IBM, Microsoft, Aerovironment and Nvidia Pit AI Against Wildfires

AeroVironment has been working with Nvidia and Microsoft to deliver a prototype AI-enabled system that could help bring advanced wildfire management.

 In 2018, California experienced its worst wildfire season on record, with uncontrolled fires causing unprecedented death and devastation. 2019 saw another difficult season, with millions of residents experiencing precautionary power shutoffs. With much of the world self-quarantining and the 2020 fire season looming, Nvidia’s virtual GTC 2020 hosted a panel highlighting how AI practitioners are working with forest stewards to bring fire management into a new, data-enabled era.

Firewatch duty was traditionally served by fire lookouts on towers overlooking forests, but moving that role into the 21st century is easier said than done. In order to be truly useful to first responders in a wildfire, an AI model needs to be able to detect smoke – not fire – very, very quickly. After all, by the time a fire is large enough to be easily spotted, it’s typically less containable, and if the smoke is reported too late to act on it, the fire will have had substantial time to grow.  Read More