EUROPEAN SATELLITES TO HELP FIGHT FOREST FIRES.

The European Space Agency (ESA) is launching an initiative that could help to fight forest fires. Called "real time management of emergency situations via satellite" (REMSAT), it uses satellite technologies to coordinate the emergency services response and reactions to dangerous situations, enabling them to react more quickly and efficiently to forest fires. However, while emerging and existing satellite technologies can help to improve such communications, a gap currently exists between these new technologies and their operational use. The ESA is now confident this gap can be bridged.REMSAT makes maximum use of existing space technologies (notably telecommunications, positioning and earth observation systems), as well as hand-held terminals carried by firemen to enable them to communicate with central emergency...