
Wildfires are responsible for about 6 percent of the planet's CO2 emissions, according to Earth System Science Data. Australia's bushfire season of 2019-2020 alone saw over 46 million acres of land devastated by wildfire, including the loss of almost half a billion mammals, birds and reptiles.
NVIDIA Inception member OroraTech is addressing these issues head-on with its wildfire detection and monitoring service.
Combining data from predominantly satellites but also ground-based cameras, aerial observations and local weather information, the Munich-based startup is taking on the challenge of preventing one of today's most prevalent disasters.
Wildfires are a natural phenomenon - but global warming is making it worse, said Bj rn Stoffers, one of the company's co-founders. There are more droughts, pest infestation, higher temperatures and humans are building houses in wildfire-prone areas. Our goal is to monitor wildfires around the world and detect every fire within 30 minutes.
Detection From Start to Finish Data suggests global warming might be happening faster than we thought. Temperatures are rising, carbon dioxide levels are at their highest and extreme weather events are happening more frequently. Preventing wildfires is one route to reducing a sizable chunk of CO2 emissions, not to mention saving lives and property.
OroraTech provides risk assessment features to help monitor areas before wildfires can appear. Its holistic approach analyzes a fire risk index, wind particle layers, and the greenness of vegetation and moisture levels to highlight vulnerable areas where a potential wildfire can easily spread.
Early detection and real-time monitoring are used during an active wildfire. Using imagery from 19 satellites and many ground-based cameras, the company's system can detect wildfires even in remote areas and then present visuals of the area and fire progression over time.
In Mozambique's Niassa Special Reserve, the Wildlife Conservation Society has already put OroraTech's system to good use. Wildfire alerts enabled rangers to prevent a base camp from burning down with only 100 meters between the camp and the blaze.
The system also provides damage analysis to review air pollution, fire origin and burned area after a wildfire has taken place.
The view that OroraTech is able to capture of an active wildfire. Speed Is of the Essence While OroraTech is already accelerating wildfire prevention and detection through its service, there are limitations to sharing a satellite with other users. Coverage isn't always available, and data downloads can take up to 1.5 hours. Wildfires aren't known for taking their time. Indeed, in grasslands, they can travel up to 14 mph.
This year, OroraTech is launching its own AI nanosatellites with the NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX system onboard. The compact, low-power module delivers up to 21 trillion operations per second of accelerated compute at just 15 watts. It runs modern neural networks in parallel and quickly processes data from multiple high-resolution sensors. Data is sent within 2-3 minutes of a wildfire taking hold for immediate action on the ground.
These miniature satellites can be built, launched and operated at a fraction of the cost of one large satellite by using smaller sensors - allowing OroraTech to easily launch a constellation of more than 100 satellites and achieve a much better coverage of the planet.
From Satellites to Startups Stoffers, Thomas Gr bler, Florian Mauracher and Rupert Amann founded OroraTech in 2018 as a spinoff from the Technical University of Munich, where they researched space and satellite technology. Now, with over 50 employees internationally, OroraTech has made it its mission to revolutionize wildfire management around the world.
The company's efforts have gotten a boost from NVIDIA Inception, an accelerator program that offers go-to-market support, expertise and technology for AI, data science and HPC startups. Being an Inception member has helped us on our journey, with training support, access to hardware and visibility at networking and VC events, said Stoffers.
Looking back at previous wildfire data, OroraTech is confident its tech would've saved large areas of forest. Looking forward, it has its sights set on helping meet key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, such as sustainable communities, climate action and supporting life on land.
That's no mean feat for a small but growing innovator taking on the world, one wildfire at a time.
Register now to hear OroraTech speak at GTC 21 in November.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
09/09/2026
Sony Electronics has announced the SEL814G, the company's first fisheye zoom G Lens for full-frame Alpha E-mount cameras. The lens will be available in Octo...
09/09/2026
Telestream has announced an expansion of its Practical AI capabilities across th...
09/09/2026
Haivision and Chyron have announced a technology partnership integrating Haivisi...
09/09/2026
Omaha Productions has released ManningCast: Heist, a short film featuring Peyton and Eli Manning attempting to break into NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's o...
09/09/2026
Imagine Communications will demonstrate the next evolution of XVR at IBC2026 (Stand 1.B73, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-14).
XVR is Imagine's channel-in-a-b...
09/09/2026
swXtch.io has announced abbe, an AI-based orchestration layer for live media workflows, making its world premiere at IBC2026 (Meeting Room 5.MR13, Hall 5, Septe...
09/09/2026
NFL Films has announced the second season of Inside the NFL on X as an X Original, premiering Wednesday, September 9. The series marks Inside the NFL's 50th...
09/09/2026
LiveU has announced an expanded partnership with The Associated Press, deploying the largest fleet of LU900Q intelligent production units in the industry as par...
09/09/2026
Diversified has announced plans to consolidate its four existing New Jersey locations into a new facility in Newark, expected to be fully operational by the end...
