{"id":199,"date":"2018-03-20T10:44:40","date_gmt":"2018-03-20T10:44:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/horizon.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=199"},"modified":"2018-05-29T23:46:29","modified_gmt":"2018-05-29T23:46:29","slug":"swarming-drones-could-help-fight-europes-megafires","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/199\/swarming-drones-could-help-fight-europes-megafires\/","title":{"rendered":"Swarming drones could help fight Europe\u2019s megafires"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Rob Coppinger<\/p>\n

Swarms of firefighting drones could one day be deployed to tackle hugely destructive megafires that are becoming increasingly frequent in the Mediterranean region because of climate change, arson and poor landscape management.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
\n
\n

It’s one of a number of initiatives looking at how best to fight large fires from the air \u2013 a challenge that’s becoming more and more common.<\/p>\n

A\u00a02017 report on forest fires<\/a>\u00a0by the EU’s Joint Research Centre said that the year would ‘likely be remembered as one of the most devastating wildfire seasons in Europe since records began’, after the destruction of nearly 700,000 hectares of land in the EU by early September.<\/p>\n

Such fires are dangerous not only for people who live in the area but also for the crews of people whose job it is to put the fires out. But using intelligent robots to scout the area and drop water can allow humans to stand further back from the danger zone, only looking at the drones’ data to make decisions from the safety of a command and control centre.<\/p>\n

Because drones can fly day or night and gain rapid access to previously inaccessible urban or rural fires they can help to save both the lives of the public and first responders.<\/p>\n

Torrential<\/strong><\/p>\n

Multiple autonomous drones dropping 600 litres of water every minute during the night while other unmanned vehicles refill to repeat the attack on a raging fire is the vision of Spanish company Drone Hopper. Despite this torrential approach, ‘we are not meant to be competitors with the airplanes and helicopters, we want to be complementary,’ Drone Hopper’s chief executive officer, Pablo Flores, said.<\/p>\n

Their drone uses heat cameras to locate the fire, analyse it, send back the data, and identify what type of fire it is. At just over a metre and a half in length, it can be deployed from an aircraft, as well as a ground vehicle.<\/p>\n

The drone is like a helicopter and can hover directly over a specific burning area, but it has many propellers. Once over its target it will release its liquid cargo as a mist designed specifically for the fire type identified.<\/p>\n

A mist is good at fighting fire because it cools the area by evaporation and it blocks the transfer of heat to anything flammable nearby. To create the right type of mist, the Drone Hopper uses a proprietary magnetic system and the jet wash from its many propellers to direct the released water and nebulise it.<\/p>\n

Flores wants to offer his drone, which is still in development, to local authorities for firefighting. ‘They can’t buy a $30 million airplane, but can have this platform and have their own means to (tackle a fire).’ He says that the Drone Hopper UAV costs five times less per litre than a water tanker aircraft.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Spanish
Spanish company Drone Hopper wants to create a fleet of drones that can drop 600 litres of water every minute during the night. Image credit \u2013 Drone Hopper<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But, there is a regulatory obstacle. At the moment, it hasn’t been proven that drones can reliably act autonomously, so national rules generally require each one to have a human remote pilot.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Dr Nazim Kemal Ure, an assistant professor in the\u00a0aerospace department at Istanbul Technical University in Turkey, said: ‘With multiple autonomous systems many things can be achieved much more quickly.’<\/p>\n

Swarming<\/strong><\/p>\n

He is developing a way of coordinating drones that he hopes could contribute to a change in regulation. By the end of the year, Dr Ure expects to be field testing autonomous drones and their swarming algorithms, developed under the DUF project.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

‘We are not meant to be competitors with the airplanes and helicopters, we want to be complementary.’<\/p>\n

Pablo Flores, CEO, Drone Hopper<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Like Drone Hopper, ‘we are detecting the fire by using vision,’ Dr Ure explained. In initial testing the image processing will not be done by the drones, but eventually in real-world flight-testing the algorithms will be installed onboard.<\/p>\n

His drones would fly over a burning area and, by examining the vegetation and wind direction and other factors, predict the fire’s spread and direction. With that information they would then precisely drop retardant to stop the fire.<\/p>\n

