Satellite imagery, the new weapon to fight forest fires

As a senior expert at the newly-established Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Agency (BP REDD+), Erwinsyah is responsible for monitoring hot spots in the country’s forests and sending alerts to relevant agencies and local officials about possible land and forest fires.

The job may look daunting, but Erwinsyah said he was now able to handle it directly from his home through his laptop, thanks to the introduction of Global Forest Watch-Fires (GFW-Fires), an online platform equipped with, among other features, high-resolution satellite imagery, real-time fire alerts from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and land-use and concession maps to monitor and respond to land and forest fires.

Read more at Jakarta Post.