Associated Press
Firefighters work to contain a bushfire along Old Bar road November 9, 2019.
- Descartes Labs uses artificial intelligence to detect wildfires, and they can correctly spot one in a record-breaking time of nine minutes.
- Devastating wildfires are occurring much more frequently than ever before. The earlier one can be detected, the better.
- Descartes Labs launched their wildfire detector on July 1, 2019, and helped the LA Times break news of the Kincade Fire.
- They leverage two satellites called GOES-16 and GOES-17 that hover above the western hemisphere and send thermal infrared images every five minutes.
- They are currently conducting a trial run with the New Mexico state government and hope to expand their services to all over the world.
- This article is part of our ongoing series on Better Capitalism.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Nine minutes. That's how fast Descartes Labs can spot a growing wildfire with artificial intelligence. It's the record speed, and the current one to beat.
Normally, the process of detecting wildfires can take hours or longer. In the past, wildfires have been reported by civilians, commercial pilots, or fire agencies, who use crumbling towers built more than a century ago to look for flares. More recently, fire managers have started conducting reconnaissance flights to search for potential fires. But, since these are incredibly costly, this option is only employed when the fire risk is high.
Clyde Wheeler
Clyde Wheeler.
Even when fires are spotted using one of these methods, it can take a long time to determine precisely where it is and how to get there. And with wildfires, there's no time to spare. The faster it spreads, the more dangerous it becomes. The effects can be catastrophic.