Dr Ure added that further flight-testing may see cooperation with the Turkish government’s Ministry of Forestry and involve a controlled fire.<\/p>\n

However, there is work yet to be done to improve the computer-generated fire images in the simulated environment they are using for training the artificial intelligence. ‘Our models are, in the graphical parts, not state-of-the-art,’ said Dr Ure. He wants to have ‘hyper-realistic’ fire for the drones\u2019 vision analysis software to learn from. For him, that will help ensure the drones will operate well in the real world.<\/p>\n

And in the real world, Dr Ure sees many other applications. ‘I would like to extend this algorithm to other scenarios such as search and rescue and planetary exploration,’ he said.<\/p>\n

Originally published on Horizon<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Rob Coppinger Swarms of firefighting drones could one day be deployed to tackle hugely destructive megafires that are becoming increasingly frequent in the Mediterranean region because of climate change, arson and poor landscape management. It’s one of a number of initiatives looking at how best to fight large fires from the air \u2013 a … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":298,"featured_media":200,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nSwarming drones could help fight Europe\u2019s megafires - Horizon Magazine Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/199\/swarming-drones-could-help-fight-europes-megafires\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Swarming drones could help fight Europe\u2019s megafires\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"by Rob Coppinger Swarms of firefighting drones could one day be deployed to tackle hugely destructive megafires that are becoming increasingly frequent in the Mediterranean region because of climate change, arson and poor landscape management. It’s one of a number of initiatives looking at how best to fight large fires from the air \u2013 a ... Read more\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/199\/swarming-drones-could-help-fight-europes-megafires\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Horizon Magazine Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/horizon.magazine.eu\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-03-20T10:44:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-05-29T23:46:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/03\/forest-fire.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Horizon Magazine\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/HorizonMagEU\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Horizon Magazine\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/199\\\/swarming-drones-could-help-fight-europes-megafires\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/199\\\/swarming-drones-could-help-fight-europes-megafires\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Horizon Magazine\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8f23522ba58f477f04dd574e1034f679\"},\"headline\":\"Swarming drones could help fight Europe\u2019s megafires\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-03-20T10:44:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-05-29T23:46:29+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/199\\\/swarming-drones-could-help-fight-europes-megafires\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":842,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/199\\\/swarming-drones-could-help-fight-europes-megafires\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/03\\\/forest-fire.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"copyrightYear\":\"2018\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/199\\\/swarming-drones-could-help-fight-europes-megafires\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/199\\\/swarming-drones-could-help-fight-europes-megafires\\\/\",\"name\":\"Swarming drones could help fight Europe\u2019s megafires - Horizon Magazine Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/199\\\/swarming-drones-could-help-fight-europes-megafires\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/199\\\/swarming-drones-could-help-fight-europes-megafires\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/03\\\/forest-fire.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-03-20T10:44:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-05-29T23:46:29+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/199\\\/swarming-drones-could-help-fight-europes-megafires\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/199\\\/swarming-drones-could-help-fight-europes-megafires\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/199\\\/swarming-drones-could-help-fight-europes-megafires\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/03\\\/forest-fire.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/03\\\/forest-fire.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1280,\"caption\":\"More than 700,000 hectares of land in the EU were destroyed by forest fires between January and September 2017. Image credit \u2013 CC0 Public Domain\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/199\\\/swarming-drones-could-help-fight-europes-megafires\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Swarming drones could help fight Europe\u2019s megafires\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/\",\"name\":\"Horizon Magazine Blog\",\"description\":\"The EU Research & Innovation Magazine\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Horizon Magazine Blog\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/eu-logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/eu-logo.jpg\",\"width\":601,\"height\":283,\"caption\":\"Horizon Magazine Blog\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8f23522ba58f477f04dd574e1034f679\",\"name\":\"Horizon Magazine\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Horizon Magazine\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/horizon.magazine.eu\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/https:\\\/\\\/twitter.com\\\/HorizonMagEU\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/author\\\/horizonmagazine\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Swarming drones could help fight Europe\u2019s megafires - Horizon Magazine Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/199\/swarming-drones-could-help-fight-europes-megafires\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Swarming drones could help fight Europe\u2019s megafires","og_description":"by Rob Coppinger Swarms of firefighting drones could one day be deployed to tackle hugely destructive megafires that are becoming increasingly frequent in the Mediterranean region because of climate change, arson and poor landscape management. It’s one of a number of initiatives looking at how best to fight large fires from the air \u2013 a ... Read more","og_url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/199\/swarming-drones-could-help-fight-europes-megafires\/","og_site_name":"Horizon Magazine Blog","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/horizon.magazine.eu","article_published_time":"2018-03-20T10:44:40+00:00","article_modified_time":"2018-05-29T23:46:29+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":1280,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/03\/forest-fire.