One of the emerging challenges in managing situations such as fire or gas leakages is the combating and containment of the disaster event. This can be achieved efficiently if the disaster managers are provided with timely and detailed information of the situation not only at ground level but also at greater heights. The AirShield project is mandated to provide critical data by means of aerial surveillance of the disaster area and deliver important information that will be analyzed to devise and implement effective and appropriate action plans.

At present the fire brigade personnel are provided with special handheld devices that can only measure the concentration of different pollutants at ground level but are unable to survey and quantify the level of contamination carried in the atmosphere by winds and/or ascending columns of smoke. Such a measurement is critical to the safety of outlying communities that may be affected by these aerial pollutants.

In view of the above mentioned challenges a consortium under the aegis of AirShield has been formed. This consortium comprising of three industrial partners, five research institutions and one end user is coordinated by the Communication Networks Institute at TU Dortmund.