Can satellites spot wildfires before they grow out of control?

Can satellites spot wildfires before they grow out of control?

Aerial image of a controlled burn. | Image: Google

A Google-backed initiative aims to prevent raging infernos by using satellites that can detect small fires before they grow out of control.

The goal is to launch a constellation of satellites called FireSat into low Earth orbit. It’s a collaboration between a newly founded nonprofit coalition called Earth Fire Alliance and the startup Muon Space, which designs and operates satellite networks. Google.org is funding the project, and Google’s research team is also helping to develop the technology to spot wildfires and monitor their growth from space.

“There is a significant gap between the data we have available today and what we could have with better satellite coverage.”

Climate change is setting the stage for more monstrous wildfires as temperatures rise and droughts worsen in many places around the world. That’s why emergency responders and scientists are searching for new tools to help keep communities safe from more intense blazes.

Satellites already gather data used to warn people about large wildfires. The hope is that FireSat can provide more consistent, high-resolution data and spot flames sooner than existing satellites or even people on the ground can.

“There is a significant gap between the data we have available today and what we could have with better satellite coverage. So that’s why Google Research, we teamed up with a bunch of folks, scientists, and leaders in the fire community to develop a new satellite constellation,” Christopher Van Arsdale, lead researcher at Google Research’s Climate and Energy group and a board member for Earth Fire Alliance, said in a press briefing this week.

Fires are often spotted by people or planes first, rather than satellites. Existing satellites that gather data on wildfires might only come by a few times a day or can detect blazes only once they’ve reached a certain size. That makes them harder to use for detecting small fires. If they could gather more granular data, satellites could potentially find blazes in remote places before they reach more populated areas.

With more than 50 satellites dedicated solely to watching wildfires, FireSat is expected to check wildfire activity across the globe every 20 minutes. It’s also supposed to detect fires as small as 5 x 5 meters (the size of a classroom). That’s significantly smaller than earlier satellites, which were able to find blazes two to three acres in size (the size of two football fields), according to Google. To do this, the team behind FireSat developed custom sensors and algorithms to crunch the data using AI. FireSat will be able to quickly compare images of any 5 x 5-meter area over time to recognize a fire and contribute to a global record of fire spread for researchers.

Muon Space is scheduled to launch the first of these satellites in early 2025 and then three more spacecraft in 2026 as part of the first phase of the mission. The Earth Fire Alliance just launched publicly this year, although the technology for FireSat has been under development over the past five years.

“As a former firefighter, I can personally attest to the difference that this will make for firefighters in the field today,” Kate Dargan Marquis, former California state fire marshal and a senior adviser at the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation that’s also funding FireSat, said in the press call. “It is a game changer, especially as wildfires are becoming more extreme, more frequent and more dangerous for everyone, information like this will make a life saving difference.”