Development of UAV Borne Search And Detection System for Disaster Area

Bangladesh is frequently hit by many natural disasters including cyclones and flood. In the coastal areas, cyclones associated with high storms surges damage lives, properties infrastructure etc. During severe cyclone, it takes several days for the aid workers to gain access to some of the hardest-hit areas. As a result search and rescue (S&R) operation is greatly hindered and timely aid does not reach to the victims and death toll might increase. Traditional manned aircraft based surveillance is not convenient as the range of vision for searching becomes narrow and the possibility of oversight must increase. Ground based S&R operations are often hindered and delayed due to inaccessibility to the area or due to lack of resources. A properly equipped Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) can cover a large area with varied types of sensors in order to capture detail spatial information of the disaster scene. Because of small size of the system it is possible to fly close to the area and capture high resolution images using low cost digital cameras. Since UAV is not heavy, it can be carried to the disaster scene and can be operated as on need basis to deal with emergency response.