Today we're announcing a cutting-edge set of predictive wildfire products that capture the complex formation of wildfires and predict how they will spread over the next 24 hours.
These insights will allow enterprise businesses, government agencies, and emergency managers to gain a better understanding into how wildfires may threaten their operations and the safety of their communities.
The data will be part of the WeatherOptics Impact Risk Scores, and integrated into popular products like the RightRoute API, Maps API, and the Insight Portal.
Wildfire risk is increasing across the United States
Wildfires can be unpredictable and dangerous, threatening life, property, supply chain, and daily business operations around the world. More frequent heat waves and severe droughts have dramatically increased the risk of wildfires and the overall impacts they have on the US:
According to the NIFC, there are roughly 70,000 wildfires per year in the United States
The 10 years with the largest acreage burned from wildfires have all occurred since 2004, including the peak year in 2015
Between 2022 and 2023 alone, wildfires accounted for more than $3.2 billion in damage across the United States
Over the past 5 years, California fires accounted for 22% of the total acres destroyed by wildfires in the US
Predictive Wildfire Risk Scores
Wildfire Conditions Index: Predict the formation of wildfires out to 7 days
The Wildfire Conditions Index predicts the likelihood of a wildfire igniting at a given location based on estimated vegetation flammability, future weather conditions, and proximity to active large wildfires. The index ranges from 0 to 10 with values of 0 indicating no chance of wildfire ignition and 10 indicating ideal conditions for a spark to grow into a large wildfire.
Key values:
Gauge which regions are at higher risk for wildfire formation due to weather conditions
Predict out to 6 days how risk will change across the US with a 0-10 risk score
Check if key assets, property, or populations are at risk for wildfire formation and warn ahead of time
Visualize the data to internal operations, customers, or the community
Wildfire Spread Index: Predict the movement of active wildfires over the next 24 hours
The Wildfire Spread Index predicts how an active wildfire will spread due to weather and soil conditions over the next 24 hours. The index ranges from 0 to 10 and indicates a range of likelihood that a wildfire will approach a specific location. Higher values signal greater certainty that a wildfire will spread nearby, with a 10 indicating that a location is currently or about to be on fire.
The product also includes real-time information about the wildfire such as name, level of containment, level of suppression, and overall severity.
Key values:
Track active wildfires and predict the risk of spread to nearby locations over the next 24 hours
Understand if assets are at risk with a 0-10 score indicating the likelihood of spread
Gauge how many acres have burned, the level of suppression, and the level of containment
Visualize the data to internal operations, customers, or the community
Products and deliverables
The Wildfire Risk Scores will be included in the following WeatherOptics products:
Impact API: The Wildfire Conditions Index and Wildfire Spread Index can both be accessed with the WeatherOptics Impact API. The API will return the 0-10 score for each so you can assess how new and active wildfires could impact your business operations.
RightRoute API: RightRoute will include the Wildfire Spread Index and Wildfire Conditions Index, showing supply chain and transportation companies when shipments are expected to go through active wildfires, and when new wildfires might form along a route.
Maps API: The Maps API will allow you to visualize both the Wildfire Conditions Index and Wildfire Spread Index, so you can show your customers and your team where wildfires pose risk in the short term and medium term.
The Insight Portal: The Portal will visualize the Wildfire Conditions Index and Wildfire Spread Index so you can track active wildfires and their movement on a map of the United States. You can also see a timeline of how wildfire risk will change for a given location, and click on the active wildfires to see additional information such as level of containment, suppression, and severity.
How customers are leveraging the insights
Supply chain and logistics companies change route plans that are expected to go through active wildfires and assess risk on a per shipment or per lane basis
Transportation companies alert fleets and drivers when there is an active wildfire nearby or when there is a high risk of new wildfire development
Retailers and shippers monitor if active wildfires are threatening warehouses, facilities, and store locations, and take the proper precautions to ensure safety at all locations
Emergency management and government agencies improve their ability to evacuate areas ahead of time and warn communities of danger during active wildfires
Learn more and access the Wildfire Risk Scores
Interested in protecting your operations from wildfires? Set up a demo with our team today: