The National Forestry Corporation of Chile (CONAF) has awarded Heligràfics Fotogrametría the service of two new ACOs (Coordination and Observation Aircraft) that will contribute to the prevention and extinguishing of forest fires in the central region of the country.

With these two new additions, Heligràfics will manage a total of four ACOs for the National Forestry Corporation during the current 2023-2024 Forest Fire Fighting Campaign, along with three for Forestal Arauco, thus consolidating its presence in Chile.

Heligràfics, in addition to its operations in Spain with the Ministry of Ecological Transition (MITECO), operates in Chile in partnership with the public entity CONAF and the private forestry company ARAUCO. The company is also involved in specific projects in French Guiana, Nepal, Colombia, and other locations.

Expansion in Chile: CONAF entrusts Heligráfics – with these two new ACO awards and other services it operates – with the aerial observation task using thermal and visible cameras, supported by specialized software called NEXE. This software enables the reception, processing, storage, and export of georeferenced and parameterized images/videos transmitted from the aircraft to mobile command posts and coordination centers, aiding in decision-making.

In addition to the four ACOs, Heligràfics provides CONAF with the mentioned software, as well as eight fixed information reception towers and 11 mobile command posts (vehicles) known as PUMA.

According to Heligràfics CEO Antonio Nácher, this new award “represents the consolidation of the service regarding the collection and recording of data from airborne sensors in Chile” and encourages the Heligràfics team to pursue specialization and excellence. Nácher emphasizes their commitment to expanding the company globally and researching the application of the most innovative technologies to aerial observation.

For Nácher, the success of Heligràfics is closely tied to the trust institutions like CONAF place in the company. He states, “All of this is the result of the trust of our clients and the human and professional quality of our teams, to whom we must express our gratitude for their daily dedication.”