Wildfires are currently raging across Europe, Canada, and other regions. Speed is essential to successfully combat these fires. Early detection from space and AI-powered data analysis can help.
In July, hundreds of firefighters are battling flames in Spain, Portugal, and France. A map from NASA's Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) shows numerous wildfires worldwide – only the white areas of Greenland and Antarctica are excluded. Each dot marks a satellite-detected hotspot or active fire.
With heat waves and droughts, wildfires are occurring more frequently globally. They often start unspectacularly – a discarded cigarette or a spark from a campfire is enough to ignite dry leaves and small branches. Quick action is crucial to extinguish the fire before it spreads to larger areas.
To act quickly, small fires need to be detected early. This is a challenge in remote areas. But before the human eye can see rising flames or smoke, satellites may have already sounded the alarm. Much satellite data is freely available, such as from FIRMS. Global data is publicly available within three hours of satellite observation – in the US and Canada, some is available in real time.
The European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) also provides free data for Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, drawing on information from NASA, Copernicus, and the European Earth observation program.
Despite all this free data, Munich-based startup OroraTech has developed a business model for wildfire detection. The formula: satellite data, artificial intelligence (AI), service – and all of it fast. According to Thomas Grübler, chief strategy officer at OroraTech, the systems of NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) usually only take images at a specific time of day, such as morning or noon. Wildfires typically break out from midday onward. OroraTech fills this "afternoon gap" with its own satellites.
Additionally, data from conventional satellites is not geared toward fire detection. If the camera resolution is not high enough, small fires might be overlooked. As a result, important data may reach firefighters with a delay, allowing fires to spread undetected.
In spring 2022, OroraTech launched its first satellites into orbit. They are equipped with thermal infrared sensors that detect temperature differences, enabling heat detection at night and through smoke, although dense cloud cover can still limit observations. According to Grübler, the cameras have been miniaturized to fit inside a shoe-box-sized satellite, making them cheaper and requiring a fraction of the energy of larger satellites.
The company claims to currently operate more thermal imaging satellites than any country or other company in the world. By 2028, the number of daily scans is set to reach a stage where every point on Earth is scanned every 15 minutes.
However, detecting fire sources is not enough. "We make this data actionable," adds Grübler. To achieve this, OroraTech analyzes not only its own data using AI, but also data from other satellites, such as those operated by ESA and NASA. Customers receive information about fire sources within minutes, along with continuous updates on potential fire progression and consequence assessment.
Among its customers in 25 countries are government agencies, fire departments, forestry companies, infrastructure and energy providers, insurance companies, and environmental organizations. OroraTech now also sells data from its own satellites to ESA and NASA. The Greek government has also been won over. In collaboration with ESA, a system was developed specifically for Greece, consisting of four satellites, a ground station in Greece, and OroraTech's Wildfire Solution platform, enabling continuous real-time wildfire detection data across Greece.
OroraTech monitors 407 million hectares of forest worldwide – an area almost as large as the European Union – including regions in Brazil, Chile, the US, Canada, and Australia, according to its own figures. "I would not have expected the entire market to shift from a niche to the mainstream like this," says Grübler. "By now, we are deeply connected and experts in the wildfire sector," and due to the increasing number of fires, the market will likely grow.
In addition to wildfire detection, further potential business fields are emerging. After all, not only fires but all types of heat emissions can be measured. For instance, information about water evaporation from fields could be collected for agriculture, heat islands in populated areas could be identified, oil spills at sea could be detected, and thermal data could also prove useful in the defense sector. Among other applications, ships can be detected from space even when they have switched off their transponder. "I suspect that in five years there will be use cases that we don't even know exist today," says Grübler.
Source: www.dw.com