Meet the 6 sub-projects that have been selected in the ICAERUS’s 2nd PULL Open Call! These forward-thinking projects will use drone technology to tackle real challenges in farming, forestry, and rural communities—boosting sustainability, efficiency, and innovation.
ISSF Forest Guard: Innovative Drone Service for Safeguarding Forests
ISSF Forest Guard, by the Institute for Security and Strategic Research, aims to develop and implement a drone-based monitoring service to combat environmental crimes such as illegal logging, waste dumping, and unauthorized resource extraction in forested areas. The primary objectives are to identify state-of-the-art drone, sensing, and analytical solutions, develop a methodology for detecting illegal activities using drones, create a proof of concept, and ultimately upgrade this into a market-ready service. The service will be offered on a subscription or pay-per-use basis, making it affordable and accessible for forestry agencies, cooperatives, and environmental organizations.
HYGRI: uav-based HYperspectral monitoring of aGRIculture
HYGRI, by AVT Airborne Sensing, will improve the current in-house technology for the monitoring and detection of plant pathogens in fruit trees using UAV-mounted hyperspectral cameras with the final aim of commercialization of new services. The methodology, based on Machine Learning (ML) methods, will be tested in multiple surveys in Trentino province and validated with laboratory analysis
RODENT: Rodent Obstruction through Drone-Enabled Non-invasive Technology
RODENT, by Šumski Mir and Innovation Center, School of Electrical Engineering, University of Belgrade, proposes an innovative, non-invasive pest management solution. By utilizing unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) equipped with ultrasound speakers and thermal cameras, we aim to deter rodents effectively without relying on harmful chemicals 2 . The ultrasound waves, emitted within the rodents’ hearing range (8 kHz to 80 kHz), serve as a deterrent, while the thermal cameras enable precise rodent tracking and monitoring
Heidedrones: Heathland Environmental Impact Drone-based Evaluation Service
- photo point monitoring of nature development across the reserve,
- linear monitoring of infrastructure such as firebreaks and roads/trails, including the distribution and spread of alien invasive species and litter, and
- area monitoring of water bodies and the associated result of conservation management works.
The secondary objective is to create public awareness in the rural community on the potential as well as the limitations and restrictions of drones in environmental monitoring, leading to a continued community of engaging volunteers collaborating with conservation practitioners.
UAInSPECT: UAS AI-driven INSPECTion and Maintenance System for Bridge Infrastructure
The main expected outcome of the UAInSPECT, by the Eucentre Foundation, is to provide a UAS-based monitoring and maintenance system of bridge infrastructure, including the use of innovative procedures based on artificial intelligence algorithms for semi-automated damage detection. This will result in a comprehensive service value chain, beginning with the infrastructure inspection and concluding with the fast assessment form of the bridge with the class of attention, as a basis for the intervention prioritization
FAMMS: Forest Aerial Monitoring and Management System
