US: Berkeley researchers develop satellite, drones system for wildfire detection

Researchers at UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory recently developed a system that uses a satellite and drones to detect wildfires at an early stage, reports the Daily Californian.

The Fire Urgency Estimation from Geosynchronous Orbit, or FUEGO, is a theoretical framework that uses a satellite to help with the early detection of wildfires. A satellite mounted with megapixel infrared cameras will monitor a patch of land in California round the clock and relay its data to a geospatial information system on the ground that stores a large database of land use, rainfall, flammability and other factors related to fire urgency.