is artificial intelligence the future of wildfire prevention?

Can Pano AI’s cameras help prevent wildfires?

San Francisco-based Pano AI employs deep learning artificial intelligence to automatically detect, verify, and classify wildfire events using surveillance cameras installed in towers and high structures. Recent wildfire incidents have wreaked havoc, with Greece alone experiencing 1,470 fire cases by the end of July 2023. This is where artificial intelligence can step in to offer its help using its ever-growing advanced technologies.

For instance, Pano AI relies on AI-powered software to enable real-time viewing and triage of wildfire alerts alongside built-in communication tools to get information out to the field. As soon as Pano AI’s cameras detect potential fires from various sources and sense a fire threat, they send automatic alerts to wildfire professionals and provide these authorities with enhanced images focused on the fire that can be zoomed in for closer examination.

This helps the fire monitoring professionals to quickly confirm if there is indeed a fire and exactly where it is located. This rapid confirmation is crucial because it allows firefighting teams to respond quickly and effectively to put out the fire and prevent it from spreading. After the fire is confirmed by Pano AI, it helps the fire monitoring professionals share the information quickly with their entire team in real-time, so that their extended team of first responders and other relevant personnel can be dispatched.

images by Pano AI

AI cameras can watch over areas within a 15-mile distance

Pano AI has built-in alerts and sends notifications to mobile devices to enable first responders to always have the latest time-lapse images and important details about where the fire is and how it’s moving. This helps them respond to wildfire events with better accuracy and control, and they can make informed decisions and take quick action to fight the fire effectively and prevent it from spreading further.

These AI cameras are installed and attached to the Pano Stations or high points like towers or hills. The AI cameras can capture detailed images of the landscape, and the main job of Pano Stations is to keep a constant watch over a large area within a 15-mile distance. Pano AI refers to its technology as ‘Rapid Detect,’ which is a smart and connected platform designed for fire professionals.

The platform works by providing fire specialists with advanced tools and technology, giving them access to high-quality cameras and sensors that can quickly analyze data with the help of artificial intelligence. All the information is brought together in one place, providing them with a complete view of the situation. This includes data from ultra-high-definition cameras, satellite images, sensors placed in the field, existing cameras, and even emergency alerts.

Pano AI employs artificial intelligence to detect, verify, and classify wildfire events using surveillance cameras

Pano AI makes use of artificial intelligence for emergencies

In September 2022, Pano AI announced its collaboration with T-Mobile and Portland General Electric to deploy 5G-connected cameras that were AI-powered and equipped with active wildfire detection in Portland, Oregon. In July 2023, the AI company announced the expansion of its mountaintop camera network with Portland General Electric to six additional locations, bringing the total to 33 across the state.

‘As the Pacific Northwest sees a rise in early-season wildfires and greater challenges amidst a hotter, drier climate, collaboration between leading public utilities such as PGE and fire agencies is critical. We are proud to use our fully-integrated wildfire detection and intelligence solution to help local fire agencies and utilities identify and contain wildfires before they become catastrophic,’ Pano AI states.

The company has also extended its AI-powered cameras to the states of Washington and Colorado, and on July 28th, 2023, in the South East of Australia. Regarding the wildfires that engulfed Northeastern US and Canada in June 2023, Pano AI reiterates that by putting technology solutions like Pano AI’s into the hands of emergency managers, artificial intelligence can provide crucial information to help them contain wildfires when they are still small and help prevent them from becoming megafires. ‘These tools are mature and scalable and already available today, and the onus is on policymakers to rapidly adopt them in the face of this worsening trend,’ says Pano AI.

sample view of the surveillance camera installed on a high tower