Artificial intelligence (AI) can help transform how we understand and respond to the escalating threat of bushfires. We start this journey with the first imagery now available from the proto satellite launched by Muon Space earlier this year, as part of theFireSat program led by the global nonprofit Earth Fire Alliance.
And Australia is embracing new ways to manage bushfires, with AFAC (the Australian and New Zealand Council for fire and emergency services) and CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, leading the way in using advanced satellite technology and artificial intelligence. Supported by Google.org and Google Australia, these collaborative efforts aim to improve how the nation detects, tracks, and responds to bushfires.
Bushfires, which are becoming more frequent due to warmer and drier conditions, continue to be a significant concern across Australia and around the world. Current satellite images often don't provide enough detail or are not updated very often, making it hard for early responders to spot fires until they are quite large. The FireSat constellation, a new network specifically designed to detect and track bushfires with the help of applied AI, is here to fill that gap.
FireSat’s new technology will provide quick, detailed information about where a bushfire is, how big it is, and how intense it is – as seen in the first imagery, including multiple active fires detected near Borroloola, Northern Territory, on July 11, 2025.
ireSat can spot fires as small as 5x5 metres, which is a big step forward and will help first responders act much more quickly. It also provides valuable information that will help scientists better understand bushfire behaviour.
To help Australia get ready for this technological advancement, Google.org has provided funding to AFAC to set up the Oceania Emerging Technologies Hub. This hub will represent Australia in the global AI Collaborative for Bushfire, a project designed to bring together public, private, and non-profit groups, along with researchers, to create AI-powered solutions for bushfire management.
At the same time, Google Australia, through its Digital Future Initiative, has supported CSIRO’s Spark program – a bushfire simulation tool already used by many Australian fire agencies – to ensure it is ready to use the new FireSat data. This support will also encourage more research into new AI technologies for bushfire management, with Spark Research now hosted on Google Cloud, making it available to researchers in Australia and globally.
"AFAC is excited to be participating in this global project. Leveraging the strength of AFAC's established model of collaboration, we are delighted to be part of a global network of researchers and practitioners looking to integrate the best of satellite technologies, AI and emerging technologies with systems and processes,” said AFAC CEO Rob Webb.
Dr Mahesh Prakash from CSIRO added, "CSIRO has been at the forefront of wildfire science and associated model and product development for several decades now. We have been collaborating with AFAC, emergency management agencies and Google for the past few years to strengthen our ability to keep communities safe in Australia.”
“Our involvement in this project will allow CSIRO's fire science and wildfire predictive tools such as Spark to be scaled up globally, helping to build disaster resilience in communities at risk."
This effort continues Google’s long-standing commitment to helping emergency responders and advancing scientific understanding. This includes Google.org’s $13 million contribution to Earth Fire Alliance in support of the FireSat constellation, and Google's ongoing work since 2020 using AI models to provide bushfire boundary tracking alerts and releasing FireBench, an open-source AI dataset for bushfire research.
The teamwork among AFAC, CSIRO, and Google, made possible by the pioneering work of Earth Fire Alliance and Muon Space, represents a significant stride in helping Australian communities and natural areas deal with the increasing challenge of bushfires.
About AFAC
AFAC is the Australian and New Zealand Council for fire and emergency services. AFAC is an independent member-based organisation dedicated to achieving connected and capable emergency management.
The AFAC Council comprises member organisations spanning fire, emergency service and land management organisations, who lead a paid and volunteer workforce of over 288,000 people who support communities to become safer and more resilient.
AFAC delivers services to, and on behalf of, emergency management organisations in Australia and New Zealand. AFAC also works in partnership with the Australian Government and other domestic and international organisations supporting response, risk reduction and community resilience.
About CSIRO
CSIRO is Australia’s national science agency and innovation catalyst. We solve the greatest challenges through innovative science and technology. We collaborate with industry, government, and academia to turn science into solutions for a better future.
Our work spans diverse sectors including energy, health, agriculture, environment, manufacturing, and digital technologies. From pioneering AI applications to advancing clean energy and precision health, CSIRO turns science into real-world solutions that benefit Australia and the world.