Deploy Wildfire Sensors - Calibration and warnings
After deployment, sensors require 14 days to calibrate before ready to detect fires.
Calibrating sensors
Calibration period (14 days)
Once deployed, the Silvanet sensor needs to perform a 14 day calibration period to determine a value for normal air in the environment around the sensor. This is critical for allowing the sensor to detect a smoldering fire.(1)
- A smoldering fire is defined to be a slow, flameless combustion of a biomass material such as forest floor material, branches, leaves, and so on.
The calibration period is approximately 14 days after deployment and during this period the sensor does not detect smoldering fires. It may also send false fire alerts during this period, up to possibly even a month after deployment.
Do not interact with sensors after deployment
Sensors are very sensitive to any changes in the environment. Any interaction with a sensor triggers a fire detection process which causes the sensor to perform a set of gas scans to determine if it has detected a fire.
Once a sensor has been calibrated, interacting with sensors can include:
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Touching the sensors, such as adjusting the angle of the sensor or attempting to pull it off from a tree
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Moving the sensors to another tree or redeploying the sensor on the tree
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Being in proximity to the sensors such as breathing on the sensor
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Exhaust from vehicles (especially diesel trucks) near the sensors
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Bringing any source of VOCs near the sensor such as cigarettes or machinery
Return to normal values requires 2 to 4 hrs
If interactions with a sensor have triggered fire detection process, the sensor needs at least 2 to 4 hours to return to normal values.
During this period, the sensor does not measure any changes in the environment. After this period, the sensor returns to a ready state.