A Matter of Scale: How OroraTech’s Wildfire Solution Protects Suzano Forests
Suzano, the leading sustainable cellulose manufacturer in South America, has been a large supporter of our mission for many years, being one of our first subscribers of Wildfire Solution back in 2021. We are constantly working with them to make our products better, testing our newest technology and receiving feedback to continuously make improvements to our Wildfire Solution.
With Suzano’s presence in over 80 countries across the world, the company naturally has many areas to protect. In total, these areas account for about 2.7 million hectares (6.6 million acres) under the watch of their forest supervision and response team. The size of each of their Eucalyptus groves alone is 266,340 hectares (378,071 acres) on average, or about 780x the size of Central Park in New York City. When you multiply this across many different field sizes and in many different locations across South America, suddenly monitoring for wildfires becomes a monumental problem. As Suzano expands into different territories, its detection solution needs to expand with them.
All Across the World
“When we want to start a new field or gain a new area, we have to think about buying new cameras, towers for those cameras, and a way to power them all,” comments Luiz Bueno, Fire Prevention and Suppression Coordinator of Suzano. “This works in smaller, contained environments, but becomes very challenging at scale when we are covering such large areas.”
Camera setups are the fastest way to detect a wildfire, there is no question about that. However, they come with a number of limitations. As mentioned, the infrastructure cost is directly proportional to the amount of land that is monitored and can balloon quickly. A camera on a hill or tower can cover a wide area, but when your land is the size of a small country, then rapid detection becomes costly and difficult. These cameras also have limited use at night with narrow visibility to see smoke trails and other fire activities.
Furthermore, because there is a need for multiple systems to monitor their areas, reliable operation becomes a logistical nightmare. An operator might have to look at two to three different screens just to cover all the different camera angles. This also doesn’t include the many different programs that an operator needs – communication programs to call fire fighting forces, weather programs to monitor potential spread conditions, and other organization tools like email and internet browsers. This switching causes strain in emergency situations where every second counts.
Filling in the Gaps & Advanced Detection Services
Even as a secondary detection solution, OroraTech provides Suzano with an enormous amount of value in helping them predict and manage their fire problem. Our Wildfire Solution acts as a perfect complementary tool and these two systems often work in tandem. Camera setups deliver localized detection capability and our satellites watch more remote areas, while still providing robust data tools. As Suzano expands, they regularly employ OroraTech technology to give overwatch as they build up a camera infrastructure.
“Some of our land is not covered by cameras, and here is where OroraTech is the primary provider. Satellite detections are a fantastic tool to cover the gaps in our detection network”, says Luiz Bueno. “Especially as we expand a grow operation into much larger land, being able to monitor everything from orbit as we build up infrastructure is of huge importance. ”
This ability to implement a wildfire detection system quickly at scale is a real strength of OroraTech’s detection design, but another is the data products that we can build on top of it. For example, Suzano uses our Fire Spread feature, which can predict the spread capability of a fire. They use this to position their firefighting teams correctly and to inform them about any structures in the fire’s path.
As a secondary tool, our need to be flexible extends to the compatibility of Wildifre Solution itself. Our entire solution can be accessed in one of two ways, either via a normal web browser or directly through an API. The API method allows for true adaptation within current communication and command systems. The ability for developers to build us into their operation creates fast and efficient fire responses in a situation where time is of the essence.
Continuous Improvement & Feature Implementation
Suzano is expanding its operations every year, and OroraTech is there to expand with them. As we grow our thermal detection network by 9 satellites in the next 12 months and improve our detection times & capabilities, Luiz Bueno sees our solution becoming their primary wildfire management tool.
“We need detection times under 10 minutes, this is most important. We need to be responding to a fire immediately. But your detections are getting quicker every month and I am really excited about the new technology launching next year,” he explains. “In my opinion, you will be our primary provider in the near future. We have been working with your development teams to build an amazing tool. The value of having a satellite network watching our property for wildfire is enormous.”
We work to improve our products every single month, updating our Wildifre Solution platform and thermal platforms in orbit. FOREST-3, our newly developed platform that will launch in late 2024, promises to be the perfect test-bed for developing fire detection technologies and algorithms while in orbit. We work with customer’s feedback directly, implementing new features and improvements based on real-world use cases. This iterative approach means continuous advancement and refinement of our powerful wildfire management system.
Real Thermal Intelligence for Real Fire Response
Our Wildfire Solution provides safety and security as wildfires become more common and dangerous. Our ability to detect fires in orbit and alert customers to the size, shape, and spread of a fire is paramount for protecting life, land, and property. For more information, get in touch with our experts.
