Early wildfire detection sensors installed near Vernon, B.C.
Global News
An early wildfire detection pilot project in Vernon, B.C., will collect information about environmental conditions and use it to assess if a blaze has sparked.
An early wildfire detection pilot project got underway in the North Okanagan on Monday.
Vancouver-based company SenseNet Inc. installed its first sensors in the Vernon, B.C. area.
The technology will collect information about environmental conditions and use it to pinpoint changes that could mean a blaze has sparked.
The creators believe there will be an increasing need for this technology as fire seasons get worse and they hope the Vernon trial will show their sensor system works on a large scale.
Powered by solar energy and batteries, the devices are designed to collect information about environmental conditions including levels of different gases.
Then an algorithm looks for anomalies in the data that might indicate a fire.
CEO Hamed Noori explained the system uses machine learning and artificial intelligence and can distinguish between the conditions created by a campfire and those created by a wildfire.
Around 20 sensors providing detection coverage to around 1,500 hectares are being installed in the Vernon area this week.