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27Climate / Technology

Reading a wildfire from the air

An AI project combines aerial imagery, weather and terrain to help predict how fires may move next.

Reported by Amanda Hacio

An AI model segments flames and smoke in aerial footage.
ClimateAn AI model segments flames and smoke in aerial footage.Photo: Steven Waslander / University of Toronto

TankerVision uses colour and infrared cameras on firefighting aircraft to segment flames, smoke and ground in aerial footage. The model then combines those observations with terrain, weather and wind.

Steven Waslander leads the wildfire-prediction project.
ClimateSteven Waslander leads the wildfire-prediction project.Photo: University of Toronto

The team logged 50 fires last season and hopes to capture more than 100 this year. The practical aim is not spectacle; it is better information for directing resources and ordering evacuations.

Sources 1
  1. Original reporting · utoronto.ca
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This story is from the August 2026 issue of Alumni Digest · U of T. It's free, monthly and independent.

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