We have developed the Fire Inspector application for all these tasks. Every application progress or new application development we consult with the members of the respective units. In this case, we are going to consult this application at the central fire station in Pilsen, Kosutka. We also test the application on various trainings with the Fire Brigade and educate members of the Fire Brigade on its use.

The reason for the creation of the application was to display, measure and monitor the fire area in time. Already during the fire, both firefighters and victims are interested in the extent of the damage caused by the fire.

Up to this point, we could measure this approximately immediately on the spot using a drone, but we did not have the right software for more accurate measurements. With the fire area measurement app and other apps we have developed, we are able to provide both much more accurate information about the extent of the fire, as well as data and an environment for further post-processing after the actual intervention is over.

Once we arrive on the scene, we can use the laser rangefinder on the DJI Zenmuse H30T camera, or the integrated camera on the DJI M4T UAV, to create points around the perimeter of the area affected by the fire using our GPS Transfer app in the drone’s controls. The GPS Transfer application runs in the background of the control device and can read the GPS coordinates from the image after the interaction of the operator of the device. These points are then stored in our database. From there, the fire area measurement application draws the data.

After opening the application, a user login is required. Access to the application is controlled via our cloud. In addition, all modifications in a specific project are matched to the corresponding user, so that it is clear who made the changes.

Once logged in, the user selects the district that the fire belongs to.

When clicked, the user is presented with a list of fires divided into years sorted by date. The user can also create their own projects, but will not have access to the drone data.

After selecting a project, the orthophoto image from the drone (if available) and the polygons targeted by the drone are automatically loaded into the map. The drone image cannot be moved, edited or changed or deleted in any way.

The same is true for the drone-measured polygons, but these can be hidden/unhidden or their colour changed. In addition, it is possible to display the GPS coordinates of each vertex for all polygons. When you click on a specific GPS coordinate, it is automatically copied to the clipboard and can be easily pasted into any map application.

An equally important function is the creation of custom polygons, where the processor can mark additional areas of interest. The application will then calculate the areas of these polygons and allow them to be deleted, changed in colour or named. If necessary, it is also possible to switch between area units. However, the units can only be switched within the whole project to prevent possible mistakes on the user’s side. It is also possible to switch between the base map and the aerial map.

There are also measurement functions where the user can measure the height/width of the affected area or field, forest, building and other possible objects, centering the map on the orthophoto image and the ability to view/hide the image from the drone.

Another important element for fire progress processing is the possibility of inserting graphic markers and editing them, drawing hose lines or adding labels to the map. Thanks to them, it is possible to mark the deployment of units and equipment at a specific moment in time. This then assists in evaluating the progress of the fire and processing the resulting report.

It is also possible to add photos to the project, which are also displayed on the map, making it clear from which location the photo was taken. The photos are again divided into drone photos and user photos.

The application also allows the export of the resulting report, which is created according to the requirements of the Fire Department.