Google partners with FireSat to help combat global wildfire threat
September 17, 2024
Google Research is partnering with leading wildfire authorities to launch FireSat, a new global purpose-built satellite constellation designed to detect and track wildfires with increased accuracy and image resolution.
The initiative is being led by the Earth Fire Alliance, founded in 2024 to “observe all of our planet’s fires comprehensively” and facilitate accessible, comprehensive data. Noting that “wilfdires are changing, and rapidly,” “Earth Fire Alliance believes a united global response to the wildfire crisis is possible, and that a data-driven response will expand our focus and funding from reactive suppression, to proactive stewardship,” explains the nonprofit organisation.
Along with additional support from the Moore Foundation and the Mideroo Foundation, Google’s $13 million of funding will help facilitate the build of over 50 satellites (to be constructed by Muon Space). The first of these will be launched “in early 2025, with the full constellation to follow in the coming years,” explained Google.
Through the use of AI, FireSat will be able swiftly compare any five by five metre spot on Earth with previous imagery, whilst simultaneously combining factors such as local infrastructure and weather, to determine if there’s a fire. This highly accurate data (updated globally every 30 minutes) will enable emergency firefighting teams to optimise their resources and better support response efforts; surpassing current early detection satellites’ ability to only detect fires around two to three acres large.
The Muon Space satellites will be fitted with the Google Research team’s custom infrared sensors, already tested in the air over controlled burns to establish a baseline dataset for the AI. In addition to emergency response efforts, FireSat’s data will also be used to “create a global historical record of fire spread, helping Google and scientists to better model and understand wildfire behaviour and spread,” explained Google, augmenting its existing work on fire simulation with US Forest Service scientists.
