UNSW researcher wins global award for wildfire detection from space

An international research alliance including UNSW Sydney has been recognised for its breakthrough approach to detecting wildfires using satellite technology.

UNSW academics involved in the SIRIUS (Space Intelligence for Resilient InfrastrUctureS) Wildfire Alliance have secured a major award for developing new systems designed to spot fires from space.

The international alliance won first place in the Space-Based Wildfire Detection and Intelligence category of the XPRIZE Wildfire competition. Winners were announced during a ceremony at the New York City Fire Museum last week.

Launched in 2023 and scheduled to run for four years, XPRIZE Wildfire was a global competition that challenged teams to develop technologies capable of detecting, characterising and responding to fires before they became destructive. The contest attracted interest from 370 teams worldwide.

SIRIUS brought together researchers and engineers from leading universities, including UNSW Sydney, Wuhan University and Imperial College London, as well as industry partners and satellite operators.

XPRIZE said the SIRIUS alliance combined different types of data to detect fires, assess their behaviour and model how they could spread. The technology could help transform how emergency services respond to fires.

Professor Linlin Ge from the UNSW School of Civil & Environmental Engineering is part of the SIRIUS team. He said the award reflected almost two decades of research into fire detection and monitoring.

“While the XPRIZE competition ran from 2023 to 2026, it is fair to say that our award was 17 years in the making because we commenced our relevant studies in response to the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria,” Prof. Ge said.

“For SIRIUS, we assembled an outstanding alliance of world-leading universities and external partners. It has been a privilege to work with such a hardworking team and dedicated, well-resourced partners.”

Putting fire detection to the test

The competition’s space-based detection category required teams to use Earth observation data and artificial intelligence to detect, characterise and report fires across vast landscapes.

Finalists took part in field testing conducted in partnership with the NSW Rural Fire Service, where their systems were assessed under real-world operational conditions.

UNSW Dean of Engineering Professor Julien Epps said the award demonstrated the value of international research and industry cooperation.

“This award recognises the power of international collaboration to turn research into solutions for some of the world’s most urgent challenges,” Prof. Epps said.

“UNSW is proud to contribute expertise to a system that could help emergency services detect fires earlier, respond more effectively and protect communities.”

Prof. Ge said early detection was critical to preventing destructive blazes. Recalling an analogy made by XPRIZE founder Dr Peter Diamandis, he said: “When you treat cancer, you want to treat it when there are only a few cells, not when it has reached stage four. Likewise, when we fight a wildfire, we have to fight it when it is still small. Therefore, early detection of wildfires from space is one of the best ways to prevent destructive wildfires.”

Prof. Ge also acknowledged the support of research funding bodies, including the Australian Research Council (ARC), the NSW Space Research Network and SmartSat CRC.

XPRIZE is a nonprofit organisation that designs and manages public competitions to encourage technological development and address some of the world’s most pressing challenges. It was founded by Peter H. Diamandis, the American engineer, physician and entrepreneur, and uses large prizes to accelerate innovation in areas where progress is needed.