Effective risk and emergency management requires advanced tools for territorial monitoring and timely data collection. Fondazione CIMA uses and develops innovative technologies for remote sensing and environmental surveillance, helping to improve disaster response capabilities and the resilience of communities exposed to natural hazards.
Department activities
The UAS and Monitoring Systems department is involved in the design and implementation of environmental monitoring networks, developing sensor-based systems for real-time data collection. The analysis and interpretation of these data are crucial for supporting risk forecasting and management, enabling informed and effective decision-making. Simultaneously, drones allow for territory monitoring in emergency scenarios and assessment of the impact of extreme events, providing immediate operational support to authorities. During peacetime, they offer valuable information for improving and validating hydrogeological and wildfire risk forecasting models.
Collaboration with civil protection agencies and scientific institutions is a core aspect of CIMA Research Foundation’s activities, aiming to integrate new technologies into emergency management systems. Another fundamental pillar is training and technical support for operators and institutions, promoting the adoption of innovative tools for risk management.
Main Tools
MONITORING SYSTEMS
A key tool developed by CIMA Research Foundation is ACRONET, an advanced architecture for environmental monitoring based on custom-built data loggers capable of interfacing with a wide range of sensors, following an open hardware and low-cost philosophy. This modular and scalable system enables real-time collection of meteorological, hydrological, and environmental data, providing essential information for forecasting and risk management. Thanks to its flexibility, ACRONET can be adapted to different contexts, from monitoring weather-hydrological conditions to analyzing disaster-affected areas.
DRONES AND AERIAL REMOTE SENSING
In emergency scenarios such as earthquakes, floods, and wildfires, the availability of up-to-date information on affected areas is crucial to effectively organize rescue operations and minimize losses. However, infrastructure conditions and terrain accessibility can hinder direct data collection. In this context, aerial remote sensing using Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), commonly known as drones, has become a strategic asset for civil protection.
Drones offer numerous advantages in risk management and emergency response operations:
- Speed and flexibility of deployment, with the ability to gather information from areas inaccessible to ground vehicles.
- Reduced operational costs compared to other aerial monitoring methods.
- Safety for operators, who can obtain detailed data without direct exposure to hazards.
- Technological versatility, with the integration of advanced sensors such as LiDAR, thermal cameras, and atmospheric monitoring instruments.
As a Civil Protection Competence Center, CIMA Research Foundation is actively involved in the development and implementation of these technologies, working with research institutions, agencies, and operational teams. The use of drones in all phases of risk management supports authorities in rescue operations, damage mapping, and impact mitigation, contributing to more effective emergency management and the protection of affected populations.
A central aspect is the integration of collected data into advanced modeling, enabling detailed simulations of phenomena and useful information for forecasting and managing critical events. This synergy between direct observation and numerical modeling refines response strategies and enhances understanding of risk-generating processes.
