Improving mountain trails security

Walking outdoors has become a more frequent activity due to cultural changes and health promotion. People search for beautiful spaces leading them to hike on mountain trails. Hiking in the mountain is recommended for everyone since it has benefits for wellness and health. However, hiking on trails can be dangerous and can even lead to accidents. The number of accidents in the mountains has been increasing, as well as the number of medical emergencies associated with this type of environment. Madeira Island has several trails and recently a significant number of tourists are coming to the island for hiking the trails. Emergency teams need to help people in danger. Multiple challenges have been identified and the following aims established: helping emergency teams during the search for hikers on the mountains; identifying the crowding of hikers on trails; recognizing hikers who are in danger; supplying advice about dangerous situations and making hikers remain safe on trails. To tackle those challenges, a methodology was proposed aiming at understanding how hikers perceive their safety on the trails and developing tools for monitoring and locating hikers on the trails on Madeira Island. Through the use of cameras and an AI algorithm, it will be possible to identify and count people. With the methodology proposed it is expected: searches for people on trails become faster and more efficient; manage trail visitors to make trails safe and even more appealing; have a tool for localizing hikers on the trails; and ultimately, make Madeira Island trails safer.