How AI And Technology Is Playing A Leading Role In Wildfire Prevention

As wildfires continue to pose a threat all around the world, authorities and organisations are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence and technology in a bid to curb their spread.

One example is the Marajó Without Smoke project, which is run by Instituto Ar in partnership with Brazilian startup Umgrauemeio and supported by the Clean Air Fund.

The project uses an artificial intelligence software called Pantera to monitor and prevent wildfires on Marajo archipelago in northern Brazil.

The Pantera system uses small cameras and software to identify smoke plumes within a 12-mile radius.

It can then trigger alerts to the mobile phones of the archipelago’s volunteer fire brigade, called ‘the Guardians of the Flame’, which is made up of farmers, fishers and other workers to combat potential wildfires.

Patrícia Ferrini, a consultant to the World Health Organization and project coordinator, said the system can identify smoke very quickly, meaning alerts reach the community on the ground much faster as well.

Ferrini added Marajo was chosen to test the technology because it is a remote territory, only reachable by water, which means it is often difficult to get external help in the event of a fire.

“We identified an area, which was vulnerable with a large number of fire outbreaks in the past, and had the necessary infrastructure, and women from Filhas da Mãe do Fogo, an initiative that strengthens the participation of Quilombola and riverside women in Integrated Fire Management on Marajó Island, who were interested in building a fire brigade,” Ferrini told me.

She said the primary role of the volunteer fire fighters is prevention rather than large-scale firefighting and added they are also fully trained and equipped with personal protection equipment.

Umgrauemeio’s innovation coordinator Julia Castro said the system allows the fire-fighters to label certain types of smoke plume, based on their local knowledge, which helps educate the system for future alerts.