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Horizon Magazine","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/HorizonMagEU","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Horizon Magazine","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/199\/swarming-drones-could-help-fight-europes-megafires\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/199\/swarming-drones-could-help-fight-europes-megafires\/"},"author":{"name":"Horizon Magazine","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/person\/8f23522ba58f477f04dd574e1034f679"},"headline":"Swarming drones could help fight Europe\u2019s megafires","datePublished":"2018-03-20T10:44:40+00:00","dateModified":"2018-05-29T23:46:29+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/199\/swarming-drones-could-help-fight-europes-megafires\/"},"wordCount":842,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/199\/swarming-drones-could-help-fight-europes-megafires\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/03\/forest-fire.jpg","inLanguage":"en-US","copyrightYear":"2018","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/199\/swarming-drones-could-help-fight-europes-megafires\/","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/199\/swarming-drones-could-help-fight-europes-megafires\/","name":"Swarming drones could help fight Europe\u2019s megafires - Horizon Magazine Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/199\/swarming-drones-could-help-fight-europes-megafires\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/199\/swarming-drones-could-help-fight-europes-megafires\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/03\/forest-fire.jpg","datePublished":"2018-03-20T10:44:40+00:00","dateModified":"2018-05-29T23:46:29+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/199\/swarming-drones-could-help-fight-europes-megafires\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/199\/swarming-drones-could-help-fight-europes-megafires\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/199\/swarming-drones-could-help-fight-europes-megafires\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/03\/forest-fire.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/03\/forest-fire.jpg","width":1920,"height":1280,"caption":"More than 700,000 hectares of land in the EU were destroyed by forest fires between January and September 2017. Image credit \u2013 CC0 Public Domain"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/199\/swarming-drones-could-help-fight-europes-megafires\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Swarming drones could help fight Europe\u2019s megafires"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#website","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/","name":"Horizon Magazine Blog","description":"The EU Research & Innovation Magazine","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#organization","name":"Horizon Magazine Blog","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/eu-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/eu-logo.jpg","width":601,"height":283,"caption":"Horizon Magazine Blog"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/person\/8f23522ba58f477f04dd574e1034f679","name":"Horizon Magazine","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Horizon Magazine"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/horizon.magazine.eu","https:\/\/x.com\/https:\/\/twitter.com\/HorizonMagEU"],"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/author\/horizonmagazine\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/03\/forest-fire.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgtNKV-3d","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1037,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1037\/in-a-picture-not-enough-people-are-aware-of-this-monster\/","url_meta":{"origin":199,"position":0},"title":"In a picture: \u2018Not enough people are aware of this monster\u2019","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"October 31, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Professor Guillermo Rein, a fire scientist, tells Horizon why smouldering peatland fires are so dangerous and why we know so little about them. We scientists are (just) starting to learn about this type of fire - smouldering fires. (They happen on) peatlands, beautiful ecosystems with very diverse fauna and flora,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The peat fire in the field experiment in Dumai, South Sumatra, continued to burn after three days of torrential rain.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/10\/fire-header.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/10\/fire-header.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/10\/fire-header.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/10\/fire-header.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/10\/fire-header.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/10\/fire-header.png?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2475,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/2475\/to-tackle-wildfires-researchers-in-europe-team-up-with-frontline-forces\/","url_meta":{"origin":199,"position":1},"title":"To tackle wildfires, researchers in Europe team up with frontline forces","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"August 29, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The EU is seeking to limit growing threats from blazes through the use of satellites, artificial intelligence and unmanned aerial vehicles. By\u00a0\u00a0JACK MCGOVAN Picture the following scene on the French island of Corsica: a local fire service uses a special surveillance camera to detect smoke in the area, quickly declare\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Earth, Energy & Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Earth, Energy & Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/earth-energy-environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/29.