New AI CubeSats could detect forest fires 500 times faster [Video]

Scientists in Australia hope to harness space technology and artificial intelligence to improve forest fire detection times dramatically.

It’s incredibly important work, given that forest fires are on the rise—today, they are believed to burn almost twice as much forest as they did 20 years ago.

A team led by Dr Stefan Peters believes their method can detect fires from space 500 times faster than traditional on-ground imagery processing solutions.

Improving fire detection times with AI CubeSats

The new method could help tackle forest fires before they generate large amounts of heat, making them easier for ground crews to control.

The project, funded by the SmartSat CRC and led by the University of South Australia (UniSA), has overcome some hurdles holding similar methods back. It uses a …