- Expands access to real-time satellite data to support decision-making during wildland firefighting
- Combines satellite and aerial intelligence to give first responders a more complete picture of fire location, predicted spread
Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings, Inc., one of the nation’s leading aerial firefighting companies, today announced it is partnering with OroraTech USA, a leader in space-based thermal intelligence and wildfire management. The companies are working together to integrate OroraTech’s wildfire detection, mapping, and fire spread simulation capabilities into Bridger’s IGNIS mobile-first wildfire operations software platform, which delivers situational awareness to state, federal, county, and municipal wildfire agencies.
“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, Chief Executive Officer 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. That has the potential to fundamentally change how quickly and effectively we respond. Together, we are building the intelligence backbone for the modern fire line, connecting information from orbit to the cockpit to the crews on the ground so decision-makers have the clearest, most comprehensive operating picture.”
OroraTech wildfire intelligence will be made available through IGNIS, including data on fire detections, thermal mapping, fire intensity, and predicted fire spread. OroraTech’s Wildfire Solution platform gathers information from more than two dozen public satellites along with OroraTech’s proprietary thermal imaging satellite constellation, which is the world’s first that is dedicated to wildfire detection and monitoring. IGNIS’ ground-first approach is designed to provide incident management teams and field personnel with near-real-time information to support wildfire response efforts.
A recent pilot activity during the Grasshopper Fire near Oregon’s Mount Hood demonstrated how OroraTech’s satellite-derived wildfire intelligence can be incorporated into IGNIS. A Bridger Fire Behavior Analyst used a fire perimeter generated from OroraTech’s satellite heat detections as an input into a fire spread prediction model. The resulting analysis was distributed through the IGNIS platform and app and provided an accurate assessment of anticipated fire progression during that incident.
The collaboration between OroraTech and Bridger directly aligns with industry efforts to develop more connected and interoperable technology solutions to better support wildland firefighting, and the two companies are focused on four operational goals:
- Faster Detection: Accelerate time between new fire ignition and actionable intelligence for decision-makers.Complementary Data: Add an independent satellite mapping layer without duplicating existing agency monitoring.
- Rapid Modelling: Deliver fast, accurate fire spread simulations that help inform initial attack decisions.
- Unified Platform: Streamline data sharing, reconnaissance requests, and record-keeping inside IGNIS software.
“By partnering with Bridger, we are closing the gap between space, air, and the fireline. We are delivering better intelligence to responders when every minute matters. 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,” says Thomas Grübler, Co-founder of OroraTech and Chief Executive Officer of OroraTech USA.
OroraTech and Bridger also intend to pursue joint customer engagements, joint validation of wildfire detection and monitoring performance, and program-level collaboration with wildfire agencies.
For more information on OroraTech USA and its Wildfire Solutions platform, visit ororatechusa.com
