Pavolonis Quoted in Wildfire Detection Article
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a force-multiplier in detection efforts
Drone view of wildfires - click to enlarge
January 18, 2024 - Dr. Michael Pavolonis, NESDIS Wildland Fire Program Manager, was quoted in an article by Meteorological Technology Today titled “How are drones, satellites and AI models working together to predict fires and save lives?”
“Geostationary satellites are constant sentinels,” says Mike Pavolonis, wildland fire program manager at the NOAA Satellite Service (NESDIS). “They enable detection of house-sized fires within 5 to 30 minutes of ignition. AI is a force-multiplier that can mimic a human expert checking imagery. We have a prototype real-time AI system to detect fires and issue alerts.”