The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, in collaboration with the University of California, San Diego, has initiated the Alert California AI program, aiming to proactively detect wildfires in the region.

The system, leveraging artificial intelligence algorithms, aggregates data from 1032 cameras and analyzes them to identify anomalies. Upon detection, the system promptly notifies emergency services and authorities, who then assess the potential threat and determine the necessary actions to take.

Launched in July, the platform has already contributed to preventing at least one forest fire. At 3:00 AM local time, a camera captured a wildfire in the Cleveland National Forest, east of San Diego. The AI detected the flames and alerted a fire captain, who dispatched a team of 60 individuals in seven vehicles, including two bulldozers and two water tanks. The fire was extinguished within 45 minutes.

The project's webpage highlights that data is also sourced from lidars installed on aircraft and drones. This equipment facilitates the three-dimensional scanning of terrain, considering species-specific tree characteristics as well. Employing AI to discern smoke and other particles in the air, the system processes petabytes of data.

Developed by engineers at UC San Diego using an AI platform by the local company DigitalPath, the program has received over $20 million in funding from the State Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, with an additional $3.516 million earmarked for the near future.