Earth Fire Alliance launches wildfire detection satellite

Earth Fire Alliance announced the first satellite of its wildfire detection satellite network – FireSat. 

It is a collaboration between Google Research and several other organizations like Muon Space, Earth Fire Alliance and the Moore Foundation.

The FireSat constellation will have over 50 satellites working together to detect and track wildfires using artificial intelligence. 

Its unique AI model rapidly compares a spot anywhere in the world with previous images of that location. 

Then, it considers various factors like local weather and nearby infrastructure to determine if there’s a fire. 

Google Research’s Climate & Energy head Chris Van Arsdale recalled the challenges of developing FireSat’s AI:

“Differentiating between real fires and random ‘noise’ in the environment was a challenge.” 

“We had to determine where to draw the line between what is a real fire versus things like sensor issues or misaligned pixels.”

FireSat project manager Erica Brand also said they loaded a plane with sensors to confirm FireSat AI’s successful development.

“The first time we used the plane, one of our team members lit a barbeque and a firepit in his backyard so we could fly the plane over and test it.” 

The researchers envision FireSat to detect fires that are merely 5×5 meters, roughly the size of a classroom, within 20 minutes. 

In contrast, previous satellites take images every five minutes, but they’re hazy. “You’re lucky if you can see the city of San Francisco in the image,” Van Arsdale said.

This innovation follows the unprecedented devastation from the recent California wildfires. 

Soon, FireSat will help prevent and mitigate these natural disasters, minimizing casualties and environmental damage.