Drone-Based Environmental Emergency Response in the Brazilian Amazon

Abstract

This paper introduces a location–allocation model to support environmental emergency response strategic planning using a drone-based network. Drones are used to verify potential emergencies, gathering additional information to support emergency response missions when time and resources are limited. The resulting discrete facility location–allocation model with mobile servers assumes a centralized network operated out of sight by first responders and government agents. The optimization problem seeks to find the minimal cost configuration that meets operational constraints and performance objectives. To test the practical applicability of the proposed model, a real-life case study was implemented for the municipality of Ji-Paraná, in the Brazilian Amazon, using demand data from a mobile whistle-blower application and from satellite imagery projects that monitor deforestation and fire incidents in the region. Experiments are performed to understand the model’s sensitivity to various demand scenarios and capacity restrictions.