Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute (RI), it was a reminder of why they are developing drones to help fight wildfires.

The smoke was generated by record-breaking wildfires in Canada. Over the course of the summer, the fires burned an area roughly the size of North Dakota and caused at least six deaths, including those of four firefighters.

Andrew Jong, who recently completed his master’s degree in robotics in the School of Computer Science and is now pursuing his PhD, says autonomous drones promise to provide firefighters with situational awareness of these fires, which can range over thousands of acres and are subject to rapid, weather-related changes in direction and intensity.

Seeing through dense smoke is one of many challenges firefighters face and poses a hurdle to using drones. [Read more…] about Carnegie Mellon developing drones to fight wildfires

San Francisco looks like a scene from Blade Runner

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The original Blade Runner film was regarded as a cinematic classic partly because of its depiction of an eery, dystopic world where the sky is permanently a dark, dusty orangey colour, possibly suggesting acid rain or something slightly toxic in the air because of the dirty and polluting machines and factories down on the ground. 

It was a ground-breaking, startling view of the future and was in complete contrast to the vast majority of science fiction films that came and went before it as they mostly showed the future as relatively bright and pollution-free, or at least the colour of the sky wasn’t a consideration as such.

Now, in the real world, modern San Francisco is shrouded in a blanket of cloud that looks quite similar to the world of Blade Runner. The dramatic change has been caused by the “worst wildfires in the history of the state of California”, according to those who are tasked to deal with them. [Read more…] about San Francisco looks like a scene from Blade Runner