RRU business grad Matlock aims to fight wildfires using drones and AI

Learn more about the Bachelor of Business Administration in Innovation and Sustainability.

Jared Matlock first exercised his entrepreneurial spirit as a high schooler in rural Alberta by starting a business renting kayaks and canoes to campers.

Now, he has combined that spirit and his Bachelor of Business Administration in Innovation and Sustainability from Royal Roads University — as well as experience with his own videography business — to launch an enterprise that supports disaster and climate change preparedness through innovation and technology.

Matlock graduated earlier this year and started Sentinel UAV Ltd. with fellow classmates Brett Casorzo and Joseph Wilson. Sentinel uses unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly known as drones, to provide aerial photography, videography and mapping services for a variety of clients.

The company is also developing technology to aid in wildfire detection in conditions that often wouldn’t be suitable for airplane flyovers. Sentinel is working on a prototype that outfits autonomous drones so they can scan forested areas outside cities, even at night, and, using artificial intelligence, analyze hundreds of images to look for signs of fire, then send that information directly to a local fire management authority.

The goal is to create an autonomous drone web around a city to monitor for fire starts.

Referring to wildfires in Alberta at Fort McMurray, Slave Lake and Jasper, Matlock says, “When we look at where those fire starts happened… they’re no more than 15 km outside of the city centre. And current drone technology is well-equipped to survey right up to that 15 km band.

“This would add that full, extra night-time surveillance that wouldn’t happen beyond traditional fire-watch towers,” he says. “Basically, we aim to fill some of those detection gaps in our current technological arsenal.”

The team at believe they can help governments and fire authorities deal with the effects of climate change. They also see possibilities beyond monitoring for wildfires and want to be at the forefront of lobbying for government regulatory changes that would allow UAVs to be flown autonomously beyond the base’s visual line of sight

“We really want to focus on aerial data collection and analysis,” Matlock says, “but I think a lot of value will come from collecting data over time, then analyzing it to see the changes. Things like erosion control or animal migration patterns.

“The options are endless. We just want to showcase, initially, that we’re fully invested in community resilience, and that starts with the really severe, in-your-face wildfire applications. But the technology is plug-and-play to multiple scenarios.”

He says the company’s big goals are bolstered by what he, Casorzo and Wilson learned at RRU.

“Royal Roads focuses a lot on your ability to convey ideas in a meaningful and straightforward way,” Matlock explains. “With the project-based learning, you get 15 to 20 presentations to real-world clients, and that really prepares you for the real world of business, where you go and make a pitch to a potential investor. In that sense, it has absolutely aided in this endeavour.”

Learn more about the Bachelor of Business Administration in Innovation and Sustainability.