Victoria and NSW will trial the use of cameras to automatically detect lightning strikes and smoke.
The $3 million trial in the Otway Ranges, in Victoria, and near Tumut, in NSW, will be funded by the commonwealth government.
The camera system featured on a special bush fire edition of The New Inventors on ABC Television last week.
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Monitor and detect smoke
The cameras can continually monitor bushland and automatically detect smoke and lightning providing fire authorities with exact information on where and when a fire starts.
Cameras for the trial will be provided by three private contractors: Firewatch, Eyefi and Forestwatch.
The trial will run to the end of April, with a possible one-month extension depending on the prevailing conditions.