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/29.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/29.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/29.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1098,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1098\/our-top-12-science-facts-from-2019\/","url_meta":{"origin":199,"position":2},"title":"Our top 12 science facts from 2019","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"December 19, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by Josefine Kroll From bacterial invisibility cloaks to unexpected dinosaur colors, Horizon uncovered some fascinating facts in 2019. Here are our 12 favourites. 1.\u00a0Meerkats live in cooperative societies where only one female is allowed to breed\u00a0 2.\u00a0There may be no free-flowing rivers left in Europe 3.\u00a0Our idea of dinosaur colours\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Earth, Energy & Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Earth, Energy & Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/earth-energy-environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Image credits - PlanetMallika\/ Pixabay; Pablo Trincado, licensed under CC BY 2.0; Image credit - Pixnio\/ Janice Haney Carr, Jeff Hageman, M.H.S, USCDCP, licensed under CC0; Virpi Lummaa","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/12\/header_endo-of-year.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/12\/header_endo-of-year.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/12\/header_endo-of-year.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/12\/header_endo-of-year.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/12\/header_endo-of-year.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3478,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/3478\/from-floods-to-wildfires-new-ideas-are-helping-europe-adapt-to-climate-extremes\/","url_meta":{"origin":199,"position":3},"title":"From floods to wildfires, new ideas are helping Europe adapt to climate extremes","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"April 16, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"From wildfire-resistant landscapes in Spain to flood warning systems in Denmark, researchers are working with local communities to find, test and deploy practical ways to live with climate change \u2013 and to share what works across borders. By B\u00e1rbara Pinho Many people expect a raging wildfire to leave a blackened,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Agriculture"","block_context":{"text":"Agriculture","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/agriculture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":700,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/700\/it-eats-everything-the-new-breed-of-wildfire-thats-impossible-to-predict\/","url_meta":{"origin":199,"position":4},"title":"\u2018It eats everything\u2019 \u2013 the new breed of wildfire that\u2019s impossible to predict","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"February 21, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"By Annette Ekin We\u2019re fighting a different kind of wildfire whose behaviour experts are struggling to predict. Climate change and negligent forest management are causing higher-intensity, faster-moving fires that can generate enough\u00a0energy\u00a0to\u00a0evolve into\u00a0erratic\u00a0firestorms, known as pyroCbs, in the face of which first responders can do little. \u2018Traditionally we could predict\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Earth, Energy & Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Earth, Energy & Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/earth-energy-environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Image credit - Pablo Trincado, licensed under CC BY 2.0","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/02\/Incendio_forestal_en_Pirque_Santiago_de_Chile_31697902143_2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/02\/Incendio_forestal_en_Pirque_Santiago_de_Chile_31697902143_2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/02\/Incendio_forestal_en_Pirque_Santiago_de_Chile_31697902143_2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/02\/Incendio_forestal_en_Pirque_Santiago_de_Chile_31697902143_2.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/02\/Incendio_forestal_en_Pirque_Santiago_de_Chile_31697902143_2.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/02\/Incendio_forestal_en_Pirque_Santiago_de_Chile_31697902143_2.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2344,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/2344\/making-drones-suitable-for-cities\/","url_meta":{"origin":199,"position":5},"title":"Making drones suitable for cities","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"April 7, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Unmanned aerial vehicles will make their way into urban skies only if the safety of people below can be ensured. By\u00a0\u00a0TOM CASSAUWERS The Spanish resort town of Benidorm is known for its sandy beaches with clear waters, a skyline dominated by towering hotels and tourists from northern Europe. But one\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Technology"","block_context":{"text":"Technology","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/technology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/04\/6-jaromir-kavan-e-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/04\/6-jaromir-kavan-e-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/04\/6-jaromir-kavan-e-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/04\/6-jaromir-kavan-e-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/04\/6-jaromir-kavan-e-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/04\/6-jaromir-kavan-e-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/298"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=199"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=199"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=199"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}