FireSat system is “constellation of satellites” providing detailed information in almost real-time
Portugal is to carry out tests to assess the effectiveness in rural fire management operations of data provided by the FireSat system, a cutting-edge technology for detecting and monitoring fires.
In a statement, AGIF – the Agency for Integrated Rural Fire Management – says it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Earth Fire Alliance (EFA), a non-profit organisation created to promote FireSat*, to undertake the adoption of the system in Portugal.
FireSat is described as “a constellation of satellites designed specifically for the detection and characterisation of fires, providing a detailed and comprehensive view of fire activity, almost in real time, which can be capitalised on at all stages of the process chain in the area of rural fires, from planning to post-fire”.
AGIF believes this collaboration will make it possible to “test the use of the data provided by FireSat and assess its applicability and effectiveness in rural fire management operations, particularly in the detection and monitoring of fires, including alerts, fire perimeters, radiative power and rate of spread.”
The agency also notes that the memorandum of understanding “implies no financial or legal obligations for either party and is valid until December 31, 2026, with the possibility of renewal by mutual agreement.”
According to AGIF, during this period data, knowledge and experience will be shared between the two organisations, but also with the early adopter community in Australia and the US, in order to maximise FireSat’s impact on Integrated Rural Fire Management System processes.
The collaboration with EFA puts Portugal at the forefront of the use of space technologies for fire management, says Lusa “ensuring greater efficiency and effectiveness in the response to and prevention of extreme events”.
*EFA is a non-profit organisation created to promote the FireSat project, whose mission is to enable the monitoring of all fires globally, to serve the community with reliable and timely information and to conserve the Earth’s ecosystems and biodiversity by defining strategies to resist climate change.
EFA is supported, among others, by partners such as Google, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and the Environmental Defence Fund (EDF).
Lusa
