SmokeD Early Wildfire Detection System
SmokeD is a wildfire detection system developed by Polish tech company, Taxus IT Innovation. Introduced in the United States with the 2017 launch of a start-up called IT for Nature, the system is designed to provide real-time detection and alerts of forest fires in order to reduce the destructive impacts of fires on ecosystems, lives and property. It consists of thermal infrared sensors that are mounted across the forested area, and provide 24-hour surveillance. Machine learning enables the sensors to detect patterns that indicate the presence of fire within 5 minutes, and users are automatically alerted via the mobile or desktop application. The app enables users to immediately share the alert with either first responders or family members and coworkers via text and social media platforms in order to facilitate quick response and protect others’ safety. The user can also view images and maps of the region to monitor fire activity over the long term. It is important to note the valuable ecosystem services wildfires provide. Overuse of a system such as SmokeD runs the risk of facilitating the over-suppression of fires which may have long term consequences on a region’s vulnerability to fire. However, considering the role of humans in increasing the rate and magnitude of fires (as a result of climate change and other human activity), this monitoring tool can be useful in reducing their destructive impact on natural and built environments. This system has been implemented in 60 forest districts in Poland and some locations in the United States.
Pausas, J. G., & Keeley, J. E. (2019). “Wildfires as an ecosystem service“.
Categories
Artificial Intelligence, Ecological Monitoring, Internet of Things, Lifestyle, Monitoring
More Ideas
Air Pollution Robot
The dangers of air pollution to human health are well documented, though the traditional methodology of collecting and reporting on sample lags behind the need to keep abreast and regulate air pollution in a meaningful amount of time. The use of drones and robots have been identified by researchers as resources that can be tweaked […]
Artificial Life, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Ecological Monitoring, Industry/Natural Commodities, Lifestyle, Monitoring
Telematic Rivers
Erica Kermani’s artwork seeks to answer a central question: if rivers were seeing an equal, living entity, would humans take issues like climate change threatening them more seriously? In his year-long art exhibition in 2017, Kermani, in collaboration with Diana Salcedo & Jeana Chesnik, created a new forum of interaction between humans and rivers to […]
Climate Change, Ecological Monitoring, Lifestyle, Monitoring, Pollution, Visual Technologies
Co-occupied Boundaries
Art is easily found in nature but rarely is what considered art today inherently natural. The concept of co-occupied mediums that serve to be both functional for nature and aesthetically pleasing to people is being actively explored by Asya Ilgun and Phil Ayres, from the CITAstudio at The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. In […]
Climate Change, Ecological Monitoring, Lifestyle, Monitoring, Pollution, Visual Technologies