09/09/2026
Wisycom will exhibit new RF products at IBC2026 (Stand 8.D60, September 11-14), including the MATF Wideband Antenna Matrix, PFL Portable RF over Fiber Box, and ...
09/09/2026
Guntermann & Drunck (G&D) and VuWall, both Panoptec companies, will introduce vsNEO at IBC2026 (Stand 8.B63, September 11, RAI Amsterdam). Pre-orders open in ea...
09/09/2026
Mo-Sys has completed a business restructuring and relocated to a new facility in Canada Water, London. As part of the reorganization, Selin Kemal has been promo...
09/09/2026
Aicox has integrated TAG Video Systems' Core monitoring platform into Telef nica's TSAmediaHUB audiovisual contribution and distribution infrastructure....
09/09/2026
Blackmagic Design has released DaVinci Resolve 21.1, a free update available now through the Blackmagic Design website. The release adds new AI tools, workflow ...
09/09/2026
ESPN and Apple Music have announced a collaboration on music curation for Monday...
09/09/2026
Sacramento Production Services has completed a wireless audio overhaul at Sutter Health Park, home of the Athletics during their three-year residency in Sacrame...
09/09/2026
NDI and NVIDIA have announced a collaboration to develop AI-powered workflows enabling broadcasters to create and distribute multilingual content from a single ...
09/09/2026
Christopher Chip Adams, Troy Aikman, Jim Dove, Jim Eady, Bucky Gunts, Robert A. Iger, Charlie Jablonski, Robert Kraft, Tom Rinaldi, and Dick Stockton to be ho...
09/09/2026
ND2 returns as the primary unit, While FNIA gets SSQC and new flexible Rover...
09/09/2026
New parts aimed at hip-hop and pop productions
The latest update to Celemony's innovative virtual session musician expands the collection of built-in in...
09/09/2026
Save up to 40% until 21 September 2026
Sonarworks are currently running their Autumn Sale, with discounts of up to 40% currently available across their rang...
09/09/2026
Upcoming title officially launches in September 2026
Bjooks' celebrations for this year's 909 Day will be welcome news amongst drum machine lovers, ...
09/09/2026
NITV to bring First Nations netball to audiences nationwide
9 September, 2026
Media releases
Every match of the 2026 First Nations Tournament will be live ...
09/09/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites eligible Tier 1 and 2 South African production companies to submit proposals to serve as the Facilitating ...
09/09/2026
Italy launch follows UK and Germany as Nielsen expands product across EMEA
Milan, Italy, September 9, 2026 - Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, ...
09/09/2026
Planned solutions tackle accuracy, cost and latency barriers to deploying AI at ...
09/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/09/2026
Studio Technologies, a leading manufacturer of high-quality audio, video, and fiber-optic solutions, introduces its new Model 791 Control Console at IBC 2026 (N...
09/09/2026
Maxon, maker of powerful, approachable software solutions for creators working in 2D and 3D design, motion graphics, visual effects and visualization, is headin...
09/09/2026
NUGEN Audio unveils DialogCheck v1.2, the latest evolution of its intelligent dialog intelligibility and compliance tool, at IBC 2026 (Pod P27). With a sharpene...
09/09/2026
Trusted Partner Network Launches Fix It or Risk It to Help the Entertainment Industry Tackle Everyday Security Risks
Industry-Wide Campaign Launches at IBC2...
09/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/09/2026
AI has moved firmly beyond experimentation in UK advertising, with more than eight in ten marketers (83%) now actively using or piloting AI in production, accor...
09/09/2026
IBC2026 - Stand 7.D22
At IBC2026, Pixitmedia by DataCore will showcase its latest capabilities designed to simplify distributed production, accelerate workflow...
09/09/2026
Stockholm, Sweden September 9th, 2026 At IBC2026, on booth 1.B47, Net Insight will showcase Open Live Media, its architecture for delivering resilient live ...
09/09/2026
Net Insight today announced that DMC Production Norway is continuing the use of its Open Live Media technology for premium European football, deploying Nimbra 5...
09/09/2026
Amagi, the media industry cloud platform for unified broadcast, streaming, and monetization, will showcase four new AI-native capabilities at IBC2026, Hall 5, S...
09/09/2026
Limecraft today announces version 2026.6 of its AI-powered production platform, extending capabilities for connected media operations. An AI-assisted approach t...
09/09/2026
Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, today announced the next evolution of its Practical AI strategy, evolving its comprehensive portfoli...
09/09/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the appointment of Brian Doheny as Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
09/09/2026
LiveU is now a Clarus Integrated Reseller, bringing Starlink's fast, reliable broadband directly into LiveU's cellular bonding EcoSystem through a singl...
09/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/09/2026
Wisycom is showcasing the latest additions to its ecosystem of professional RF technologies at IBC 2026 (Stand 8.D60). This includes its new MATF Wideband Anten...
09/09/2026
AMSTERDAM, IBC2026 VisualOn, Inc. and Cires21 today released an updated joint whitepaper at IBC 2026 demonstrating measurable, high-impact improvements in visu...