NAIT Applied Research Collaborates with Peavine Métis Settlement for Innovative Partnership
NAIT Applied Research has established a partnership with the Peavine Métis Settlement to create an innovative wildfire detection system. This initiative aims to safeguard the community in light of past wildfire experiences, particularly the Grizzly Complex wildfire that occurred in May 2023. That incident forced the evacuation of the settlement, leaving both emotional and environmental impacts.
Collaboration for Community Safety
Lynn Smith, the Regional Planning Coordinator for the Peavine Métis Settlement, expressed gratitude for the collaborative effort. “It has been a couple of years since the 2023 fire that had us evacuating our homes,” she noted. “We are ever so grateful to all that helped our community, and I feel this project is a way of paying it forward.”
The project is led by NAIT’s Centre for Sensors and System Integration. It focuses on providing early warnings of wildfire threats through a network of environmental sensors. These sensors will be strategically placed in the forest surrounding the community.
How the Wildfire Detection System Works
The detection system utilizes compact sensor units that will be installed in trees, covering a range of tens of kilometers from Peavine. These devices are designed to monitor key environmental factors, including:
- Smoke
- Temperature
- Humidity
- Air quality
All collected data will be transmitted wirelessly to a central hub in Peavine. Trained personnel will then analyze the information for timely responses.
Goals and Future Applications
The primary goal of the system is to detect wildfire conditions early. This can provide valuable time for both response and evacuation if necessary. Currently, the detection system is undergoing refinement at the Edmonton McCauley station, part of the Alberta Capital Airshed, ahead of its full deployment in Peavine before the next wildfire season.
Beyond immediate threats, this system will gather long-term environmental data. Such data will assist in identifying patterns and predicting wildfire risks in the region. This project also holds the potential for broader implementation across other communities in Alberta and Canada that face increasing wildfire challenges.
