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Eight new AI cameras for SA’s south-east Limestone Coast region is expected to bolster early bushfire detection and firefighting responses.
The Pano AI system is part of a state government $2.346 million upgrade of their forest fire tower network.
Overseen by the Green Triangle Fire Alliance (GTFA), the eight ultra-HD 360-degree panoramic cameras, AI and satellite technology will monitor and react to the first signs of fire and help out with responses.
The government says the network detected 25 unplanned fires during the 2023-24 bushfire season even as the cameras were being rolled out, including the German Flat fire in January and a vehicle arson in Tantanoola in April.
The system also provided real time intelligence to help firefighters.
SA Forestry Industries Minister Clare Scriven says they are committed to protecting the Limestone Coast.
“This game-changing system has already been invaluable in detecting fires within the plantations but importantly, they have also protected the wider community by detecting fires beyond the plantations,” she says.
“Depending on conditions, these cameras can see up to 20km away, providing greater assurance to local communities and primary producers, especially during the fire danger season, catastrophic fire danger days and at night.”
Emergency Services Minister Dan Cregan says the technology is another tool for firefighters to use.
“With hotter and drier conditions predicted this bushfire season, additional resources will ensure improved responses to support industry and livelihoods,” he says.
Pano AI’s Head of Australia GTM Andrew Prolov says the cameras will provide rapid and accurate information.
South Australian Forest Products Association CEO Nathan Paine welcomed the news.
“The single biggest threat to our plantation estate, and our communities, is bushfires. That is why as an industry we invest almost $13 million every single year in prevention, detection, and response,” he says.
“We know that the quicker we can identify a fire, the quicker we get it put it out, not just saving trees but more importantly protecting the community.”
The eight camera stations across the Limestone Coast will add to a 15-camera station detection network managed by the forestry industries in the wider Green Triangle region and into Victoria.
Staffed fire towers will continue to operate in the south-east to protect 130,000 hectares of plantation estate and surrounding communities.
Other new measures this fire season include a new Blackhawk helicopter at Parafield Airport and the Alert SA app covering multiple hazards.
The cameras are being used in Tasmania and in the US.
