A breakthrough in bushfire detection: How a new constellation of satellites can detect smaller bushfires earlier
Bushfires are becoming increasingly common due to hotter and drier climates around the world. Until now, firefighters have had to rely on satellite imagery that’s either low resolution or only updated a few times a day, making it difficult to detect fires until they’ve grown larger than a soccer field.
Google Research has teamed up with leaders in the fire community to create FireSat — a purpose-built constellation of satellites designed specifically to detect and track fires as small as a classroom (roughly 5x5 metres). With FireSat, authorities will have high-resolution imagery that is updated globally every 20 minutes, helping them respond to fires before they become destructive.
Given the devastating impact bushfires can have in Australia and Google Australia’s commitment to projects under the Digital Future Initiative, local teams have been working closely with Google Research for several years, to consult with the Australian ecosystem on the need for a new solution like FireSat.
To kickstart this global work, Google.org provided $13 million in funding to the initiative led by the Earth Fire Alliance, a nonprofit established to launch the FireSat constellation, with additional support from the Moore Foundation.
Of this new initiative, Dr Karen O’Connor, Strategic Development and International Engagement at Earth Fire Alliance, said: "The Earth Fire Alliance and FireSat is a testament to the power of collaboration. By bringing together experts from across the fire community, we're creating a constellation of satellites that will provide lifesaving insights and empower fire agencies, and the communities they serve, to make more informed decisions. We're grateful to Google Research, Google.org, and the Moore Foundation for their support in making this vision a reality."
Mahesh Prakash, Senior Principal Research Scientist, Sector Lead Environment, Agriculture and Natural Hazards at CSIRO’s Data61 said: “Any improvements to wildfire detection could aid in enhancing model predictions. By providing real-time high-resolution inputs to such model predictions could assist firefighters in their decision-making processes and make a difference in how wildfires are managed.”
FireSat is designed specifically to detect and track wildfires when they’re as small as a classroom
A constellation of satellites that can detect smaller bushfires with better frequency
To achieve this breakthrough in bushfire detection, the Google Research team contributed to the development of custom infrared sensors for the satellite — in partnership with Muon Space and the Environmental Defense Fund — that could better detect small-scale fires. Using AI, FireSat will rapidly compare any 5x5 metre spot on earth with previous imagery, while also combining factors like nearby infrastructure and local weather, to determine if there's a fire. To validate our detection model for smaller fires and establish a baseline dataset for the AI, we flew the sensors over controlled burns. Next, Muon Space plans to launch the first satellite in early 2025, with the full constellation to follow in the coming years.
Once launched, FireSat will provide near real-time information about the location, size and intensity of early-stage bushfires so firefighters and emergency responders can respond quickly and effectively. In addition to supporting emergency response efforts, FireSat’s data will be used to create a global historical record of fire spread, helping Google and scientists to better model and understand bushfire behaviour and spread. This will expand our existing work on fire simulation in partnership with scientists in the U.S. Forest Service.
Having accurate and up-to-date information can have a significant impact on how firefighters respond. Rob Webb, Chief Executive Officer at AFAC, said: “Australian fire agencies are grappling with lengthening and strengthening fire seasons and continually seeking every possible tool to support operational decision making. Our knowledge of fires and fire behaviour is increasing, our weather forecasts are improving, our people are well-trained and equipment is ready to go. Early detection from satellites such as those delivered by FireSat represent a new dimension, helping keep unwanted fires small, and reducing the impact on lives, livelihoods and the environment.”
Peter McKechnie AFSM, Deputy Commissioner Field Operations for NSW Rural Fire Service, also went on to say: “The RFS has a goal to keep more than 80% of fires to less than 10ha, as fire seasons get longer and extreme events become more common it is vital we have access to accurate and timely detection capabilities so we can best protect our communities. Through innovation such as FireSat we can ensure that our firefighters have the best chance to deal with fires while they are smaller, this will mean safer firefighters and safer communities.”
Our commitment to researching bushfires
This project is the latest addition to Google Research's ongoing efforts to help communities around the world help address the impacts of climate change. Since 2020, we’ve used AI models to surface alerts and features that provide helpful information to people who are near a wildfire through wildfire boundary tracking, which is now available in over 20 countries. Earlier this year we also released FireBench, an open-source ML benchmark dataset for wildfire research.
As we work to expand our bushfire detection, data and AI play an important role in providing critical information to emergency responders and opening up new opportunities to scientists. We’ll continue to partner with the fire community in the face of the growing threat of bushfires.
