A cutting-edge system for instant wildfire detection

An AI-powered platform is helping to tackle Brazil’s wildfires by detecting fires as soon as they break out

Spotted: As the climate warms, extreme weather events and forest fires will become more frequent. This makes it imperative to develop new methods of monitoring environmental conditions to prevent fires before they get started. Brazilian climatetech Umgrauemeio is a pioneer in this area.

Umgrauemeio has developed a system capable of detecting the exact location of a small heat source within just three minutes of its appearance, even from kilometres away. The system then generates an alert to mobilise firefighting teams to combat the flames before they can spread.

The company’s Pantera Platform uses high-resolution cameras installed on monitoring towers and an AI algorithm that detects smoke instantly. The platform has a self-sustaining infrastructure that uses solar panels for energy and a radio connection to get around the lack of internet in remote areas. It can also track firefighting fleets in real time and map points of interest such as water sources.

Umgrauemeio has recently raised $3.7 million (around €3.5 million) in a funding round led by Indicator Capital, Latin America’s largest IoT VC and others. The company plans to use the financing to further expand and develop its firefighting platform and grow its reach.

More rapid response to wildfires is the goal of a number of recent innovations spotted by Springwise, including the use of satellites for better land management and a sensor that can detect the gas build-up that signals a fire is about to break out.

Written By: Lisa Magloff