SolarFlare

Abstract

In recent years, wildfires in British Columbia have been increasing in both severity and frequency. In 2023, 2245 wildfires burned 2 840 545 hectares, making it the worst wildfire season on record. Wildfires destroy ecosystems, force evacuations, and cause several health problems; these impacts are only growing, along with wildfire frequency. The main cause of wildfires is lightning, which happens mostly in remote regions, so early detection relies on chance observation or delayed satellite detection. Climate change is the biggest culprit for the growing wildfire problem. Climate change causes droughts, heatwaves, and higher temperatures, creating favourable conditions for wildfires. The hotter, drier conditions make the ignition-to-growth time much shorter; now more than ever, early detection is essential to stopping wildfire escalation. The core issue is not our fire response capacity; it’s fast responses and coverage. My project addresses this problem using both a physical robot and a simulation. The robot is a proof of concept for an autonomous, self-charging wildfire detector. In addition, the simulation is used to simulate communication between detectors in the case of a wildfire. My simulations goal is to test if my wildfire detectors will be an effective replacement for current wildfire detection methods.