AI system
- System
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Pano AI wildfire detection cameras (Pano Rapid Detect)
- Model
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Not assessed
- Release
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Not assessed
- Application developer
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Pano AI - Role
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Not assessed
- Configuration
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Not assessed
- Inputs and outputs
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Not assessed
- Autonomy
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Not assessed
- Workflow
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Camera stations with 360-degree views sited on cell towers within roughly 10 miles of the ignition. Alert routing to both the utility and local fire agencies with a triangulated location. Lightning-caused ignition in daylight in a remote area, with aerial resources available for dispatch.
- Human oversight
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Not assessed
- Relation to AI
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The AI smoke detection produced the alert and location that the utilities and Denver7 describe. The sources are independent news reports quoting operator staff, not an official filing. The operators themselves say the Forest Service identified the fire simultaneously. So the counterfactual contribution of the AI to the three-acre outcome is unverified.
- AI contribution
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The AI smoke detection produced the alert and location that the utilities and Denver7 describe. The sources are independent news reports quoting operator staff, not an official filing. The operators themselves say the Forest Service identified the fire simultaneously. So the counterfactual contribution of the AI to the three-acre outcome is unverified.
Benefits
- Outcome identifiers
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Not assessed
- Benefit
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helicopters were dispatched within 30 minutes and the fire was held to three acres
- Category
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Reduced Risk
- Status
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Not assessed
- Beneficiary groups
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Society. Organizations. People.
- Beneficiaries
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Not assessed
- Reach
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Not assessed
- Distribution and access
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Not assessed
- Duration
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Not assessed
- Expected?
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Yes
- Costs and harms
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Not assessed
Measurement
- Studies
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Not assessed
- Study design
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Not assessed
- Measurement
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Not assessed
- Setting and sample
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Not assessed
- Measures
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helicopters were dispatched within 30 minutes and the fire was held to three acres
- Comparison
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Assumed alternative: members of the public calling 911
- Results
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Assumed comparison. Reference: anyone else calling 911. Result: within 10 minutes of detecting smoke, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Additional value from AI
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Not assessed
- Limitations
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Not assessed
- Denominators
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Not assessed
- Materials for replication
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Not assessed
Money
- Kind of value
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Not assessed
- Amount
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Not assessed
- Currency and prices
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Not assessed
- Period and unit
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Not assessed
- Realization
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Not assessed
- Recipients and payers
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Not assessed
- Gross or net
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Not assessed
- Included costs
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Not assessed
- Comparison
-
Not assessed
- Method
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Not assessed
- Return and payback
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Not assessed
People and places
- Participants
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Developer:
Pano AI. Operator: 
Xcel Energy and CORE Electric Cooperative. - Jurisdictions
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Benefit: Douglas County, Colorado,
United States. Developer: United States. Operator: United States. - Ownership and control
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Not assessed
- Dependencies
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Not assessed
- Cross-border connections
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Not assessed
- Geopolitical implications
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Not assessed
Follow-up
- Conditions for replication
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Camera coverage of the ignition point and functioning AI smoke detection. An agency able to act on the alert within minutes. Independent confirmation of who detected the fire first, since the utilities report simultaneous Forest Service identification.
- Replication attempts
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2 follow-up entries. Benefit recurred: 1. Outcome unresolved: 1.
- Later findings
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9 July 2024. Three weeks later an Xcel-funded Pano AI camera caught the Wellington fire near Breckenridge, which firefighters held to one-eighth of an acre.
- Availability
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Not assessed
- Institutional decision
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Not assessed
- Grounds
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Not assessed
- Action and result
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Not assessed
- Success criterion
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Not assessed
Evidence
- Source numbers
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AIBD-0161-source-0001–0005
- Citations
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Numbered references below.
- Language
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Not assessed
- Source relationships
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Independent
- Original evidence
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Not assessed
- Access and versions
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Not assessed
- Supported findings
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Not assessed
- Evidence links
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Not assessed
- Evidence strength
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Not assessed
- Missing evidence
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Not assessed
Grades
- Assessed benefits
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Society. Organizations. People.
- Depth
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Society: 2. Organizations: 2. People: Not assessed.
- Reasons
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Society: The fire was held to three acres after helicopters were dispatched within 30 minutes. CORE's CEO called the detection and location “crucial”. Simultaneous Forest Service identification limits what can be attributed to the cameras. Organizations: CORE Electric and Xcel Energy obtained a fast, located alert supporting their wildfire mitigation strategy. Denver7 quotes CORE's Jordan Ambrogi saying alerts typically beat 911 calls. People: No individual beneficiary is documented in the sources.
- Observed or intended
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Not assessed
- Rubric
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Not assessed
- Assessor and date
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Not assessed
- Alternative assessments
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Not assessed
- Fill
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Independently reported
Entry details
- Kind
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Not assessed
- Related entries
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Not assessed
- Field
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Energy and infrastructure. Electric utility wildfire mitigation.
- Purpose
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Pano AI cameras rotate 360 degrees on mountaintop towers and use AI to detect smoke plumes. They alert utilities and fire agencies with a triangulated location. Detecting this fire early was the intended use.
- Dates
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Date basis unassessed: 2024 (precision unassessed). Updated: 21 October 2026.
- Stage
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Not assessed
- Version
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SHA-256: 2ea991607cec…
References
- Other identifiers
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Not assessed
- Category mappings
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Not assessed
- Brief
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Not assessed
- Revisions
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6 revisions. Latest: 21 October 2026.
Sources
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News report Independent author
Colette Bordelon, 'Douglas County wildfire first detected by cameras equipped with AI', Denver7, 17 July 2024
The Bear Creek Fire in Douglas County, which was contained within a day, was first spotted by cameras equipped with artificial intelligence (AI).
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News report Independent author
John Engel, 'AI cameras prevented large wildfire, utilities say', Renewable Energy World / Factor This, 18 July 2024
Within 30 minutes of the identification, emergency services dispatched two helicopters to the fire when it was .25 acres.
The utilities said their wildfire camera system, provided by Pano AI, identified the wildfire “simultaneously” with the U.S. Forest Service.
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News report Independent author
Wilson, S. (2024). AI-powered, fire-spotting cameras dispatch firefighters to Colorado wildfire. CBS Colorado, 9 July 2024.
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Registry label Independent author
OECD AI Incidents Monitor, record 2023-11-07-64f3, 'Xcel Energy Deploys AI-Powered Cameras for Early Wildfire Detection in Colorado'
Xcel Energy, in partnership with Pano AI, is expanding the use of AI-driven wildfire detection cameras across Colorado.