AI system could help spot Utah wildfires early

OGDEN — Wildfires that erupt into raging infernos always start small, and Weber County 911 Dispatch Executive Director, Kevin Rose is hopeful that artificial intelligence could help area firefighters catch more wildfires in that earlier stage.

The AI system is created by a San Francisco-based company called Pano.AI. C0-founder and Chief Commercial Officer, Arvind Satyam said its cameras and AI have already caught more than a hundred wildfires in the early stages across the western US. The company is currently working with more than 500 agencies across 15 states.

“We’ve found that when it comes to these mega fires, they all start small,” Satyam said. “What we’re doing is really understanding the nature of a fire, start triangulating the location of it and providing powerful imagery, real time.”

Rose said the system alerts dispatchers via email and text, allowing them to close in on the location, and determine what type of a response may be necessary. The human element helps weed out controlled burns and other non-emergency sources.

“The quicker we can get a resource out there to get that fire knocked down before it spreads, is going to save us time, money (and) property potentially,” he said.

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