In the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Hang Woon Lee and Brycen Pearl explain their research to create an AI tracking system for satellites to detect wildfires.
From the article:
Researchers at West Virginia University are developing an artificial intelligence system they hope will give firefighters a critical advantage: satellites that can detect wildfires, think for themselves, and reposition in space to keep watch as the flames spread.
The concept, known as WildFIRE-DS, remains a proof of concept demonstrated through computer simulations rather than hardware already flying in space, explained Hang Woon Lee, director of the WVU Space Systems Operations Research Laboratory and an assistant professor in the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources.
But team members say it represents a significant step toward making future wildfire-monitoring satellites more responsive while reducing the time it takes to get critical information into firefighters' hands.
“If we are to grant satellites the ability to reposition themselves, we should be able to capture more information out of the wildfire events,” Lee said.
Read the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article.
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