Google's new satellite network can help spot wildfires
Wildfires have been a constant problem for agencies. Early detection is vital, but fires can often start in subtle ways; by the time anyone notices the growing blaze, it's too late to stop. Just take the wildfires in Los Angeles earlier this year as an example. Apps have been created to crowdsource fire detection, and the traditional method of watching for wildfires is through satellite imagery.
However, smoke, debris, and other obstacles make satellite imagery unreliable at best. It is often only updated every 12 hours, too. FireSat builds on existing infrastructure to create what its team calls a 'wildfire boundary map.' This system will enable people to view wildfires through services like Google Maps.
FireSat utilizes AI to search for fires. The way it works is by comparing a current image of a given location with previous imagery. 'Differentiating between real fires and random 'noise' in the environment was a challenge,' Chris Van Arsdale, co-founder of FireSat, says. 'We had to determine where to draw the line between what is a real fire versus things like sensor issues or misaligned pixels.'
The new model is particularly effective. Previous detection methods often only picked up on wildfires after they were a few acres in size, but FireSat is quite a bit more capable. Erica Brand, one of the project managers for FireSat, gave this example. 'One of our team members lit a barbecue and a firepit in his backyard so we could fly the plane over and test it. And the sensors were able to pick it up.'
FireSat is still several years away from being fully functional, but the team believes it will be able to accomplish things no wildfire detection system has been able to before. According to Google, the full system will be able to detect a wildfire about the size of a classroom within 20 minutes. This will give response teams significantly more time to contain the blaze before it spreads to residential and commercial areas.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC News
a day ago
- NBC News
Hackers leak 13,000 user photos and IDs from the Tea app, designed as a women's safe space
Hackers have breached the Tea app, which recently went viral as a place for women to safely talk about men, and tens of thousands of women's selfies and photo IDs have now seemingly been leaked online. A spokesperson confirmed the hack Friday afternoon. The company estimates that 72,000 images, including 13,000 verification photos and images of government IDs, were accessed. Tea is designed to function as a virtual whisper network for women, allowing them to upload photos of men and search for them by name. Users can leave comments describing specific men as a 'red flag' or 'green flag,' and share other information about them. It's recently gained such popularity that it became the top free app in the Apple App Store this week. The app claimed Thursday to have recently gained nearly a million new signups. Signing up for Tea requires users to take selfies, which the app says are deleted after review, to prove they are women. All users who get accepted are promised anonymity outside of the usernames they choose. Taking screenshots of what's in the app is also blocked. The hacker accessed a database from more than two years ago, the Tea spokesperson said, adding that 'This data was originally stored in compliance with law enforcement requirements related to cyberbullying prevention.' The Tea spokesperson said that the company has hired third-party cybersecurity experts and is 'working around the clock to secure our systems.' 'Protecting our users' privacy and data is our highest priority. Tea is taking every necessary step to ensure the security of our platform and prevent further exposure,' the spokesperson said. The app has angered some men, and prompted a thread Thursday evening on the right-wing troll message board 4Chan, in which users called for a 'hack and leak' campaign. The company became aware of the incident, which was first reported by 404 Media, early Friday, the spokesperson said. A 4Chan user posted a link Friday morning, allegedly allowing people to download the database of stolen images, and troves of alleged victims' identification photos have been posted on 4Chan and X. NBC News has not verified the authenticity of the photos or their provenance. On Google Maps, a user has created a map that purports to show the locations of Tea users that were affected by the hack, though there are no names, addresses or other identifying information aside from coordinates on it. The Tea app's creator, Sean Cook, said on its website that he was inspired after he watched his mother's 'terrifying experience with online dating,' including being catfished and unknowingly dating men with criminal records. On Tea, users can run background checks, search for criminal histories and reverse-search photos to check whether a man is catfishing. The app also claims to donate 10% of its profits to the National Domestic Violence Hotline. (The hotline confirmed to NBC News that the company is a donor.) Some men online have expressed in online posts that they fear being misrepresented or doxxed on the platform. Others, including some users of the app, have also raised concerns that the app could lead to harmful cyberbullying unrelated to actual safety concerns. In a few online forums, men have floated the idea of creating their own men-only version of the app as payback for women's use of Tea. One such app, called Teaborn, quickly ignited backlash after its creator called users out for posting revenge porn. The app is now removed from the App Store. The app said in an Instagram story that new signups have surpassed 2 million in the past few days. Many who have posted on the app's Instagram page said they remain on the app's waitlist. By Friday, several commenters had also started expressing concerns about their data privacy in the wake of the hacking news.
Android Authority
2 days ago
- Android Authority
Google Maps crashes keeping you from planning a route home? You're far from alone
Andy Walker / Android Authority TL;DR Google Maps is crashing for some users when attempting to get transit directions. Other transportation methods do not appear to be affected. Not everyone on the same version of the app is experiencing the problem, though, and we've reached out to Google for more information. Modern navigation software is superior to paper maps for more reasons than we can count, and one great example is how well they can integrate with mass transit systems. Instead of driving, biking, or walking everywhere, apps like Google Maps make it a snap to plan trips that also incorporate segments where we're riding a bus or boarding a train — even with awareness of departure timetables. That's great when it's working. Right now, though, it isn't. Earlier today, reports started circulating over on Reddit's Google Maps sub about a problem with transit instructions, summarized in a post by user XenonOxide. About a dozen Pixel users chime in to respond with reports of their own, and everyone who's getting this seems to be having the same problem. For affected users, you're able to search for destinations and generate most types of navigation instructions just fine, but the moment you tap on public transit, Maps crashes. Android Police was able to recreate this effect, and confirms what users experienced while testing on version 25.30.00.785163646 of the Maps app. We attempted to also verify on our own phones, but even after updating Maps 25.29.00.782600971 to this newer release, we're still able to access navigation instructions without causing a crash. Why this is affecting some users and not others, we can't yet say, but reports in the Reddit thread show that crashes still appear to be taking place within the past hour, making it look like Google has yet to resolve the underlying issue. In fact, we don't see a mention of any problem at all on the company's Maps status page, so it may not even be widespread enough to be on the radar. We've reached out to Google to both try to find out if the company is aware of these crashes, and to see if there are any steps users experiencing them can take in order to get Maps working again.
Android Authority
2 days ago
- Android Authority
Google Maps brings music controls back, but the fix isn't perfect
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority TL;DR Media playback controls are back in Google Maps. Google confirmed earlier this week that the disappearance was a bug. The fix is likely being issued as a server-side update. Google Maps has long had media playback controls to minimize distractions when navigating. However, earlier this week, those controls suddenly disappeared without warning. Now it appears Google has brought the controls back. After reports started coming in about the missing playback controls, Google confirmed that a bug was behind the unintended removal and a fix was on its way. Fast forward a few days, it appears that fix is starting to roll out now. The folks over at Android Police have spotted the return of the media controls on multiple devices running Google Maps versions 25.28.04 and 25.30.00. Considering that these are the same versions that were affected by the bug, it's likely this fix is a server-side update. Not only have the playback controls returned, but so has the setting to enable the feature. This setting can be found by tapping on your profile picture in the top right corner of the screen, scrolling down to Settings, and locating Navigation. You should see the option to 'Show media playback controls' right above Alert options. This issue was first spotted only about a week ago. So the fact that Google rolled out a fix this quickly is a pleasant surprise. However, there may be some more work that needs to be done. Android Police notes that the media playback controls don't appear in the collapsed card while in navigation mode. The controls are only visible after you expand the card.
