In recent years, the world has seen increasingly severe and frequent wildfires and other natural disasters. The early minutes of a fire are critical, and initial response time determines the ultimate threat to lives and property.
Today most wildfires are detected by bystanders and reported to emergency services, which can take hours to detect a fire, verify its exact location and size, and dispatch first responders. We need better early response technologies and even ways to accurately predict outbreaks.
With this in mind, Pano AI, an AI startup targeting wildfires, has developed a fully managed solution for active wildfire detection using artificial intelligence. The system helps fire authorities identify and extinguish new ignitions before they become a threat.
Pano AI already keeps watch over 2.4 million hectares (6.2 acres) of land in California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana. The company is now expanding its cover in Australia to create the largest blaze-detecting network in the country.
Their solution integrates satellite technology, ultra-HD 360-degree panoramic cameras, artificial intelligence, 5G connectivity, and modern cloud software to detect and pinpoint new ignitions and alert fire professionals within minutes. This helps first responders get to the scene faster and more safely so they can stop a new ignition in its tracks.
The cameras can track up to 15 miles (24 km) in all directions, capture high-definition footage, and use deep learning to identify smoke and fire immediately as it appears on the landscape. It pinpoints their location and gathers more information about likely travel speed and direction of spread. When Pano detects a fire threat through an AI algorithm, the company’s 24/7 human intelligence center confirms the fire and sends an alert within minutes.
Pano AI has announced new surveillance posts to monitor the Green Triangle, one of Australia’s major forest regions with extensive plantation softwood and hardwood resources. The project is being implemented in partnership with Green Triangle Forest Industries Hub (GTFIH), with $1 million of the funds targeting the new technology.
The transition to the AI-powered bushfire detection and monitoring system will result in Australia’s first fully integrated active bushfire detection platform.
The new system follows technology trials conducted at The Bluff, Penola North, and Mt Burr towers, along with a further industry-funded camera at Centenary Tower during the 2022-23 fire season. Installation work on the cutting-edge system is expected to commence shortly and be in place in time for the 2023-24 fire season.
