Bushfire program to run until 2024 in the Australian Capital Territory.
The Australian National University (ANU) and Optus announced on Thursday the pair would attempt to develop a national system to detect and extinguish fires using a mixture of satellites, drones, and robotics. The first step of the program, which is due to run until 2024, will be to create an «autonomous ground-based and aerial fire detection system». It will begin with the trial of long-range infra-red sensor cameras placed on towers in fire-prone areas in the ACT, which will allow the ACT Rural Fire Service (RFS) to monitor and identify bushfires. The long-term goal, though, is to put out fires using drones. «We hope to develop a system that can locate a fire within the first few minutes of ignition and extinguish it soon afterwards,» ANU vice-chancellor Professor Brian Schmidt said.
