Photo: Canadian Forest Service

OroraTech, the German satellite data company, will now play a key role in helping emergency services and the government in Greece as they fight wildfires, a major problem in Greece.  It has won a contract from the European Space Agency (ESA) to support the Greek National Satellites Space Program led by the Hellenic Space Center. OroraTech announced the contract win, July 2.

OroraTech’s data services will be directly connected to the Greek emergency services and employ the expertise of Greek universities and industry. The company partners with the National Technical University of Athens to develop data product algorithms, the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens on space sensor development and calibration initiatives, Satways Ltd. on product interoperability, and Attisat S.A. on building a Greek-based ground station.

OroraTech will significantly invest in Greece over the next years by opening an operations hub in Athens for its entire fleet of space sensors and a development team dedicated to advanced infrared sensing technology.

This project comes as Greece prepares for another hot summer with the threat of destructive wildfires. In recent years, Greece has experienced a significant number of wildfires that have affected approximately 2 percent of the country’s total land area. Because of its rough mountainous terrain and over 6,000 islands, fighting wildfires in Greece is difficult.

“The world-class know-how of our Greek partners for thermal sensing is instrumental in providing the best solution for this country.  Greece will be the first country worldwide to have a national satellite-based wildfire system in place,” Martin Langer, CEO and CTO of OroraTech, said in a statement.