AI in Wildfire Spread Prediction Quiz

Answers and explanations appear as you take the quiz.

1. Which three factors most strongly drive how a wildfire spreads, and are core inputs to AI models?
   • Wind, slope, and fuel
   • Rainfall, humidity, and air pressure
   • Cloud cover, ozone, and pollen
   • Soil pH, latitude, and time of year
2. What kind of satellite data do many wildfire AI systems use to locate active fires?
   • GPS positioning signals
   • Thermal hotspot detections from sensors like VIIRS and MODIS
   • Radio telescope readings
   • Tide gauge measurements
3. Why do many systems produce a probability map instead of a single predicted fire line?
   • To make the maps look more colorful
   • Because computers cannot draw straight lines
   • To honestly communicate uncertainty from variable weather and conditions
   • Because regulations forbid single-line forecasts
4. What does an 'arrival-time field' represent in a spread model?
   • The time firefighters clock in for shifts
   • The arrival time of rain that ends the fire
   • The deadline for filing an incident report
   • The estimated hour the fire front reaches each grid cell
5. What is the status of FireSat’s first operational satellites, according to Earth Fire Alliance?
   • The first three launched in July 2026, while the constellation continues to expand
   • The complete constellation has operated globally for years
   • A single satellite is planned but none have launched
   • FireSat is a ground-based camera network
6. What minimum fire size does Earth Fire Alliance list FireSat as designed to detect?
   • A minimum fire area of about 50 × 50 kilometres
   • A minimum fire area of about 5 × 5 metres
   • Only fires larger than 1,000 hectares
   • Any fire regardless of sensor resolution
7. Why should wildfire spread estimates be updated when weather or observed fire locations change?
   • The model requires a different map color
   • The fire automatically follows satellite paths
   • Model inputs and resulting spread scenarios can change with those conditions
   • Weather has no effect after ignition
8. Who makes operational wildfire decisions using model outputs?
   • The model automatically orders evacuations
   • Satellite sensors decide suppression tactics
   • An AI forecast replaces agency procedures
   • Trained incident managers, using forecasts as decision support