(from release) Telepathx Ltd. of Melbourne, Australia has developed a low-cost active-RFID fire mapping sensor that will alert fire brigades within two minutes of spotting a bushfire ignition. According to company CEO and founder James Eades, the tiny TPX-VRF is the first real time early warning fire mapping product available and it will reduce the impact and spread of bushfires on communities.
Unlike geospatial satellite mapping systems that provide fire mapping data within hours, or aerial reconnaissance that rely on thermal imaging of hotspots, Telepathx's is a terrestrial system that promises to monitor and report ignitions with pinpoint accuracy. Telepathx's patent-pending sensors can remotely detect and notify of excessive ambient, convected or radiated heat for up to 10-12 years in real time without the need of maintenance or management. The sensors do not require energy to monitor, yet they can activate to within a ±2° of a pre determined setting initializing its isolated power supply and its active RFID transmission system, making them ideal for remote fire monitoring.
Telepathx expects the systems will cost about $1500 per kilometer depending on sensor saturation. Eades notes that the sensors can be used alone to provide early fire warning for communities, or in conjunction with asset monitoring systems for energy providers.