JBS expands its efforts to monitor and tackle fires in the Pantanal
02 | 11 | 2021
JBS is investing in an innovative project to prevent and tackle fires in the Pantanal. The initiative uses artificial intelligence on an integrated fire management platform that cross-checks satellite information, images from cameras positioned on towers installed on farms, meteorological data and local history of fires to issue real-time alerts about outbreaks of fire, in addition to investing in field work with firefighting teams engaged in the front line against the outbreaks.
As the fire is automatically detected in up to three minutes, there is a higher probability of the fire being controlled. The expectation is for a reduction of more than 50% of burnt-over areas through early detection and rapid and immediate response.
JBS is investing in the Pantanal R$ 26 million over four years. The project has been conceived to cover 2 million hectares – an area that practically compares to the size of the territory of Israel – in the states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul. Part of the Pantanal and transition areas like the Cerrado and the Amazon will be monitored in real time using a solution developed by the startup Um Grau e Meio.
Besides early detection, the nearest JBS units will provide ground support for tackling the fires. The Company has invested in five exclusive teams of the Aliança Firefighting Team of the organization, Aliança da Terra, which has bases in the municipalities of Anastácio (MS), Pedra Preta, Poconé, Cáceres and Araputanga (MT). These highly trained firefighting teams, with the support of the US Forestry Service (USFS), are equipped with leading-edge technology, including drones and other equipment that ensure that fires are tackled in an efficient and safe manner.
The total area will be divided into three independent clusters (north, center and south) to facilitate the deployment of the firefighting teams supported by JBS and by other institutions to tackle the fires. Each cluster will have an integrated management hub (local acronym, CIG). The information to designate the deployment of the firefighting teams will be provided by the Pantera software of Um Grau e Meio which, besides issuing alerts, will enable proper management of the resources by the official situation rooms that distribute the calls to the nearest available team. Um Grau e Meio was one of the five Brazilian startups chosen to present environmental solutions at COP26, the UN Conference on Climate Change soon to held in Glasgow, Scotland.
The automatic early detection system uses cameras on towers as well as satellites that reveal heat points in the polygons monitored. The cameras will be initially installed on the 11 existing towers, each with a total area exceeding 70,000 hectares, and will provide images to the system’s computer system in this phase 1 of the project sponsored by JBS. The Pantera software also factors in meteorological data, the history of fires in the region, indicators of strategic points like water sources, creating a live, connected real-time firefighting and outbreak status network.
As the system is modular, the area covered by the project can be expanded by installing additional towers with cameras. “These resources and the satellite information are a massive step forward in detecting outbreaks”, contends Liège Correia, Sustainability Director at Friboi. For Márcio Nappo, Sustainability Director at JBS, actions like this benefit the entire value chain, because fires devastate the ecosystem, seriously damage rural properties and pump polluting gases into the atmosphere, causing global warming.
The initiative in the Pantanal comes with an educational component developed by Aliança da Terra. Besides fighting fires, the Aliança Firefighting Team is also involved in engaging with and raising the awareness of rural producers and other local partners. When not tackling fires, the teams visit the farms to educate the farmers about prevention techniques, instructing them on how to properly deal with fires and providing fire team training for the farmers and their employees.
So far, 98 volunteers of the farms registered for the project have received training and are strengthening firefighting initiatives in the Pantanal. As a result of the joint action of JBS, more than 140 rural properties have already signed up. Each one of them has received a complete diagnosis, including the recent history and risk of new fires.
Escrito por: Oxigenweb