New drone software will help SAR first responders
Drone manufacturer DJI and Irish tech start-up DroneSAR announced a new search and rescue (SAR) app that will aid in SAR searches.
Drone manufacturer DJI and Irish tech start-up DroneSAR announced a new search and rescue (SAR) app that will aid in SAR searches, feeding data from a drone into incident management software to help rescue crews to use drones to save lives.
The app can stream live images and video, both from regular and thermal cameras, to an incident centre or team on the ground. The software, say DJI and DroneSAR, can also tag the GPS coordinates of a victim, transmitting back via SMS or email. Search patterns are also logged so it is easier for multiple search crews to use the software.
"From understanding on how to use the technology, to communicating findings and data, to figuring out the most appropriate tactical approach, first responders can benefit greatly from this software app on our DJI hardware," said Romeo Durscher, director of education at DJI. "Many of the tasks and strategies deployed during a search and rescue operation can get sped up with automation, helping to reduce the time it takes to find a victim and save lives."
The software has been developed in conjunction with the European Emergency Number Association and Ireland's Donegal Mountain Search and Rescue team. DJI and DroneSAR claim that the software enables a drone to search an area of one square kilometer in 20 mins.
"Our aim is to save lives," said Oisin McGrath, co-founder and CEO of DroneSAR. "Our software will reduce risk to search teams and reduce search time. If we can save just one life, that is mission success for us at DroneSAR."