Enhancing vision at BC Wildfire Service

With the threat of wildfires growing every year, fire agencies are being confronted with complex and time-sensitive decisions more often. At the same time, new AI support tools are emerging in the space, promising innovative solutions for difficult scenarios.

The Ministry of Forests and the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) is already implementing AI through their use of remote sensing tools, with machine learning classifying large multi-spectral images from satellites.

A wider view: How remote sensing works

The human eye sees colours in the visible spectrum, but satellite imagery often contains wavelengths our eyes cannot detect, and at scales we cannot process. Machine learning algorithms allow us to classify imagery beyond the visible spectrum, extending our ability to monitor active fires and sense the environment at different scales.

Safer mapping

As we see an increase in large wildfires every year, mapping the boundaries of growing wildfire perimeters has become more complex. In days past, a firefighter would physically walk around the fire if it was small, or circle larger fires in a helicopter connected to the Global Positioning System (GPS).

As fires spread across larger landscapes, these helicopter rides get considerably longer and more hazardous in smoky conditions. (For example, the distance around the perimeter of the 2023 Donnie Creek wildfire was 1,234 km.) By processing satellite imagery through machine learning, the BCWS can monitor the shape and severity of large wildfires on a regular basis while staying out of harm’s way.

Growing capabilities

Innovations in remote sensing promise to improve wildfire intelligence from a public, internal and communications perspective, allowing for more up-to-date fire models and better predictions while providing more accurate information to people on the ground.

New algorithms are being implemented for satellite classification and the team is applying their experience to work with the federal government on new tracking satellites for 2027/28. As the team prepares for another fire season, there’s lots of excitement for the potential of these tools and future innovations to come.