Satellites installed hundreds of kilometers in space are analyzing the composition of wildfires raging across Quebec to help authorities fight the blazes more effectively.
“It really allows you to have the most up-to-date information to make the best firefighting decisions,” said Guy Aubé, senior space exploitation program officer at the Canadian Space Agency.
The images captured by the various satellites are transmitted daily to the organization’s partners such as SOPFEU or Civil Security if required.
These provide visual information about a specific region. But they also provide data on soil moisture, wind direction, type of flora in an area, etc.
Canadian Space Agency
Guy Aubé, Senior Program Officer – Space Utilization, Canadian Space Agency.
By identifying hotspots one can even, to some extent, predict the spread of a fire in a given direction and its rate of spread.
“The power of these tools lies in the fact that we can have data at local, regional, provincial and continental levels,” specifies Mr. Aubé, underlining the impact of the fires on America.
The Fireguard Mission
In addition to this forest fire management system, the Canadian Space Agency is working on the development of a new satellite: Gardefeu.
The launch of the device equipped with advanced technology is scheduled for 2029 and its mission will last 5 years. It will improve the existing satellite ‘offering’, especially in the late afternoon and evening when no image is available.
Canadian Space Agency
Satellite images from June 5 show the extent of the forest fire-ravaged area on the north coast.
“This allows us to better monitor the energy emitted by the lights to better organize ground operations,” says Guy Aubé.
Each year, Canada spends approximately $1 billion fighting wildfires. The one at Fort McMurray in 2016 cost nearly $9 billion. It was the costliest natural disaster in the country’s history.