June 13, 2024
This Bseed WATCH fire prevention and early detection system, the result of a collaboration between Hispasat and the company Pyro Fire Extinction, has been implemented in Alpedrinha (Portugal) and will soon be installed in Nuñomoral (Extremadura) and Allande and Grandas de Salime (Asturias).
Hispasat is the technological partner of Repsol Foundation and Sylvestris in Green Engine, a reforestation initiative in Spain and Portugal to offset CO2 emissions.
The satellite communications operator Hispasat has rolled out its comprehensive fire management solution in a forest reforested by Green Engine, an initiative promoted by Repsol Foundation and Sylvestris. The installation has been carried out in the Alpedrinha forest, in Portugal, where Pyro’s Bseed WATCH sensors and visible and infrared panoramic cameras have been installed, together with a solar-powered satellite connectivity point. It will therefore cover an area of 25 hectares.
Following this roll out, further similar installations will be carried out in two other areas reforested in Spain by Green Engine: Allande and Grandas de Salime (Asturias, 886 hectares) and Nuñomoral (Extremadura, 597 hectares). All of them will be added to the 1,300 hectares already monitored since April 2023 in Caminomorisco (Extremadura).
Fire prevention and early detection
From their different locations, the Bseed WATCH sensors gather information on different environmental variables, such as temperature, relative humidity, CO2, wind speed and direction or pressure, among others, and transmit it to a central point, which sends it in real time to the cloud. This information, combined with images from the video camera, weather conditions and satellite images of the surrounding areas, is processed into a risk map in real time and for the next ten days. Through a notification system, the population and emergency personnel will be sent the most relevant information and will be alerted when the risk of fire is higher or there is a detection by the sensors.
These sensors also make it possible to detect fires immediately and without false alarms, greatly reducing response time, the risks associated with this type of catastrophe and the costs associated with late action. The information gathered makes it possible to know and anticipate fire behavior, the degree of flammability of forest fuels and the local weather forecast for the following hours. This information is vital for the efficiency and safety of firefighting tasks at all times, especially at night.
Javier Torres, Director of Repsol Social Impact at Repsol Foundation, stated that “we are very satisfied with the collaboration we have with Hispasat within the Green Engine initiative. Over the next few months, 2,800 hectares will be monitored through our technological partner, giving greater protection to reforestations and surrounding land.”
According to Ignacio Sanchis, Hispasat’s commercial director, “we are very proud to continue rolling out this comprehensive fire protection solution together with Repsol Foundation and Green Engine. We believe that the technology that will be used in the Alpedrinha forest is fundamental to guarantee the success of these reforestation projects.”
Hispasat’s and Pyro’s comprehensive fire protection management solution has already been successfully rolled out in other forest areas in Spain and Chile. The transmission of information from its sensors to the central node can cover distances of more than 10 kilometers and, thanks to the combined use of 4G and satellite communications and LoRa networks, allows these roll outs to be carried out even in the most remote areas, independently of land infrastructures.
Green Engine, launched in 2021, is a large-scale reforestation project in Spain and Portugal, with the aim of promoting reforestation as a tool for offsetting the carbon footprint. This initiative plans to reforest 70,000 hectares of land in the coming years, capturing more than 16 million tons of CO₂. Green Engine is a project with a three-fold economic, social and environmental impact. Thanks to this initiative, inclusive, local employment is being created in those populations where plantations are created and there is a special focus on hiring vulnerable groups. Furthermore, it gives a boost to the economy, promoting specialized training and the creation of new businesses linked to the forestry sector, as well as attracting economic activity and generating wealth in the surrounding communities.
About Hispasat
Hispasat is the satellite operator of Redeia and the main driver of innovation in the Spanish aerospace sector. It is committed to helping citizens bridge the digital divide and promote sustainable development in society. It is the main communications bridge between Europe and America as a broadband and connectivity services provider through its companies in Spain and Latin America. It is also a leader in the broadcasting and distribution of audiovisual content in Spanish and Portuguese, including the transmission of Direct-to-Home (DTH) and High Definition Television (HDTV) digital platforms. These activities make it one of the world's leading companies by revenue in its sector.
About Pyro
Pyro, with headquarters in Spain, founded in 2011 and located in the Polytechnic City of Innovation (UPV Valencia), is a technology company that specializes in designing and manufacturing solutions to fight forest fires. In recent years Pyro has developed a variety of IoT solutions to obtain precise information about fires, offering expanded situational awareness of emergencies for fire departments.
Pyro has participated in several European R&D projects as part of the European Community FP7, Horizon 2020 and Instrument for SME Phase 1 programs. The company holds two invention patents for forest fighting and has obtained the Innovative SME seal from the Spanish Ministry of Economic Affairs (MINECO).
Press contact:
Víctor Inchausti +34 667 31 29 48 / vinchausti@hispasat.es
