FLIR Systems Inc. has announced a UAS flight management software platform designed for public safety applications called DroneSense–FLIR Edition.

According to FLIR, DroneSense-FLIR Edition is the only software platform that combines thermal and visual imaging processing with flight data planning and management capabilities across public safety organizations to help improve incident response.

This is the first product under a collaboration between FLIR and DroneSense. DroneSense is a UAS software platform maker based in Austin, Texas that FLIR announced a strategic investment in earlier this year.

“Drones are a vital tool in various incident response scenarios, and the addition of FLIR thermal sensor data provides a powerful asset to first responders,” says Frank Pennisi, president of the Industrial Business Unit at FLIR.

“The use of FLIR thermal technology on drones has earned tremendous interest by public safety organizations both due to their relatively low cost for an airborne surveillance system and rapid deployment capabilities. Now through our partnership with DroneSense, first responders can stream thermal data into DroneSense’s flight control software to transform incident response management.”

DroneSense-FLIR Edition is a “single-source, fully-integrated software platform,” being that it streams FLIR thermal sensor data directly into the software. The platform is for UAS used in incident response applications such as fires, floods and damage assessments, to name a few.

Some of DroneSense-FLIR Edition's features include autonomous flight control, live video streaming, both on-scene and off-site, and UAS asset and compliance management capabilities.

Hosted on a secure government cloud server, the platform also enables real-time data interpretation for a variety of UAS and use cases.

The DroneSense-FLIR Edition supports the DJI Zenmuse XT2, as well as any DJI UAS-based thermal payloads offering Thermal by FLIR with feature functionality that includes visual, thermal, picture-in-picture, side-by-side imagery, and robust telemetry feature set.

The platform can be connected using Wi-Fi or cellular networks with multiple feed streaming capabilities. There is also the option of being used as a “stand-alone, independent communications remote ad-hoc network” with automatic logging and syncing of all flight data.