Public Announcement
‍Contact: Elizabeth Pearce                
               Vice President, Business Development                 
                Elizabeth@Project-Athena.com                  
                415-595-4784                                    

October 15, 2023
‍For Immediate Release

Athena Intelligence Unleashes Voice of the Acre® Version 1.3, Pioneering Wildfire Risk Assessment for Electric Utilities

Sacramento, CA – October 15, 2023 – Athena Intelligence, the trailblazing prefire FireTech company, proudly announces the release of Voice of the Acre® version 1.3, a groundbreaking advancement in artificial intelligence wildfire risk assessment. Building upon the success of version 1.2, which focused on individual property assessments for the property insurance market, version 1.3 shifts its focus to large landscapes, catering specifically to the unique needs of electric utilities.
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In recognition of the distinct challenges faced by electric utilities, Voice of the Acre® version 1.3 is designed to provide comprehensive insights into the conditions of the terrain. Electric utilities understand that ignition events can occur anywhere, but the impact of large, consequential fires on their service communities is a critical concern. Athena's Voice of the Acre® version 1.3 is tailored to meet these specific needs, offering a nuanced understanding of the terrain conditions that drive crucial business decisions for electric utilities.
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Athena Intelligence recognizes that for electric utilities, the goal is not only to understand where ignition events can occur but to proactively minimize the impact of such events, especially those caused by their equipment. Voice of the Acre® version 1.3 streamlines the process, making it easy for electric utilities to obtain answers about the conditions of the terrain that directly influence their risk management strategies.
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Key Features of Voice of the Acre® Version 1.3:

  1. Landscape-Focused Analysis: Version 1.3 shifts the focus from individual properties to large landscapes, providing electric utilities with a comprehensive view of wildfire risk factors at the regional level.
  2. Conditional Insights: The algorithm, Voice of the Acre®, is based on terrain, climatic, and bioregional vegetation data, as well as historical fire patterns. These are among the crucial components that influence the likelihood of large, consequential fires.
  3. Business Decision Support: Easily integrated into GIS platforms, the land’s risk probabilities is available in multiple formats.  This landscape-focused probabilistic projections assist electric utilities by providing insights that assist in making well-informed business decisions to minimize the impact of ignition events and enhance community safety.


David Sypnieski, CEO of Athena Intelligence, commenting on the significance of newest version, "In version 1.3, we've expanded the capabilities of Voice of the Acre® to address the specific needs of electric utilities. We understand that for them, it's not just about knowing where fires might start, but having a deep understanding of the landscape conditions that contribute to the severity and impact of those fires. From this, they can make decisions related to vegetation management, equipment hardening, and operational procedures. Athena's Voice of the Acre® is a powerful tool in helping electric utilities make proactive decisions to protect their communities."
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Randy Lyle, Special Advisor for Athena Intelligence, said, “I was an early user of ArcGIS for wildfire management. The newest version of Voice of the Acre® is the product I would have developed to help utilities and firefighters, if I were a programmer.” Randy is a former CalFire Division Chief and spent a decade working with San Diego Gas & Electric on wildfire mitigation.
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The increase in the size and number of wildfires over the past few years has forced utilities and municipalities to attempt to assess the locations where large, consequential fires can occur. A property profile, based on a broader landscape, offers more insights than a list of details about the location. This contextual understanding empowers Athena's insurance and utility customers, enabling them to make well-informed decisions based on regional risk patterns.
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About Athena Intelligence

Athena Intelligence, headquartered in Sacramento, is a data vendor with a proprietary, geospatial, conditional profiling tool that integrates vast amounts of disaggregated wildfire and environmental data. This tool generates spatial intelligence, providing a digital fingerprint of wildfire risk. The company's innovative solutions empower industries such as power, insurance, and financial services to make informed decisions in risk assessment, portfolio optimization, and loss cost probabilities. Learn more at https://AthenaIntel.io.
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