Computer vision for fast wildfire response

This AI system detects fires and pinpoints their location before they grow too large

Spotted: In 2022, a report from the United Nations predicted that by 2100, the number of wildfires could rise by 50 per cent, and warned that governments were largely unprepared to meet the challenge. Already, wildfires are costing the US economy up to $893 billion a year in losses and damages.

Based in California, a state at particular risk from wildfires, Pano AI is using artificial intelligence and a network of mountaintop cameras to provide real-time wildfire detection. This rapid response time is key to preventing a flare from turning into an inferno.

Pano Stations are deployed on high vantage points and continuously scan the landscape using 360-degree, ultra-high-definition cameras and AI to spot, evaluate, and signal wildfire activity within a 10-mile radius.

The company’s technology uses computer vision and a method called object detection to distinguish wisps of smoke from clouds, fog, or dust. Human analysts review the data to eliminate any false positives, and the algorithm calculates latitude and longitude to give firefighters a pinpoint location for the fire outbreak.

Once smoke is confirmed and its position is calculated, first responders are immediately alerted so they can quickly contain the fire before it gets out of control. The combination of early detection and higher confidence in the location and size of fire also allows emergency responders to bring the exact equipment they need, saving money.

The company retains ownership of the cameras and infrastructure and sells licenses to its software to companies and organisations. According to Pano, the majority of its customers are power utilities, private landowners (such as ski resorts), and government fire agencies. To date, Pano has deployed its tech across nine US states, as well as set up stations in Canada and Australia.

Written By: Lisa Magloff