Alberta flies drones to find cause of epic Canadian wildfire

By Rod Nickel
LAC LA BICHE, Alberta, May 7 (Reuters) - Fire-ravaged
Alberta will use drones to investigate the cause of a huge blaze
that has scorched the Canadian province and displaced some
88,000 people.
Elevated Robotic Services, which has also deployed drones
for mining and construction companies, has contracts with the
Alberta government and insurance broker Hub International Ltd
HBINT.UL , said Mat Matthews, the Edmonton company's operations
and safety manager.
The drones use cameras outfitted with infrared, ultraviolet
and traditional optical cameras to pinpoint the hottest part of
the fire and trace it to its source based on time, wind and
other factors. The cameras will shoot about 800 images, which
are then stitched together in a process called fire-mapping.
"It's like Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Maps but 100 times better," Matthews said
at a police roadblock south of Fort McMurray, Alberta, as smoke
from the 156,000-hectare (385,000-acre) fire blackened the sky.
The work begins on Tuesday, coordinated with the other air
traffic, including air tankers and helicopters.
An Alberta government official confirmed it had a contract
with Elevated. Hub was not immediately available for comment.
The images, if successful, will zero down to a spot on the
ground with about a 30-foot (9-meter) radius where the fire is
believed to have started. From there, investigators will search
on foot for the cause, such as a lightning strike or campfire.
The drones that Elevated will use are manufactured by
China's DJI and sell for $1,900 to $6,500. They are roughly 1
foot wide by 2 feet across, about the same size as those
hobbyists use.
Using the more traditional method of gathering images from
helicopters, the fire's cause could be narrowed only to half an
acre, a much larger area to search on the ground, said Ron
Windmueller, owner of Droneology, which supplies equipment and
other services to Elevated.
Downward wind from helicopter blades can disturb the scene,
forcing the pilot to stay about 1,000 feet in the air. A drone
can capture images from 100 feet.
Even so, drones pose challenges. Because their batteries
last only 45 minutes, they will have to land for fresh ones
several times for a fire this big, making it more difficult to
precisely shoot different parts of the area, Windmueller said.
Still, the flying technology could help get answers quickly.
"If anything," Matthews said, "(the drones) will allow them
to determine a cause much faster."