Google has announced the expansion of its AI-powered wildfire boundary tracking system to 15 new countries across Europe and Africa, aiming to provide critical safety information as wildfire risks increase globally.
This expansion comes in response to the growing threat of wildfires, with fire-prone territory in Europe reportedly doubling over the past 50 years.
The wildfire boundary tracker, which uses artificial intelligence to analyse satellite imagery and other data sources, will now be available in countries including France, Greece, Italy, Spain, and Kenya. This tool provides detailed wildfire information through Google Search, Maps, and location-based push notifications.
The system aims to complement existing on-the-ground efforts to help people access information and stay safe.
Google's AI model is trained on multiple data sources and validated against fire scar models from past wildfire events. This approach enables more accurate wildfire boundaries than satellite imagery alone can provide.
The expansion has already shown significant impact. In the first week of July, as wildfires broke out across Europe and Africa, as many as 1.4 million people accessed Google's wildfire information.
Notably, the system is designed to be useful for both local residents and visitors who may not speak the local language. Notifications are based on user settings and preferred language, providing timely, localised information about wildfires.
Google plans to continue improving its models and hopes to expand the feature to more countries in the future, as part of its broader efforts to use AI in helping communities adapt to climate change impacts.