Maxar Technologies Inc.
08/10/2021 | News release | Distributed by Public on 08/10/2021 15:14
Open Data Response to Wildfires in California and Turkey
Dixie Fire, California
As of August 10, 2021, the Dixie Fire in Northern California has been burning for nearly a month. It is now the largest single wildfire in California history* and is approximately 25% contained. Thousands of people are under evacuation orders as the fire has consumed almost 500,000 acres and destroyed more than 400 structures. For the latest up-to-date information and resources, visit the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection website. For the latest satellite imagery, visit our Open Data Program event page.
Turkish wildfires
Over 200 wildfires have burned more than 395,000 acres of Turkey's forest in its Mediterranean region in July and August, the worst wildfire season in the country's history. In the past two weeks, the fires have killed eight people and forced thousands of people, including tourists, to flee. The Mugla province alone has reported that 136,000 acres have burned-more than twice the area burned across all of Turkey in 2020-and that 36,000 people have evacuated. Strong winds, extremely high temperatures and low humidity have contributed to the spread of the fires. For the latest satellite imagery, visit our Open Data Program event page.
When crises like this occur, Maxar is committed to supporting the humanitarian community by providing critical and actionable information to assist response efforts and fulfilling our purpose, For A Better World. As part of our Open Data Program, Maxar will publicly release data of the affected areas to support response efforts as it becomes available.
Any imagery or data distributed through the Open Data Program is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 license (CC BY-NC 4.0). This licensing allows for noncommercial use of the information, meaning it can quickly be integrated into first responder workflows with organizations like Team Rubicon, the Red Cross and other nonprofits. If commercial companies are interested in using the data distributed through the Open Data Program, it can be purchased by contacting us here.
Imagery has been posted on our Open Data Program website. Please continue to check this site and our social media channels for updates on additional post-event data.
*Last year's massive August Complex Fire burned 1,032,648 acres and occupies the top spot on the state's largest fires list. However, as its name implies, that fire was what's known as a 'complex fire'-a superfire that formed after several smaller fires met up with each other.