The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Department of the Interior, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service have teamed up to utilize satellite data to detect and report wildfires swiftly.
The collaboration, which is part of the Biden-Harris administration’s Investing in America Agenda, gives the Interior and Agriculture Departments access to NOAA’s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite — R series (GOES-R) to detect wildfires early, track wildfires in real-time, and provide data for public safety and air quality modeling.
This agreement is supported by a $20 million investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – $10 million each from Interior and Agriculture. Additionally, under the legislation, both departments will receive $5 billion over five years to invest in preparedness, fuels management, post-fire restoration, and fire science.
“Wildland firefighting will always require highly skilled individuals working on the ground, but with more real-time information we can reduce the risks to crews and pilots, and improve our response time reducing the risk to impacted communities,” Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, said in a statement.
“By using expanded satellite capacity to pinpoint wildfire ignitions and provide real-time data for wildfire managers, this partnership with NOAA will enable the Interior and Agriculture Departments to respond to wildfires more rapidly and make informed decisions for firefighting operations and public safety,” said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland.
The GOES-R series satellites are often able to detect wildfires before they are noticed on the ground or reported to 911. They can also accurately locate a fire after smoke has been reported.
According to officials, these capabilities could enhance interagency efforts to safeguard people and communities from increasingly severe wildfires.
Additionally, GOES-R satellites can track and monitor smoke from these fires. Their near real-time smoke plume monitoring is particularly valuable for coordinating aerial firefighting efforts, improving air quality forecasts, and enhancing public health protection.
“This new partnership, a result of the most ambitious climate agenda in history, will help expand our ability to detect wildfires, improve response times, and keep families in western communities out of harm’s way,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.
