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Mohammad Kachooee

25 سبتمبر 2022  .  قراءة لمدة 3 دقيقة  .  887

Window into the Future - Istanbul&I TALK: KOZALAK: Preventing Wildfires Using IoT Technologies

Project Highlight

In this installment of the Istanbul&I TALK series, the audience had the privilege of having the creative minds over at Kozalak for their presentation on using IoT (Internet of Things) to help thwart forest fires. In this series, we aim to present and host experts in their fields as they discuss a topic with the audience. Batuhan (a drone pilot) and Mohammad (a full-time lecturer at ITU) spoke to a captivated audience of many attendees. 

Armed with first-hand experience and a real passion to prevent forset fires, Mohammad and Batuhan set out to create a much more efficient and accurate reporting tool to prevent these fires before they can exert their destructive wrath. They came up with a modular sensor that can detect the rumblings of a potential fire using data sets and communicating on a LoRa wavelengths with other devices in a set radius. This wearable can detect fires in a 30-minute window, in comparison to the traditional methods that can detect fires in a 1-2 hour window (where it might already be too late). 1 Kozalak device can cover an entire hectare and has a battery life of up to 5 years thanks to its efficient performance framework.In fact, they even announced their first POC (proof of concept) pilot program that happened just that weekend at the Ataturk Kent Ormani in Sarıyer. 

Since the device is modular, it can also be configured for use in other areas. These include agri-tech for environmental monitoring, monitoring of pollution in the city, air, and water, and also industrial safety levels. And with the device being small enough to fit in a person's hand, it beats existing detection methods in pretty much every function. 

After the conclusion of the informative presentation, the crowd was filled with curiosity and questions for the enterprising duo. The engagement was high and the back-and-forth created an air of collaboration between the presenters and the audience. 

Following the event, we spoke to the two entrepreneurs about their experience presenting to the Istanbul&I audience. 

Mohammad, a full-time ITU lecturer and well of many talents said of the event: "It was exciting. Because it was like a mixed culture from around the world." He continued, "Everybody was on-topic and excited with good questions. They really enjoyed the presentation and were well-aware of social and ecological issues. They were eager to take action. This energy makes us happy to develop further and do better."

Batuhan, former drone pilot, architect, and communications and industrial lecturer at Bilgi University chimed in on the event itself: "It was nice to meet people after COVID. It was my first such experience since BigBang. I believe it's better to engage face to face. The audience was also better than expected. They were interested and well-educated on the topic with relevant questions." He went on to say: "It was beneficial to us to know what the audience would think of the product. We did more educating than selling, which is what we usually do with investors and companies."