Breezometer Launches Wildfire Tracker | Air Quality Updates

BreezoMeter Expands Beyond Air Quality with Wildfire Tracker

BreezoMeter is dedicated to providing widespread access to information regarding environmental health risks. The company, originating in Israel, now utilizes its air quality index (AQI) calculations to assess air quality with precision, even down to a few meters, across numerous countries.

Through a collaboration with Apple, integrating its data into the iOS Weather application alongside its own widely-used apps, BreezoMeter delivers these crucial metrics to hundreds of millions of users. Furthermore, its API product enables businesses to leverage its data for their specific applications.

Introducing Wildfire Tracker

Following a recent $30 million Series C funding round, BreezoMeter is significantly broadening its offerings. The company is extending its expertise from air quality monitoring into the real-time identification of wildfire boundaries with its new Wildfire Tracker product.

This new capability will integrate the company’s unique combination of sensor data, satellite imagery, and reports from local observers to pinpoint the perimeters of wildfires as they evolve. “Individuals require precise wildfire information in the same way they depend on accurate weather or humidity forecasts,” stated Ran Korber, CEO and co-founder.

He further explained that BreezoMeter aims “to establish a connection between climate technology and human well-being.”

How Wildfire Tracker Works

Areas with elevated fire danger will be clearly delineated using red polygonal boundaries. Air quality data will remain readily accessible within these zones, as well as in the surrounding regions.

Korber highlighted the challenges involved in achieving accurate perimeter detection across diverse geographical locations. Sensor coverage can be limited, especially within forested areas where wildfires often begin.

Additionally, satellite data relying on thermal imaging can be misleading. “We are searching for anomalies… frequently, these result in false positives,” Korber explained. He cited the example of large solar farms, which can register as high heat signatures but are not indicative of fires.

Availability and Future Applications

The identified wildfire perimeters will be freely available to the public on BreezoMeter’s air quality map website, and will soon be integrated into the company’s mobile applications. Later this year, access to these perimeters will be provided through the company’s APIs for commercial clients.

Korber envisions that these API endpoints will empower companies, such as automotive manufacturers, to proactively warn drivers approaching areas affected by wildfires.

Continued Product Expansion

This new feature represents a continuation of BreezoMeter’s ongoing product diversification. “Initially, our focus was solely on air quality… and forecasting air pollution exclusively within Israel,” Korber recalled.

“In almost every year since then, we have expanded our product portfolio to encompass new environmental hazards.” He referenced the addition of pollen monitoring in 2018 and the increasingly global reach of the platform.

A Growing Market for Wildfire Technology

Wildfire detection is currently attracting significant investment from venture capital firms. Companies like Cornea are concentrating on assisting firefighters in identifying and controlling blazes, while Perimeter aims to delineate wildfire boundaries and provide detailed evacuation guidance, including mapping.

Given the increasing risk of wildfires in California and around the world, further investment and the development of new products in this sector are anticipated.