Executive Summary
In Colorado, search-and-rescue (SAR) operations are a frequent necessity due to the rugged and
often volatile nature of the state’s backcountry. To improve the efficiency of these critical
missions and help first responders reach people more quickly, the Colorado Department of Natural
Resources, through Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) and the Office of Information Technology
(OIT), is investing in artificial intelligence to modernize lifesaving efforts by providing teams
with an advanced, expert-driven tool called the Eagle Eyes Search drone coordination platform. This
specialized drone software helps teams coordinate and work better together during rescue
missions.
Eagle Eyes uses artificial intelligence by applying computer vision and machine learning to
autonomously detect color and motion to flag subtle clues, such as a red jacket in a shaded forest
or a person waving from a distance, that can be easily missed by pilots and spotters. Put simply,
Eagle Eyes acts as a smart digital co-pilot to help first responders scan vast amounts of aerial
data.
The platform also connects the drone to CalTopo, the operational mapping tool used by most American
SAR teams. This enables the drone pilot to coordinate more closely with the rest of the team. The
search manager can assign areas directly to the pilot, and the pilot can relay clues and tracks,
communicating findings and where they have searched, so that this information can be used
in the next iteration of search planning.
