System and method for predicting and acting upon airborne obscurant conditions related to activity in a work area

A method of predicting airborne obscurant conditions related to work machine activity in a work area, the method comprising:

• collecting time-series input data sets over time based on input signals from one or more airborne obscurant sensors having a field of view associated with a work area and corresponding work machine operating parameters for a respective one or more work machines within or proximate to the work area;
• training one or more models to develop correlations between the time-series input data sets and observed airborne obscurant conditions comprising airborne obscurant threshold violations, intervention events, and/or a lack thereof;
• and
• in association with a current operation of one or more work machines in a current work area:
• collecting input signals from one or more airborne obscurant sensors having a field of view associated with the current work area;
• collecting one or more work machine operating parameters for each of the one or more work machines within or proximate to the current work area;
• predicting one or more airborne obscurant conditions associated with the current work area and based upon detected changes in airborne obscurant levels and corresponding activity of at least one of the one or more work machines within or proximate to the current work area, further by reference to the developed correlations;
• and
• generating one or more action signals corresponding to the predicted one or more airborne obscurant conditions.