Tanveer Singh Kapoor, Pune
In an effort to bring down the severity of wildfires, engineers have identified new solutions and technology that will detect wildfires before they even occur. Using artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT), experts have discovered how to deal with such situations, especially in high-alert regions.
As per the recent report by the Next Web, Dryad Networks, a German telecommunication company, has developed a technology enabling firefighters to take early actions before the wildfire spreads. The company aims to bring down the detection time from hours to a few minutes.
The technology, named the “Internet of Trees,” is being installed in various forest locations to detect wildfires’ early stages. The reports say that the sensor does not work like satellites, watchtowers or cameras, which discover the fire after it spreads to a huge area.
Powered by a solar panel, the AI sensor is being installed in a one-hectare radius of the forest, which are alert regions for wildfires. It will scan the nearby atmosphere, smelling gases such as carbon monoxide and hydrogen in microscopic quantities, to identify the early phases of any possible wildfire. Additionally, the sensor is equipped to measure temperature, air pressure and humidity.
The report also explains that the sensor comprises machine learning algorithms that help detect different kinds of smell and differentiate which is the source of wildfire.
How AI sensor sends alerts
If a sensor catches fire, it sends signals to the network hub called the mesh gateway. The gateway acts like a router, which transfers the data from the sensor to a bigger gateway placed at the edge of the forest. These gateways are set where there is internet or satellite access. Then, they communicate the collected details to the firefighters, who study them on a cloud-based platform.
The firetech startup has sold more than 10,000 sensors, collecting €14.5 million to continue their work and hire more people. Currently, the sensors are being tested at Eberswalde Forest, northeast of the German capital, Berlin, which is known to be very vulnerable to wildfires.