Joe
Dougherty October
24, 2013
Earth Science C
Odd Ms.
Davies
"Time Is Ripe for Fire
Detection Satellite, Say Scientists." ScienceDaily. N.p., 22
Oct. 2013. Web. 24 Oct. 2013. <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131022102246.htm>.
University
of California, Berkeley, scientists have begun designing an amazing idea for a
satellite that could be used to spot wildfires. This satellite called the Fire
Urgency Estimator in Geosynchronous Orbit or FUEGO uses sensors and other
software to continuously take pictures of the ground across the West Coast.
Then, fire departments are notified if the sensors have detected a hotspot.
Wildfire detection is currently based on human sightings from fire towers and
the ground. Sometimes, humans will be too late and millions of dollars of
property and forests will have already been burned down. Technology has finally
reached a stage in which wildfires can be detected by satellites before they
get to be too big. The government or a private company could fund FUEGO for
several hundred million dollars which is a small amount compared to the 2.5
billion dollar yearly fire budget. Although the satellites will cost a lot to
build, they will be able to save millions of dollars of property damage. The
government and private companies currently help fund two satellites called the
Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite and the Landsat, which
provide information and statistics about the wildfires after they start. FUEGO
is used to detect fires in the early stages and help put an end to them. Scott
Stephens, a fire expert said, “If we had information on the location of fires
when they were smaller, then we could take appropriate actions quicker and more
easily, including preparing for evacuation.” Therefore, it will also be able to
help save many lives by giving people time to safely escape unlike before when
people were given no warnings. This satellite would allow fires to be put out
before they had the chance to grow and turn into disasters. When these ideas
were originally discussed, we didn’t have the money or technology and there was
a possibility of many false alarms. Now, the technology is cheaper and better
than ever before. The satellite has also been improved regarding false alarms
and now has a very low rate, yet many tests must still be taken before FUEGO is
used.
The
FUEGO satellite is very important because eventually it will be used to stop
wildfires before they grow. Wildfires are becoming more of an issue than ever
before due to global warming. Global Warming has increased the frequency of
wildfires drastically. Fire Departments in California have faced over 6,000
wildfires in just one year. That is 1,600 more fires than average. These FUEGO
satellites may benefit other areas of the world rather than just the West Coast
including hotspots from Spain to Russia. If these satellites can’t prevent
wildfires from starting up, they will at least be able to help avoid disasters
that can wipe out thousands of homes, cause thousands of dollars of property
damage, and kill many people.
The article was a great read and provided insight as to why we
should invest in FUEGO. However, I was left with only one side of the story. If
there is only a plus side to FUEGO, then why hasn’t the government or a private
company funded more tests yet? The only answer that was given was the cost, but
this was proved to not be an issue due to the nation’s yearly fire budget.
There wasn’t much background information on the GOES and Landsat satellites as
well. I think the article could have been improved by adding more statistics
about the wildfires that have occurred in the past to convince the reader that
FUEGO is a necessity. Regardless of these few improvements, the article
described an interesting story and convinced me that we need fire detection
satellites. I will continue to check for updates on the progress of this
satellite and hope the government or a private company decides to fund it.
That seemed like an interesting article, and when reading your report, I just want to know more about the FUEGO. I think you explained really well on what the FUEGO is and how it can really help us save tons of money as well as tons of people. It was nicely explained how due to technology advancing really rapidly, we are able to save ourselves for wildfires. This really struck out to me because I recently read an article about a wildfire in Australia, and I was thinking if the FUEGO might have been able to detect the start of the fire, since in Australia, many of the houses were burnt down. In your report, you talked a lot about how early notification of wildfires would be helpful, so if the satellite was working and detected it, I think it proves that this article is really important and relevant to us. I also liked how you put a quote by a fire expert in the report and used the quote to explain about the importance of this satellite.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that there was even a technology that can detect if there is a hotspot and help locate the wildfire. I found that really surprising because mostly we hear about phones and technologies like that advancing, but, at least for me, it is rare to hear about other technologies that can help us understand actual disasters that are happening. What was also really interesting was just the amount of damage the fires costs, like I never expected to be in the billions, so just by putting an actual amount in the report helped me realize the importance of the FUEGO.
I think it would be helpful if you were more clear about how far we are in developing this satellite. I'm not sure if there is only a model or do they actually have the satellite and is just improving it to avoid false alarms, like I'm not sure at which "stage" they are at in devolving the FUEGO. Other else than that, I thought the report was really well written, and I didn't find it boring to read.
This satellite seems like a very innovative and interesting idea! I think that you did a very good job in explaining the overall role that this satellite, FUEGO, will play in the future. Coming from someone with no background knowledge of this idea, I think that you explanation was simple, yet had enough detail that I could understand this concept. As well as giving a good explanation of FUEGO, you also did a great job in explaining why this satellite should be built, and what it would do for the American people. I also think that the quote you used from Scott Stephens, a fire expert, helped to show the reader why this is a necessary piece of technology for future uses. From reading you report, I was able to learn how devastating wild fires are. Being from a fairly urban area, I have never thought about the danger these fires can cause. They can destroy millions of dollars worth of property without being spotted. Putting out the fires is an incredibly difficult challenge because of their sheer size. As well as providing me with a different perspective of the threats that wildfires pose, your report also informed me of how global warming is affecting the frequency of these fires. This year, California has had an average of 1,600 more wildfires then previous years. One way that you could improve on this review is by going into more detail about the causes of wildfires. Great job!
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your current event, I thought you did a good job of giving a background to the creation of the FUEGO, which was the issue of wildfires on the dry West coast, which cost millions of dollars in damages every year. I also liked how you explained the difference these satellites would make if they were sent into space, saying that it would not only save homes and wild animals, but also humans. Finally, I thought you did a great job of reeling the reader in in the critique paragraph, asking why these satellites have not been more heavily funded if they have the ability to make such an impact. Furthermore, I never knew neither how devastating these fires were nor what was being done to prevent them, as there were a baffling 1600 more occurrences this year than in an average year.Also, I was unaware that such high importance was placed on space projects that would improve life on Earth, as opposed to extremely expensive space expeditions that would take many years. The only thing I would have changed was the amount you supported the creation of these satellites, as you always want to remain as impartial as possible when writing informational pieces such as this.
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