WVU develops AI wildfire detection system for one of America’s most forested states
July 13, 2026
In West Virginia, where forests cover nearly four of every five acres, a wildfire can ignite on a remote mountainside far from roads, fire stations, cameras, or anyone likely to report the first signs of smoke.
Engineers at West Virginia University are developing a satellite-based artificial intelligence system that could help change that by detecting wildfires from space and automatically adjusting satellite observation schedules as fires spread.
The technology could eventually give firefighters earlier warnings and a clearer view of fires burning across rugged or inaccessible terrain.