Interview with Ángel Ramírez, President of GTD Defense & Security Solutions: “CDTI Innovación is helping us bring artificial intelligence into the field to combat wildfires”
Led by GTD Defense & Security Solutions (GTD D&SS) and funded by CDTI Innovación, the GAIA project is developing an integrated solution based on Edge AI, autonomous sensors and digital twins to improve wildfire management throughout every stage of the emergency, from prevention and suppression to post-fire ecosystem recovery. The initiative aims to provide emergency response teams with real-time information to strengthen their decision-making capabilities.
Wildfires represent one of the greatest environmental and operational challenges of our time. In a global context shaped by climate change, where fires are becoming faster, larger and more intense, traditional response methods are reaching their limits.
Against this backdrop, GAIA was created as an ambitious technology project coordinated by GTD Defense & Security Solutions to redefine forest management through disruptive technologies. According to its President, Ángel Ramírez, the project's objective addresses an urgent and growing need: "Wildfires are fast, intense and difficult to manage. GAIA aims to develop an integrated solution that supports the entire wildfire lifecycle, from prevention and early detection to firefighting operations and post-fire ecosystem recovery. GAIA aspires to be a paradigm shift because it addresses the problem in a comprehensive way."
The initiative, which is supported by CDTI Innovación through its Science and Innovation Missions funding programme, is primarily intended to provide emergency teams with a complete operational picture of the situation. "Our goal is to ensure that response teams have access to more information, better organised and available in real time, enabling them to make safer and more effective decisions. We aim to bring together technologies that are currently fragmented within a single integrated architecture," Ramírez explains.
The consortium behind this ambitious project is led by GTD Defense & Security Solutions, a leading company in the defence and security sector. As part of the GTD Group, the company brings more than two decades of experience in mission-critical software and mission control centre design, having participated in highly demanding land, naval and aerospace programmes.
Building on this track record, the company shifted its business model in 2014 towards the development of proprietary products and systems integration. In 2018, GTD D&SS was formally established in its current structure, with headquarters in El Puerto de Santa María (Cádiz, Spain). As its President explains, the subsidiary was created as a specialised defence and security platform with the mission of delivering "innovative software-based products and solutions capable of meeting current and future operational requirements, while offering export potential, flexibility, competitiveness and profitability."
Technology Bringing Artificial Intelligence to the Front Line
To address the complex challenges posed by the forest environment, the GAIA consortium is developing solutions based on robotics, predictive analytics and the engineering of highly complex systems. The project's true innovation lies in its ability to process data in a decentralised and autonomous manner.
"The disruptive element of GAIA is that we are bringing Artificial Intelligence directly to the front line through what we call Edge AI," says Ángel Ramírez. "Rather than processing data in a remote control room, we train algorithms to run directly on fleets of drones and autonomous ground vehicles." This capability enables the immediate processing of thermal imagery and the creation of three-dimensional forest maps by combining LiDAR laser technology with conventional cameras, allowing fire hotspots to be detected autonomously without relying on internet connectivity.
Complementing these robotic capabilities is a strong focus on protecting frontline personnel through the development of smart garments and exoskeletons. The objective is clear: "They are designed to monitor the vital signs of wildland firefighters and significantly reduce their physical fatigue" in an environment that is inherently dynamic, hostile and unpredictable.
A Unified Command Centre for Better Decision-Making
Another of GAIA's key developments is an advanced Command and Control System designed to create what is known in the sector as a Common Operational Picture (COP). Its purpose is to eliminate fragmented information, multiple communication channels and incomplete maps that often hinder the management of large-scale emergencies.
"It is a key tool because it enables everyone—from analysts at the command centre to firefighters on the front line—to work from exactly the same real-time information," Ángel Ramírez explains.
By integrating data from sensors, drones and smart protective equipment into a single, intuitive visual interface, the system fundamentally changes the way emergency operations are managed. "When everyone shares the same operational picture, incident commanders can prioritise critical areas, allocate resources far more effectively and respond proactively to sudden changes in wind conditions or fire behaviour."
Scientific and Industrial Collaboration
Led by GTD Defense & Security Solutions S.L., the GAIA consortium also brings together five leading companies in their respective fields: Consulting Informático de Cantabria S.L., Fábrica Española de Confecciones S.A., Gogoa Mobility Robots S.L., Tecnologías Servicios Telemáticos y Sistemas, and Zenon Innovations. The industrial consortium is supported by the scientific community through collaborations with Tekniker, CATEC, the University of Cantabria and Rey Juan Carlos University.
As Ángel Ramírez explains, "A challenge as complex as wildfires cannot be solved by a single sector. It requires a multidisciplinary approach bringing together robotics, textile engineering, predictive analytics and systems engineering."
This collaboration creates a powerful synergy in which "the scientific community contributes rigour, fundamental research and the ability to explore new frontiers, while industry provides market orientation, industrial scalability and technology transfer." The ultimate goal, he adds, is to ensure that "cutting-edge innovation does not remain confined to a laboratory but is transformed into real technology ready to be deployed in our forests."
The Value of CDTI Innovación's Institutional Support
Reflecting on the project's development, Ramírez highlights the importance of strong institutional backing.
"CDTI Innovación's support has been the driving force that has enabled us to undertake a project of this scale and ambition."
He also stresses the added value of having the backing of an institution that promotes R&D through a long-term national strategy.
"Their confidence has enabled us to mobilise Spanish talent and transform an urgent social and environmental challenge such as the wildfire crisis into an opportunity for innovation with significant industrial, technological and societal impact," he concludes.
A Roadmap Focused on Proprietary Products and International Growth
Over the coming years, GTD Defense & Security Solutions' strategy will focus on consolidating a portfolio of proprietary, modular and export-oriented products. This offering will be built around key technologies including artificial intelligence for video analytics, advanced command-and-control systems, electronic surveillance solutions and satellite-based geospatial intelligence.
The company also plans to strengthen its presence in Europe by participating in European Defence Fund initiatives, including programmes involving unmanned vehicles and systems designed to protect critical infrastructure.
Looking ahead, Ángel Ramírez believes that the company's greatest challenge extends beyond technology itself: "The cross-cutting challenge is not only technological but industrial: transforming the capabilities developed in Spain into products that are exportable, scalable and capable of attracting international funding."
Image: Virtual simulation of the forest environment used in the GAIA project
About CDTI Innovación
CDTI E.P.E. (Centre for the Development of Technology and Innovation) is the innovation agency of Spain's Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. Its mission is to promote technological innovation within the business sector by helping Spanish companies transform scientific and technological knowledge into globally competitive, sustainable and inclusive growth.
In 2025, as part of its 2024–2027 Strategic Plan, CDTI provided €2.423 billion in funding and support to Spanish companies and startups.
More info:
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Led by GTD Defense & Security Solutions and funded by CDTI Innovación...
