UBC Okanagan (UBCO) is part of a pilot program using AI and SpaceX technology to better predict wildfires in B.C.

Rogers Communications is investing in satellite-connected sensors, with SpaceXsa国际传媒檚 low-bandwidth Swarm service, and Pano AI cameras on the companysa国际传媒檚 5G network that detect smoke up to a 20-kilometre range.

sa国际传媒淭he way we understand and model fire risk is really based on weather stations,sa国际传媒� said Dr. Mathieu Bourbonnais, lead assistant professor, department of earth, environmental and geographic sciences, UBCO.

The BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) maintains a network of approximately 250 such stations across the province.

Over the past two years, Bourbonnais has been working with Rogers on developing a low-cost weather station.

sa国际传媒淭hey monitor all the weather parameters that influence fire and fuel conditions in real-time. Theysa国际传媒檝e been working phenomenally well.sa国际传媒�

The stations can be put out in high numbers, including approximately 80 in the Okanagan, however, 14 of those units were lost in the McDougall Creek wildfire.

sa国际传媒淭hose devices were actually transmitting right up until the last second before they burned.sa国际传媒�

The next step in the pilot is adding the AI cameras and integrating them with satellites.

sa国际传媒淥nce you do that you can put them absolutely anywhere,sa国际传媒� said Bourbonnais, noting a similar system is used in California.

sa国际传媒淚t gives fire suppression organizations, such as BCWS, eyes on the fire, or it might help them detect a fire earlier or maybe somewhere remote where detection systems are sparse.sa国际传媒�

Bourbonnais, a former wildland firefighter, cautioned that challenges are to be expected in using AI cameras to detect wildfires.

sa国际传媒淎 fire doesnsa国际传媒檛 often start out as much, itsa国际传媒檚 often that wispy plume of smoke. Itsa国际传媒檚 easy to mistake that for other things, a truck spouting exhaust from the air can look like a fire.sa国际传媒�

Initially, AI cameras will be located on wireless towers near Fort St. James, Smithers, and Chetwynd.

sa国际传媒淓arly detection of wildfires is critical in preventing their spread to help protect communities and our forests,sa国际传媒� said Sonia Kastner, CEO, Pano AI.

The technology builds on ongoing 5G research by Rogers, UBC, and the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) to enable better detection and help first responders manage devastating events.

sa国际传媒淐limate change is a global issue that requires urgent action,sa国际传媒� said Tony Staffieri, president and CEO, Rogers. sa国际传媒淐ommunities across the country are facing the effects of unprecedented wildfires.sa国际传媒�

The company is also donating satellite phones to the B.C. Search and Rescue Association (BCSRA) to support first responders.

sa国际传媒淐ommunications are critical in search and rescue operations for the safety of everyone involved,sa国际传媒� said Dwight Yochim, CEO.

The donation of satellite phones will have a direct impact

on the safety of 3,400 search and rescue members across the province, Yochim added.

READ MORE: Canadian Wildfire Conference to be hosted in Kelowna

READ MORE: 4 wildfire fighters killed in Highway 1 crash near Ashcroft