Argentina: NASA Satellite Wildfire App from Puerta 18
Daniel Comesana is Puerta 18’s oldest mentor. During the pandemic, he helped a group of youth members participate in a NASA Hackathon called Space Apps Challenge (a project that still happens each year). Daniel put together a team of 4 young members with 4 others who did the robotics workshop from the previous year (two Argentinians and two Venezuelans).
This team of 8 did not let pandemic restrictions get in the way of their successful collaboration. Their conceptual project consisted of integrating electronic devices in the form of bracelets for firefighters, with sensors located on the ground that were combined with satellite information from NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management Systems (FIRMS).
Their project took advantage of radio developments and geographic information to report fire outbreaks. It also provided monitoring firefighters’ status, enabling transmission of information and requests for assistance, all being located by GPS. They represented Argentina in this USA challenge, and received the prize for Best Use of Hardware!
Check out this amazing video in English (0:30) – turn on Closed Captions if needed.