Odyssey (Technologies of search gone in the forest)

The Odyssey project is directed to development of the technologies of effective search which were gone in the forest.

2019: Choice of the technological solution

On October 21, 2019 the AFK "Sistema" fund reported that according to the results of final tests of the Odyssey project directed to development of the technologies of effective search which were gone in the forest, the most perspective technological solution recognized an end-to-end system of radio beacons and unmanned aerial vehicles of the Stratonauts command. All developments provided in the final were finished at the expense of grant fund AFK "Sistema" in the amount of 30 million rubles.

For 1.5 years 130 engineering commands from 42 cities of Russia took part in the Odyssey project. In final tests in October, 2019 for the area of wood of 314 sq.km of a command showed to expert community as far as their technologies are scaled.

"Are a part of our solution: the unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with onboard thermal imagers and video cameras of high resolution, mobile command center search, the system of radio beacons for detecting and management of relocations of group of searchers and the aerostats equipped with the system of relaying of signals. All elements of the solution are united in a single radio network where each beacon relays the data obtained from the neighboring beacons. It allows to manage several devices at the same time, increasing a zone of search and a possibility of detection of the missing and to coordinate work of search and rescue group on the area up to 300 sq.km in real time, including in places without communication source", 'Denis Efremov, the captain Stratonauts noted'

According to Efremov, UAVs are used for detecting of the territory in the visual and thermovision modes. The radio communication in the conditions of the forest area is provided using the aerostats equipped with radio signal repeaters. Light-sound beacons in a zone of search serve for the drawing attention lost and touch with command center as search and also for tracking of relocation of each search engine in a zone of search. The technology proved the functionality, having allowed to detect lost in the forest on the area of 4 sq.km in only 45 minutes.

Advantage of the proposed solution, according to the chairman of search rescue group "Lisa Alert" Grigory Sergeyev, is the possibility of effective use of separate elements of a system, depending on a zone of search and solvable tasks.

"According to the statistics for search and rescue transaction 100 volunteers volunteers are the share of one missing. We are ready to use the development offered by the Stratonauts command because we saw how the device proved to be during real tests. It really works and can increase efficiency of search transaction, so, there will be more saved lives", 'Grigory Sergeyev, the chairman of search and rescue group "Lisa Alert" noted'

"Starting the Odyssey project, we calculated that the best engineering minds will integrate with the voluntary movement for creation of the technologies of effective search which were gone in the forest. In one and a half years we received three advanced developments which proved the efficiency in field tests. They were highly appreciated by experts from the search and rescue movement and the staff of the Ministry of Emergency Situations", 'Anna Yanchevskaya, the president of Sistema Charitable foundation, the organizer of the Odyssey project noted'

Except development of Stratonauts technological solutions of two more commands are recognized perspective. St. Petersburg Top developed a dual-band optical system of search with automatic detection of people at any time. A system independently processes a big array of a photo and video of data and also can investigate a zone of search of 15-20 sq.km in extreme weather conditions in only 3 hours. Experts noted that data processing in real time which was reached thanks to significant processing of electronics of the thermal imager and implementation of own software, is capable to accelerate search significantly.

The command from Yakutsk Nakhodka offered the system of sound-light radio beacons for the solution of a task. The technology is based on interaction of all complex: group of rescuers, the equipment and the most lost person. All beacons are united in a single radio network and can work in a standalone mode irrespective of existence of cellular communication. As of October, 2019 sound-light beacons of the Nakhodka command already helped the Yakut rescuers to find missing in the most severe environment.

According to the representative of Emercom of Russia of Russia Alexey Porshev, all technological solutions presented in the final of the Odyssey project have implementation perspectives for use in search and rescue works.

Till spring of 2020 of a command together with groups of rescuers will continue to test the technical solutions, participating in search transactions in the Moscow, Leningrad regions and Yakutia. It will allow them to finish the solutions under specific objectives of search. The project also supports the Ministry of digital development, communication and mass communications of the Russian Federation.

2018: Project startup

The Odyssey project was initiated by AFK Sistema charitable foundation in July, 2018. Under the terms of the project, its participants should develop technologies which will work under any weather conditions, at any time and will provide effective search gone in the forest even if it has with itself no phone or other source of communication.