Bridger Aerospace and OroraTech are integrating satellite-based wildfire detection, mapping and fire spread modeling into the IGNIS wildfire operations platform.
Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings has partnered with OroraTech USA to integrate space-based wildfire intelligence into its IGNIS mobile-first wildfire operations platform.
The collaboration will bring OroraTech’s satellite-derived fire detection, thermal mapping and fire spread simulation capabilities into IGNIS, which provides situational awareness to state, federal, county and municipal wildfire agencies.
The companies said the integration is intended to connect intelligence gathered from satellites with aerial reconnaissance and ground-based information, giving incident management teams and firefighters a more comprehensive view of wildfire conditions.
“This relationship with OroraTech represents a major step toward the future of wildfire response, where the best intelligence from space, the air, and the ground comes together into one operating picture,” said Sam Davis, CEO of Bridger Aerospace.
“By bringing OroraTech’s satellite-based thermal intelligence into IGNIS, we are working to identify threats earlier, understand fire behavior and put critical intelligence into the hands of crews and incident commanders before our aircraft even reach the fire.”
Satellite wildfire intelligence
Through the integration, IGNIS users will have access to information including fire detections, thermal mapping, fire intensity and predicted fire spread.
OroraTech’s Wildfire Solution combines data from more than two dozen public satellites with information from the company’s proprietary thermal-imaging satellite constellation, which OroraTech describes as the first satellite constellation dedicated to wildfire detection and monitoring.
The data will complement IGNIS’ focus on providing near-real-time information to incident management teams and field personnel.
A recent pilot during the Grasshopper Fire near Mount Hood, Oregon, demonstrated how the technology could be used within the platform.
During the incident, a Bridger Fire Behavior Analyst used a fire perimeter generated from OroraTech satellite heat detections as an input for a fire spread prediction model. The resulting analysis was then distributed through the IGNIS platform and app, providing an assessment of anticipated fire progression.
The companies said the pilot demonstrated how satellite-derived intelligence could be incorporated into operational fire behavior analysis and shared with personnel in the field.
Connecting space, air and ground intelligence
Bridger and OroraTech have identified four operational priorities for their collaboration: faster detection, complementary data, rapid modeling and a unified platform.
The companies aim to reduce the time between a new ignition and actionable intelligence for decision-makers, while adding an independent satellite mapping layer to existing agency monitoring.
They also intend to provide rapid fire spread simulations to support initial attack decisions and streamline data sharing, reconnaissance requests and record-keeping through IGNIS.
“By partnering with Bridger, we are closing the gap between space, air, and the fireline,” said Thomas Grübler, co-founder of OroraTech and CEO of OroraTech USA.
“By combining satellite and aerial intelligence, the partnership will help firefighters better understand where a fire is, how it is changing, and where it may spread next, giving incident teams a more complete picture to make faster, more informed decisions.”
The companies also plan to pursue joint customer engagements, validate wildfire detection and monitoring performance together, and explore program-level collaboration with wildfire agencies.
