Maharashtra’s Pench Tiger Reserve launches AI-based fire detection system

Nagpur, May 31 (PTI) The Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR) in Maharashtra has launched an advanced artificial intelligence-based system for early detection of forest fires, an official said on Friday.

The state-of-the-art system will enhance the efficiency and responsiveness of fire detection efforts in the reserve, deputy director of PTR (Maharashtra), Prabhu Nath Shukla, said.

As per an official release, the new system features a high-resolution camera with a visual range of 15 km, effectively covering more than 350 sq km of the reserve.

The AI-powered platform, known as Pantera, leverages both the camera feed and satellite-based data to provide real-time alerts of forest fires within three minutes, the release said.

The system consists of a tower with a camera and a control room.

The camera is installed at a tower on one of the highest hills of the reserve near Kirringisarra village, and it is connected to the control room in the West Pench range office at Kolitmara, the release said.

"Traditionally, the forest department has relied solely on satellite-based alerts for fire detection. However, the AI system marks a transformative upgrade by incorporating visual data from the camera, enabling quicker and more precise detection of potential fires," Shukla said.

One of the standout features of the AI system is its capability to differentiate between smoke and clouds and night-time detection.

The system also receives weather data related to temperature, precipitation, wind, etc, and analysing data with past fires, the system forecasts the probable future fires in the short term, which helps in planning fire control.

The system can also be integrated with water tanks, forest vehicles, etc, that have GPS.

The project has been successfully implemented through a collaboration between PTR, Maharashtra, Satpuda Foundation, Umgrameio (Brazil) and Forest Fire Tech, a division of Scaale Inc., USA.

Part of the project was funded by Solar Industries India Limited, Nagpur and the rest by the state government. PTI