Guide · Detection
Satellite forest fire alerts: from an inbox to a ranked map.
“The satellite alert sat in an inbox for an hour.” Detection is rarely the gap. Acting on it is.
What a hotspot is
A hotspot is a location where a satellite sensor detected heat consistent with an active fire during a pass. It is a strong signal, but not a confirmed fire: some are agricultural burning, industrial heat or false positives, and small fires under canopy can be missed.
Why alerts get missed
- They arrive by email to one inbox.
- Dozens arrive at once on a fire-season afternoon, with no order.
- Nobody sees them next to fire weather, wind and what is in the path.
- There is no record of who saw each alert and what was done.
How to use hotspot alerts well
- Put every hotspot on a map with protected areas and forest cover.
- Attach fire weather, wind and fuel from the nearest station.
- Rank by spread risk and by settlements and corridors in the path.
- Ask the nearest ranger or tower to confirm on the ground.
- Dispatch on confirmation, and record the outcome, including false alarms.
- Use the outcomes to improve ranking over the season.
How ForestWatch does it
ForestWatch is a fire-season control room for forest departments. Protected-area maps, forest cover, satellite hotspots, watch-tower reports and fire-weather stations sit on one screen. Each detection carries the fire-weather index for its station, wind and fuel load, and the queue is ranked by spread risk, settlements and wildlife corridors in the path, and how long the incident has waited. Rangers send photos and voice notes on WhatsApp; the photo’s GPS places the incident, a confirmation question is asked, the nearest crew, tanker or blower is assigned and the ranger gets the ETA and safety guidance. Patrols carry GPS tracks and photos, every fire can be replayed from first detection to containment, and the season report on incidents, response times, hectares and patrol coverage stays current.
Questions
What is a satellite fire hotspot?
A location where a satellite sensor detected heat consistent with an active fire during its pass. It needs ground confirmation.
Are all satellite fire alerts real forest fires?
No. Some are agricultural burning, other heat sources or false positives, which is why ground confirmation matters.
How should many hotspots be prioritised?
Rank them by spread risk using fire weather, wind and fuel, and by settlements and wildlife corridors in the path.
See it on your own data. ForestWatch — Every hotspot, ranked by risk. Book a 30-minute working session with an engineer.