TECHNOLOGY
TECHNOLOGICAL TOOLS THE LATEST INNOVATIONS FOR THE WORLD’S EMERGENCY SERVICES.
AI ON WILDFIRE The Aspen Fire Protection District in Colorado is piloting new artificial intelligence technology to monitor wildfire risks in the Rocky Mountains region this summer. The system uses specialised cameras placed at strategic vantage points to monitor the skyline, coupled with AI and intuitive software from US tech company Pano AI, to detect, locate and communicate wildfire threats almost instantly. The cameras stationed on communication towers continuously rotate to capture 360-degree views of an area up to a 15-mile radius, with the AI software processing that imagery in real time to detect smoke, evaluate its danger level, and alert dispatchers or the appropriate agencies through built-in communication tools. When multiple cameras capture images of the same smoke wisps, the software can use triangulation to pinpoint the location. “This will put real-time images in the hands of first responders and emergency personnel, all with the goals of detecting flare-ups earlier and enabling a faster response before they can become large infernos,” a spokesperson for Pano AI says. Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley in the Rockies have seen an increase in wildfires in recent years, and the forecasts show the area is set for prolonged periods of threat from fire in this heavily-forested region. “Historically, wildfire seasons in Colorado were a fourmonth period of time,” director of Colorado Fire Prevention and Control, Mike Morgan, told local media in June. “Since the 1970s, our fire seasons have expanded and they are more than 78 days longer. We’re having fire years, not fire seasons anymore.”
FIRECALL SUMMER
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