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AMMAN — Dryad, a Berlin-based tech startup, is currently testing its “ultra-early” wildfire detection technology in Jordan, according to its co-founder and CEO Carsten Brinkschulte.
Dryad’s technology relies on solar-powered sensors to detect wildfires in their early stages, using artificial intelligence to identify changes in the smell of a forest.
“In case of a fire, the sensors, which form a network connected to mesh-gateways, send alerts to authorities, pinpointing the fire’s location before it gets out of control,” Brinkschulte told The Jordan Times.
He noted that this gives a “critical time advantage” to firefighters, as existing optical detection systems, such as “cameras and satellites, can take up to six hours to detect a fire”.
Each sensor, priced at about 48 euros, covers an area of approximately 100 metres and can last between 10 and 15 years, according to Brinkschulte.
He said that this technology has been successfully piloted in various countries across North America, Europe and Asia.
Currently, Dryad has installed a dozen sensors in a small testing environment within a forest in Jordan, where a controlled fire will be created, he added.
Dryad, which was launched in 2020, is driven by a mission “to protect forests around the world from the impact of climate change, which is increasing the frequency and severity of wildfires that generate up to 20 per cent of global CO2 emissions”, Brinkschulte said.
Through an automated data acquisition network, the tech startup is currently working on “training its AI sensors” to monitor forests’ humidity, drought, growth and health, he added.
This monitoring solution will also be able to protect a forest from threats to its ecosystem by detecting the sound of chainsaws, signalling illegal logging, he continued.