Environment & Ecology
In News: The FireAId initiative had a successful pilot as per the report at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2023 being held in Davos, Switzerland.
FireAId Initiative:
- It was launched in 2022 by the World Economic Forum (WEF)
- It aims at using artificial intelligence to effectively manage wildfire.
- The multistakeholder initiative that collaborates resources from governments, civil society and the private sector was formulated by Koç Holding, Turkey’s largest industrial conglomerate, and was joined by Deloitte, an international professional services network, that brought on board its own AI technology to develop a ‘digital twin’ for fire management.
- The project was made operational in the South Aegean and West Mediterranean region of Turkey, since a quarter of the country’s wildfires occurred there in 2010-2021 and accounted for 75 per cent of the total burned area during the period.
- From July-August 2021, Turkey experienced some of its worst wildfires that charred a total of 139,503 hectares.
- Static and meteorological data was used to map areas where fires can start, predicted the intensity and planned the logistics required for efficient response.
- The predictions reduced both response time and risk to firefighters
- The project can now be scaled up and expanded to other locations.
Sources: DTE
