OroraTech Selected as a Top 20 Finalist of the Prestigious XPRIZE Wildfire Competition
- April 17, 2024
- 5:15 PM
INDIANAPOLIS, IND. USA: In a significant step toward leveraging technology to combat wildfires, OroraTech is proud to be announced as one of 20 finalists in the prestigious XPRIZE Wildfire Competition in the Space-Based Wildfire Detection & Intelligence track, moving on to the final round of the competition.
The XPRIZE Foundation is a non-profit that brings together investment and business communities, developing competitions to align humanity’s greatest challenges with an incentive to create future technology. Their competitions include a variety of goals, including increasing water abundance, adult literacy, and space-related missions, amongst others.
The foundation revealed the list of advancing teams for the Wildfire competition during the FDIC International Conference in Indianapolis, the largest gathering of firefighters in the world. OroraTech’s selection validates the team’s innovative orbital technology and approach to wildfire detection and management.
“Our Wildfire Solution being recognized by such a prestigious competition is a testament to the impact of our technology”, comments Chief Strategy Officer Thomas Grübler. “Wildfires are a global challenge with increasing severity and risk. Our solution is poised to help wildfire detection and management in an ever-changing environment well into the future”.
OroraTech will take home a share of the $750,000 prize pool for this round as it competes for the up-to $5 million award of the overall competition. Over the next year, the 20 finalists will implement the suggestions from the competition’s advisory board and panel of judges. This culminates in 2025 with a Semifinal System Technical Verification round in April and a Final Testing round in August.
It’s estimated that the total cost of wildfires within the United States is between $394 billion and $893 billion each year. The four-year XPRIZE Wildfire is a competition dedicated to identifying and amplifying innovative solutions for early wildfire detection and management to help mitigate this cost and damage. To synergistically drive the development of this complex issue, the competition has been divided into two tracks focusing on “Space-Based Wildfire Detection & Intelligence” and “Autonomous Wildfire Response”. The resulting technologies will significantly impact how wildfires are detected and managed across the planet.
OroraTech’s unique solution combines an existing network of 25 sensors in orbit, numerous ground sensors & weather models, and an upcoming proprietary constellation to detect outbreaking wildfires and predict their behavior. They serve forestry, governmental, and utilities on six continents, providing detection and data intelligence services for a safe and more sustainable world.
For more information about the XPRIZE Foundation & the XPRIZE Wildfire Competition and how to donate to the prize pool, visit the competition’s webpage.
