Türkiye’s AI firefighting system wins UN award

Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Ibrahim Yumakli announced that the artificial intelligence-supported “Decision Support System” project, used by the General Directorate of Forestry (OGM) to combat forest fires, has won second place in the “environment” category among 1,049 projects in a competition organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) under the United Nations.

Minister Yumakli highlighted that Türkiye is in a region sensitive to forest fires, and OGM is making significant efforts to combat these fires. Emphasizing the continuous enhancement of air and ground forces to protect forests from fires and the utilization of technology, Yumakli noted the adoption of AI-based applications in firefighting efforts.

Yumakli pointed out that the locally and nationally developed “Fire Decision Support System” has been in use for two years. The system enables rapid and effective intervention by analyzing real-time meteorological data, terrain, and forest structure during a fire.

Minister Yumakli announced that the system, which greatly facilitates firefighting, received an award in the “environment” category at the World Summit on the Information Society organized by the ITU in Geneva. He stated, “Out of 1,049 projects from various countries, 360 were nominated for online voting, with more than 2 million votes cast. OGM’s system won second place in the competition. Thanks to this system that supports decision-making during fires, our teams can intervene more effectively and appropriately. Consequently, by further developing this software, we will be able to extinguish fires in a shorter time with less damage. I congratulate all my colleagues, especially those who contributed to the locally and nationally developed Decision Support System.”

The developed software can predict the likelihood of fire occurrence, determine the cause of the fire, predict fire behavior, and identify intervention methods for potential fires. Additionally, the software can identify intervention locations and determine the type and quantity of vehicles and equipment needed for intervention.

A GIS and AI-based forest fire modeling and decision support system is created using real-time meteorological, geographical, and forest data to minimize danger in forest fires and protect the environment, biodiversity, and human and animal life.

The Decision Support System processes real-time data on the structure of forests and lands across Türkiye, the real-time locations of teams, and meteorological data, providing information and guidance during incidents. It alerts on the number of teams to be dispatched, their directions, water supply points, and necessary equipment.

The system can send mission orders to the nearest teams during a fire, share their locations via navigation, and provide information about the incident.