The Irvine Ranch Conservancy (IRC) last month invited 14-year-old Newport Beach resident and inventor, Ryan Honary, to conduct a pilot project evaluating environmental protection applications for his AI-driven sensor network, SensoRy AI.

“We were impressed with Ryan’s research, and we are excited about its potential to improve our ability to detect threats and monitor our natural resources, which are essential to our adaptive management approach,” IRC’s Chief Programs Officer Nathan Gregory said.

In response to the 2018 Camp Fire, which destroyed over 18,000 structures, killed 85 and cost over $16.5 billion, Honary developed an early detection technology for preventing wildfires “at the spark.”

SensoRY AI notifies authorities and provides predictions regarding growth, speed and direction.

IRC’s study, beginning in early 2022, will test Honary’s system for use in land management, fire prevention and monitoring techniques that “inform the response to various environmental threats,” the conservatory said.