Algorithm Helps Fight Wildfires Before They Even Spread

Another example of how artificial intelligence can make the world better: Researchers have revealed a new technique based on a machine learning algorithm. It calculates how big wildfires may get upon ignition, helping save lives, protect property, and preserve nature.

The project uses a “decision tree” algorithm, predicting the size of fires based on climate data and atmospheric conditions, as well as the types of vegetation present.

The researchers used Alaska, known to have faced many fires in its forests in the past decade, as a study area for the project.

One advantage of this new method is speed, Coffield says. The machine uses a statistical approach which evolves with new data, making fire suppression more efficient than ever before.

“In places like Alaska, there’s a need to limit the area affected by fire, because if we keep having these unusual, high-fire years, more carbon will be lost from the landscape, exacerbating warming,” Randerson says.