Various startups have developed different technologies that — equipped with high-resolution cameras or smart designs — show promising use for wildfire fighting and prevention, Bloomberg reported.
As California continues to grapple with the devastating fires affecting southern areas of the state, technology built by these startups has shown enormous potential to keep communities safe from harm, saving billions of dollars in loss and destruction.
Spexi, a startup based in British Columbia, Canada, aims to deliver "the highest resolution Earth imagery" through drones powered by a "community of drone pilots around the globe," according to the company's website.
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The startup replaces low-quality satellite imagery with high-resolution images that organizations can use to make better decisions — such as where to target wildfire fighting resources.
Spexi's business model is unique. The startup has a wide network of drone pilots around the world who get paid to fly their own drones. These pilots provide the startup with loads of ultra-high-resolution Earth imagery. Researchers at the British Columbia Institute of Technology and Northeastern University in Vancouver, Canada, have developed a computer vision algorithm that works in tandem with Spexi to process large amounts of visual data to make it usable by businesses, per Bloomberg.
Elsewhere, BurnBot uses "good fire" to fight bad ones. The startup deploys a state-of-the-art burn chamber vehicle to conduct prescribed burns on flammable materials that — down the road — could have led to more serious wildfires.
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The BurnBot RX machine creates firebreaks, or fireguards, on the land, preventing potential wildfires from rapidly spreading and destroying entire properties.
The startup designed the machine with an enclosed chamber as well as spray nozzles to contain and extinguish the smoke from these prescribed burns. Reducing the smoke output from these controlled burns reduces the amount of harmful, heat-trapping gases, such as methane and nitrous oxide, from escaping into the air and exacerbating rising global temperatures.
These technologies, combined with important scientific discoveries, such as this eco-friendly flame retardant, could bolster existing firefighting efforts. Or, they might be able to prevent fires before they start in the first place.
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