Artificial intelligence to be used in Arizona's wildfire defense
The Brief
APS and the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management gave a behind-the-scenes look at how artificial intelligence is changing the way wildfires are being fought.
The agencies say the change will help better protect residents by taking a proactive step toward wildfire management.
PHOENIX - Artificial intelligence is giving fire officials and APS a chance to better prevent the spread of fires, and protect the community.
John Truett of the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management calls it "game-changing" as early detection is key when it comes to battling wildfires.
What they're saying
"The more we can put our eyes on all these fires, the faster we can possibly get the fires out," Wade Ward of APS said.
APS and the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management are showcasing new AI technology on March 24 that will help them better detect wildfires, help with response, let them know the fire's behavior, and the potential of that fire.
"So we can alert the community ahead of it and the other agencies that are involved in the response," Truett said.
There are currently a total of 15 online cameras across the state. By May 1, there will be 30.
"To detect the fire, then to model it, then get the worst-case scenario. So, we're looking at the modeling system after the fire starts, and it really gives us not only proximity to our power lines, but all the other assets we have, including communication towers, solar facilities, power plants, sub stations, all of that. It gives us a good idea of where the fire is going and where it could potentially impact our system, which means impact to our customers," Ward said.
Why you should care
Fire officials are expecting this fire season to be an especially bad one because of how dry the weather's been. That's why this equipment is so important.
"It helped a lot because the Brady Fire. That was a fire in February and burned like it would be in May, so it really gave us the idea, and a heads-up, this is going to be extremely bad. We need an immediate response and a heavy response," Truett said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Verge
22-05-2025
- The Verge
Ricoh is finally making a GR IV camera, and it's coming in the fall
In a pretty barebones press release accompanied by a couple of pictures and detailed specs, Ricoh surprise announced that its long-awaited GR IV camera will launch this fall. The GR IV will adhere closely to the design of the GR III from 2018, and it will continue to use an autofocusing 28mm-equivalent f/2.8 lens and only a rear LCD for composing photos and videos, with no electronic or optical viewfinder available. The GR IV's exterior looks very similar to the GR III / GR IIIx, with an oval-shaped shutter button, on / off switch and mode dial up top, and a smattering of rear controls to the right of its LCD. Its buttons look redesigned, removing the spinning dial from around its four-way directional pad. And its adjustment thumb wheel, labeled 'ADJ,' looks like it may be a fully turning dial instead of just a back-and-forth toggle that moves left or right. (I may be wishcasting that last part, because I think the thumb toggle on the GR III is annoying and fiddly.) What's known for certain based on its spec list is that the GR IV retains the built-in ND filter of the GR III, but it slightly ups the resolution of its large APS-C sensor from 24 megapixels to 26. It will also have a higher ISO range that reaches 204,800 at its maximum setting, and five-axis stabilization instead of three-axis stabilization. The GR IV's lens may be the same focal length and maximum aperture as previous generations, but it's a new seven-element design in a new arrangement utilizing an additional aspherical element that should yield better corrections. The upcoming camera will also have face and eye-detection for its autofocus tracking, and 53GB of usable built-in storage. Onboard storage is great, and it's much more than the GR III's 2GB, but the GR IV is also downsizing from full-size SD cards to microSD. While there isn't a price yet, Ricoh has confirmed the GR IV is expected to release in the autumn of 2025, with a variant featuring a Highlight Diffusion Filter (HDF) to come 'after winter 2025.' The announcement also details that the GR III is scheduled to be discontinued in July, while the GR IIIx continues 'for the time being.' The Ricoh GR cameras have carved out a niche among street photographers who value their super compact size and fairly affordable prices compared to a Fujifilm X100 or Leica Q. As cool and fun as I thought the just-announced Fujifilm X Half might be, the GR IV has instantly become my most anticipated camera of 2025.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Magnite, Inc. (MGNI) Teams Up with Amazon Publisher Services (APS) to Unlock New Streaming TV Opportunities
Magnite, Inc. (NASDAQ:MGNI) and Amazon Publisher Services (APS) announced on Monday that they will begin a deeper streaming TV collaboration through APS' Transparent Ad Marketplace (TAM) and Magnite's SpringServe. Magnite, Inc. (NASDAQ:MGNI) is an independent sell-side advertising company in the United States. Its platform offers applications and services for sellers of digital advertising inventory, or publishers that own and operate CTV channels, applications, websites, and other digital media properties to manage and monetize their inventory. A marketing manager examining a publisher's digital inventory on a laptop. The recently published "Gauge" report by Nielsen revealed streaming services (such as Amazon) continued to gain momentum in terms of viewership against traditional TV/cable platforms (44.3% market share and 45% respectively). This collaboration enables publishers to tap into premium and growing demand from Magnite on Amazon devices while expanding Magnite's access to streaming TV inventory through APS on Fire TV. Sean Buckley, President, Revenue at Magnite, added: 'By developing the custom integration, we're able to more comprehensively connect advertisers to premium streaming inventory across Fire TV devices.' In 2016, MGNI and APS launched the Transparent Ad Marketplace. Later in 2024, MGNI became one of the first to join Amazon Ads' Certified Supply Exchange Program. Scott Siegler, Director of Amazon Publisher Services, spoke about the history of the two companies and this natural evolution: 'Expanding our work with Magnite was the natural evolution in our dedication to bring incremental demand to publishers through interoperable solutions'. While we acknowledge the potential of MGNT to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than MGNT and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock. READ NEXT: and Disclosure: None. Sign in to access your portfolio
Business Mayor
20-05-2025
- Business Mayor
Magnite Strikes CTV Deal With Amazon Publisher Services
Advertising tech company Magnite is working with Amazon Publisher Services to help more publishers sell connected TV ads. Through APS' Transparent Ad Marketplace and Magnite's SpringServe tools, the partnership will give publishers access to Magnite's supply-side demand that runs on Amazon devices. It'll also give Magnite access to more CTV inventory on Fire TV devices through APS. While many adtech companies work with APS to access Amazon's CTV inventory, this direct integration is unique because it allows Amazon to 'take a seat within their platform,' according to a Magnite spokesperson. Amazon made nearly $14 billion on its ad business in Q1 of 2025, effectively gobbling up the lion's share of dollars that advertisers are now spending with retail media networks. Magnite acquired CTV ad server and mediation platform SpringServe in 2021 for $31 million. In April, the company announced plans to merge SpringServe with Magnite Streaming, its ad exchange and SSP, turning them into a single unified product. For publishers including DirecTV that work with both Magnite and APS, the deal allows them to unify demand between the two with centralized reporting, Rose McGovern, head of programmatic and digital ad sales at DirecTV Advertising, said in a statement. The partnership will also make more CTV content on Amazon's Fire TV devices available to ad buyers through Magnite, said Sean Buckley, president of revenue at Magnite, in a statement. By integrating with Magnite, APS aims to 'bring incremental demand to publishers through interoperable solutions,' Scott Siegler, director of APS, said in a statement.
