OFIL Airborne and Nova Maps partner on aerial wildfire mapping

OFIL Airborne has partnered with Nova Maps to integrate wildfire mapping into its aerial gimbal systems.

The partnership will allow helicopter operators that use OFIL’s gimbal systems to switch between utility inspections and wildfire mapping without the need for additional software or crew.

OFIL reported that Phoenix Heli-Flight, an operator based in Fort McMurray, Canada, had already used the company’s upgraded ROMLite gimbal to combat wildfires in the province of Alberta, having used the gimbal system for utility inspections in the past.

“The combo of OFIL’s HD and 4K sensors with ‎Nova’s AI mapping tools gives us incredible efficiency in the air; on one recent fire ‎we were capturing over 5,000 hectares in a 2.5-hour flight,” said Cameron Spring, ‎Operations Manager at Phoenix. “This huge rate of ‎capture and quick data turnaround is especially useful on the big, fast-moving ‎fires we’re seeing more of.”‎

Daan Arscott, Director of Business Development at Nova Maps, added: “Nova’s tools have been supporting crews for over a ‎decade, but bringing them into manned helicopter operations changes the game. ‎Helicopters can stay in the air longer and reach farther than drones, and when you ‎pair that with automated hotspot detection that can catch something the size of a ‎fist, the result is next level.”

Helicarrier recently purchased two Model 234 UT Chinooks from Columbia Helicopters to assist in aerial firefighting and utility operations.