Wildfire detection could be taking a leap into the 21st century thanks to a fire-spotting satellite designed by scientists from University of California, Berkeley.
The satellite—the Fire Urgency Estimator in Geosynchronous Orbit (FUEGO)—would use state-of-the-art sensors and an analysis software to snap pictures of the ground every few seconds in search of hot spots that could be wildfires. This would allow firefighters to be directed to these hot spots, possibly preventing fires from growing out of control. Just one satellite would be able to monitor the entire western U.S., researchers said.
“If we had information on the location of fires when they were smaller, then we could take appropriate actions quicker and more easily, including preparing for evacuation,” said fire expert Scott Stephens, a UC Berkeley associate professor of environmental science, policy and management, in a release. “Wildfires would be smaller in scale if you could detect them before they got too big, like less than an acre.”
The satellite hasn’t been built, but researchers estimate that it could be built by either government or private entities for several hundred million dollars.
Stephens, UC Berkeley astrophysicist Carl Pennypacker, remote sensing expert Maggi Kelly and their colleagues described the satellite in the journal Remote Sensing on Oct. 17. The publication of the article came following another record wildfire season in the Western United States, which included the Rim Fire near Yosemite National park and multiple small brush fires in Malibu this summer.
Stephens said that current fire detection methods rely on human spotters in fire towers or on the ground and on reports from members of the public, but the satellite technology could reliably distinguish small wildfires before they spread, with few false alarms.
Researchers hope the process of building the satellite will begin a year from now. Once the satellite is built, they expect about a year of testing before the satellite is launched, according to High Country News.