Greece deploys world‑first wildfire‑detection satellites as AI system begins sending real‑time alerts
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Greece has become the first country in the world to integrate a dedicated satellite constellation into its national firefighting system, launching four suitcase‑sized nanosatellites designed to spot new wildfires within minutes and transmit real‑time alerts to incident commanders.
Photo: This is a screenshot from a an interview about the system made with Zisoula Ntasiou - CTIF Vice President (EC Member) and Secretary of the CTIF Forest Fire Commission.
The system, developed with German company OroraTech, (A CTIF Associate Member) uses thermal sensors capable of detecting hotspots as small as 4×4 metres, far surpassing conventional satellites that typically identify fires only once they reach the size of a cruise ship.
The satellites scan Greece’s fire‑prone mainland and more than 100 inhabited islands, feeding imagery into AI models that instantly analyse heat signatures, filter out false alarms such as solar panels or hot factory roofs, and send verified alerts directly to fire‑service command units. When multiple fires ignite simultaneously — a growing challenge during Europe’s increasingly severe heatwaves — the system provides commanders with location, size, intensity, and predictive spread simulations to help prioritize resources.
Officials say the technology is a critical response to Greece’s escalating wildfire threat. A 2018 blaze east of Athens killed more than 100 people, and in 2023 the Alexandroupolis fire became the largest wildfire ever recorded in the European Union, burning roughly 96,000 hectares. With hotter, drier summers now the norm, Greece’s satellite‑AI network is being closely watched by other European nations seeking faster, more autonomous wildfire‑detection capabilities.
Photo: This is a screenshot from a an interview about the system made with Zisoula Ntasiou - CTIF Vice President (EC Member) and Secretary of the CTIF Forest Fire Commission.
Zisoula Ntasiou is a Fire Lieutenant Colonel in the Hellenic Fire Corps, part of the General Secretariat for Civil Protection and the Ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection. She graduated from the Hellenic Fire Academy in 2002. In addition she holds a master degree in Forestry (School of Forestry and Natural Environment, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki).
Further reading:
https://ororatech.com/resources/news-blog/greece-launches-world-s-first-nationa…?