Reviewed by Lexie CornerJun 16 2025
Researchers at the University of São Paulo’s São Carlos Engineering School (EESC-USP) are developing drones equipped with gas sensors and artificial intelligence to help detect forest fires.
To validate the use of drones for collecting GHG data, the researchers conducted tests around the USP campus in São Carlos. Image Credit: Antonio Daud
Fire prevention and control agencies in São Carlos, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, will soon be able to use these drones to identify and respond to fires early, before they spread.
The project was presented on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, during the aeronautics session of FAPESP Week Toulouse. The event took place from June 10 to 12 in Toulouse, the capital of the Occitanie region in southern France.
We’re already working with the Civil Defense, the city government, and the São Carlos Department of the Environment, and we’ve submitted a proposal to evaluate using the drones we’re developing to identify fire hotspots in the municipality.
Glauco Augusto de Paula Caurin, Professor and Project Coordinator, Agência FAPESP
The drones are equipped with small, low-cost sensors developed by the research team. These sensors can selectively detect and continuously monitor levels of carbon dioxide and methane in the air flowing through the drone. They also measure other environmental factors such as temperature and humidity.
“We made several adjustments to integrate specific gas sensors that work together like an electronic nose,” stated de Paula Caurin.
The sensors collect data on gas concentrations, which are then processed by artificial intelligence algorithms to identify emission sources. This allows the drones to detect the presence of carbon dioxide and trace gases like methane released during fires as they fly over an area.
“Drones allow forest fires to be detected much more quickly than satellites can, for example. This enables the authorities to respond faster and control them more quickly,” de Paula Caurin explained.
GHG Emission Monitoring
A recent study supported by FAPESP through the Research Center for Greenhouse Gas Innovation (RCGI), in partnership with Shell, evaluated the use of drones for monitoring greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
According to the researcher, the results show that drones are more efficient and cost-effective than existing tools such as satellites, research aircraft, and observation towers.
de Paula Caurin added, “Drones can be an alternative to these methods.”
The researcher compared data collection from a single aircraft flight to multiple drone flyovers. Drones also offer better control over targeting specific areas for data collection compared to satellites, which may only revisit the same location every two days.
Another advantage of using drones is the ability to adjust the altitude of data collection.
“By collecting greenhouse gas data with drones, instead of an average of carbon dioxide or methane on a surface, it’s possible to obtain the volume of distribution of these gases in a given region,” said de Paula Caurin.
“Today, even with the best satellites, we’re unable to obtain this volumetric information. With drones, greenhouse gas data collection is no longer a surface or map of the region, but rather volumetric information,” de Paula Caurin further added.
The study notes that current commercial drones can fly for only 15 to 30 minutes. This limitation makes them unsuitable for covering large areas such as forests.
To address this, the research group plans to improve drone efficiency through aerodynamics studies. The goal is to extend flight range and increase coverage.
The team tested drone-based GHG monitoring at the University of São Paulo campus in São Carlos. The location sits in a transition zone between the Atlantic Rainforest and the Cerrado, a savanna-like biome in Brazil.
“In the future, with more suitable equipment, we intend to carry out missions in the Amazon,” concluded de Paula Caurin.