SITUATION:
Wildfires are getting worse. Fires grow more severe and more common.
Firefighters are stretched thin.
Reining in wildfires will take much more than tech solutions
But some startups think there’s a role for AI, ML, drones, and more
SOLUTION
Policy-makers, activists, & experts are pushing long-term & immediate changes Seeking to alleviate decarbonizing economy to improve forest mgt at-risk areas.
Effective technology could make all the difference when it comes to fighting fires
SIGNIFICANCE:
Three Fire Fighting Technology Startups—
1) Pano
Offers hardware & software solutions solely for firefighters,
Raised $6.5 million since its 2020 founding.
20-person company positions networks of cameras in hi risk areas.
Aim is to identify and track wildfires at their source.
Pano wants to put its cameras in high vantage points;
Provide a wide overview of at-risk forests with cameras & monitor areas 24/7,
Feeding video to an AI system trained to flag smoke plumes & conflagrations .
Company’s goal is to deploy 5,000+ cameras
Detect wildfires before they spiral out of control.
Deployed cameras in 22 locations in Oregon, California, Colorado,& Montana.
2) Edgybees
Ggeospatial intelligence firm whose tool helps with wildfire response
Raised $16.4 M so far; Works with 4 fire depts in CA, Florida, and Australia,
Focuses on visually augmenting aerial and satellite imagery.
Machine-learning algorithms predict the size & scope of a wildfire as it grows.
Aggregates information from places like satellite imagery & historical fire data, Uses that to then assign a suppression difficulty rating to a fire.
Firefighters can use rating to make decisions on where to allocate resources and personnel.
3)Cornea
Algorithm can produce these ratings in a matter of minutes,
Potentially saving time in a process where every second matters.
Company is working with at least two “state level fire departments out west,”
Seeks to refine machine-learning algorithms to predict size & scope of wildfire.
Two products involves aggregating information from places like satellite imagery and historical fire data
Uses data to assign a suppression difficulty rating to a fire.
Firefighters can use rating to make decisions on where to allocate resources and personnel.
Can produce these ratings in a matter of minutes
SEZ:
“The goal is to make the output as simple as possible,” Preuss said. “They don’t need to know what’s happening in the background of the machine-learning algorithms, but they need to know, as a first responder, where is this fire heading, what’s the scale, and how do I most efficiently put it out?”
“This machine learning tool [is] hopefully going to reduce the hours someone spends fighting a fire, and then in the off season, help them control future fires with planning,” Preuss said.
Sonia Kastner founder and CEO of Pano told Emerging Tech Brew. “They were calling for cameras and drones and satellites and AI.”
The goal is to make the output as simple as possible,” Preuss said. “They don’t need to know what’s happening in the background of the machine-learning algorithms, but they need to know, as a first responder, where is this fire heading, what’s the scale, and how do I most efficiently put it out?”
SOURCES
As wildfires grow more common and severe, tech startups say they can help
https://www.morningbrew.com/emerging-tech/stories/2021/11/05/as-wildfires-grow-more-common-and-severe-tech-startups-say-they-can-help?utm_campaign=etb&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_source=morning_brew
Cornea was founded in 2018, and its chief fire officer is Tom Harbour
Cornea CEO Margot Preuss
