Modern Technology Can Prevent Extensive Forest Fires
Once again, forest fires are raging in Europe where not only natural and commercial values are lost, but also human lives. In 2022, roughly 10 billion euros were lost due to forest fires globally. MW Group, through its subsidiary Forest Sense, has continued developing its software to proactively prevent fires and effectively combat them when they break out. Now, Forest Sense, in collaboration with the Finnish Meteorological Institute and Forest Central, has developed a solution enabling automatic data transformation between 3D forest fire simulation system and real-time weather information.
In 2022 alone, forest fires within the EU are estimated to have caused financial damages of at least 2 billion euros, according to Janez Lenarčič, EU Commissioner for Crisis Management, and 10 billion euros globally – plus natural values and human suffering.
MW Group is providing Finland with capabilities to prevent, predict, and assess forest fires using innovative 3D fuel maps of forest areas for the entire country. The project was financed by the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The highly detailed maps are derived from multiple data sources including the latest lidar, multispectral imagery, and field measurements. The data is aligned and through fusion analysis using the latest in AI, is transformed into geospatial intelligence.
”We can use these maps in our forest fire planning and preparation for forest fires. We can also use them in the command and tactical centre during a forest fire,” says Jaakko Schroderus, Fire Chief at Kainuu Rescue Services in Finland.
In the event of an active fire, rescue services can also see and assess the terrain conditions from these maps, which helps them plan and coordinate the most effective extinguishing strategy before they arrive on site.
”MW’s laser scanning technology and algorithms enable the simulation of the expansion of forest fires in three dimensions. Now we have the solution to have automatic data transformation between 3D forest fire simulations and real-time weather information. As next step, we are building a system with the Finnish Meteorological Institute and Forest Central to provide rescue services and operational rescue personnel with the opportunity to simulate fires in three dimensions with several different weather and forest fire expansion scenarios in real time,” says Sixten Sunabacka, Executive Partner at Forest Sense.
”Our fire intelligence is so precise that it enables proactive work to protect lives, nature, and commercial property from one of our major and increasing climate issues. Therefore, our technology has sparked international interest,” says Mikael Karlsson, CEO of the parent company MW Group.
To explore Forest Sense’s offerings, connect with our Head of Sales, Jussi Posio, at jussi.posio@mw.group