AI-powered bushfire detection to protect forests

Friday 9 May 2025

 
Bushfires pose a significant threat to Australia and New Zealand’s environment, economy and communities, with traditional detection methods often failing to provide timely warnings. Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered bushfire detection systems are emerging as a vital tool to enhance early intervention, protect forests, and safeguard lives and infrastructure in response to this challenge.

These smart systems use advanced technology to identify fires at their initial smouldering stage, giving emergency services and communities crucial minutes that can significantly change the outcome of bushfire events, according to Dryad Networks.

Sohan Domingo, VP of Sales, Technology and Operations, Dryad Networks, said, “AI-powered bushfire detection systems with ultra-early detection capabilities give emergency responders a decisive head start in the event of a bushfire. This lets them mobilise more rapidly and strategically to the precise location of the burn.

This means that response teams can contain outbreaks at their nascent stage, preventing them from escalating into uncontrollable blazes that devastate large areas of wilderness and inhabited regions, and directly contributes to the safety and preservation of Australia and New Zealand’s diverse ecosystems and communities.”

AI-powered systems begin monitoring long before fires are visibly established, unlike conventional detection methods that rely on visible flames or satellite imagery. The core of this capability is distributed networks of solar-powered sensors placed across bushland, which detect the chemical signatures of fire during its earliest smouldering stage. This raises the alert well in advance of visible flames, giving emergency services more time to act.

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Source: Sustainability Matters
Image credit: Dryad Networks


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