Video Based Flame Detection Using Spatio-Temporal Features and SVM Classification

Video-based surveillance systems can be used for early fire detection and localization in order to minimize the damage and casualties caused by wildfires. However, reliability of these systems is an important issue and therefore early detection versus false alarm rate has to be considered. In this paper, we present a new algorithm for video based flame detection, which identifies spatio-temporal features of fire such as colour probability, contour irregularity, spatial energy, flickering and spatio-temporal energy. For each candidate region of an image a feature vector is generated and used as input to an SVM classifier, which discriminates between fire and fire-coloured regions. Experimental results show that the proposed methodology provides high fire detection rates with a reasonable false alarm ratio

Flame Detection for Video-based Early Fire Warning Systems and 3D Visualization of Fire Propagation

Early and accurate detection and localization of flame is an essential requirement of modern early fire warning systems. Video-based systems can be used for this purpose; however, flame detection remains a challenging issue due to the fact that many natural objects have similar characteristics with fire. In this paper, we present a new algorithm for video based flame detection, which employs various spatio-temporal features such as colour probability, contour irregularity, spatial energy, flickering and spatio-temporal energy. Various background subtraction algorithms are tested and comparative results in terms of computational efficiency and accuracy are presented. Experimental results with two classification methods show that the proposed methodology provides high fire detection rates with a reasonable false alarm ratio. Finally, a 3D visualization tool for the estimation of the fire propagation is outlined and simulation results are presented and discussed.The original article was published by ACTAPRESS and is available here: http://www.actapress.com/Content_of_Proceeding.aspx?proceedingid=73

Fire detection, fuel model estimation and fire propagation estimation/visualization for the protection of Cultural Heritage

FIRESENSE (Fire Detection and Management through a Multi-Sensor Network for the Protection of Cultural Heritage Areas from the Risk of Fire and Extreme Weather Conditions) is a project co-funded by EU FP7 Environment that aims to develop a multi-sensor early warning system to remotely monitor areas of archaeological and cultural interest from the risk of fire and extreme weather conditions. It will combine different sensing technologies, i.e. wireless networks of temperature/humidity sensors, optical and infrared cameras, as well as local weather stations. Pilot deployments will be made in five cultural heritage sites in Greece, Turkey, Italy and Tunisia. Another goal is the estimation of the propagation direction and speed in order to help forest fire management. FIRESENSE will provide real-time information about the evolution of fire using wireless sensor network data and estimate the propagation of the fire based on the fuel model of the area and other important parameters such as wind speed, slope, and aspect of the ground surface. The fire propagation data are visualized on a user-friendly 3D-GIS environment. Some of the supported features are: a) Display of sensor locations and regions of interest in the cultural sites b) Interactive selection of some parameters (e.g. ignition point, humidity parameters) c) Automatic acquisition of weather data from onsite or nearby weather stations d) 2-D or 3-D visualization of fire propagation estimation output (ignition time and flame length). Commercial satellite images have reached a fairly high spatial resolution which allows more powerful textural analyses and more detailed description of soil surface. This improves the capacity to recognize and classify land uses, the amount and typology of vegetation and other potential sources of fuel for wildfires. It also reduced substantially the time and costs for updating vegetation and fuel distribution. Ground truth is also required especially for developing and testing of new image analysis algorithms. Measurements of the main fuel component are required and are usually destructive and costly, sometimes even unacceptable, especially if biodiversity or soil are threatened or in protected sites. Therefore, a sampling technique has been developed for single or groups of plants. Sub-volumes, which are characterized by the same type of fuel component and vegetation mix, are sampled over small known volumes. Volumetric mass densities are transformed into biomass and fuel components as mass per unit of surface. Very-High-resolution satellite images (QuickBird) are ortho-rectified with a detailed DTM of the study area and analyzed: recognition of lines of water flux convergence, pathways, usually unrecorded on official maps, vegetation patchiness, connectivity lines for fire to spread more easily, and connectivity lines for water fluxes during rainstorms will be among the results. Another approach that we use for vegetation classification is multi-band SVM classification approach. Each band characterizes/emphasizes a particular type of information such as textural, spatial, local and spectral information. The combination of these features improves significantly the accuracy of the results. We are currently investigating the registration between the ortho-rectified images and a ground truth map from the covered area in order to validate and improve the classification results. It is expected that the characterization of these areas and the accumulation of temporal series of vegetation/fuel distribution will serve not just for fire prevention and management but also for soil conservation and soil erosion control

Real-Time Signal Acquisition, High Speed Processing and Frequency Analysis in Modern Air Data Measurement Instruments

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Information and Communication Technologies and Intangible Cultural Heritage education: opportunities and challenges

The safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) has acquired a growing relevance in the last decades and in particular after the promulgation of the “Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage” (UNESCO, 2003). The convention itself highlights the importance of education to this scope and, for this reason, some projects have been proposed at national and international level. Nevertheless, ICH education remains a scarcely explored topic and poses several challenges, due to the intrinsic characteristics of the cultural expressions and the traditional transmission methods. Considering these challenges, we developed our research question related to which technologies and methods could be effectively adopted in the field of Cultural Heritage, to open up new opportunities for teaching and learning. In this paper, we discuss both the main challenges to be faced in the specific field and the results of our research carried out in the framework of the i-Treasures project. In the project, grounding on the opportunities offered by technologies, were developed innovative solutions in terms of methods and tools for ICH education