As Lebanon continues to face a surge in wildfires since 2019, students from the Lebanese American University (LAU) have developed an automated fire-detection system that is now being tested by the Lebanese Civil Defense.
Built in the School of Engineering’s labs, the tool uses satellite data from EUMETSAT and NASA’s FIRMS constellation to identify fire outbreaks and instantly alert municipalities and first responders.
Developed in just ten days by four students under the supervision of Associate Professors Zahi Nakad and Gilbert Accary, the prototype has already shown promising results. The beta version was officially delivered to the Civil Defense, marking the beginning of what both parties hope will become a long-term collaboration.
“Educating civically engaged engineers who put their knowledge and skills at the service of their community and country is at the heart of our mission,” said Dean Michel Khoury.
The project’s second phase aims to enhance image processing, improve smoke detection and increase the system’s accuracy, in order to reduce false positives and speed up response times.
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