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MEJOR Technologies Featured in De Telegraaf: A Breakthrough in Wildfire Prevention

Updated: Mar 11

MEJOR Technologis - De Telegraaf

MEJOR Technologies was recently featured in De Telegraaf, one of the largest newspapers in the Netherlands, highlighting our innovative approach to wildfire prevention and management. As devastating fires continue to destroy communities, our technology is making a crucial impact in detecting, predicting, and fighting wildfires more efficiently.

 

A Vision for Smarter Wildfire Management

Amidst the destruction caused by wildfires in Los Angeles, two Dutch engineers are working tirelessly to develop solutions that can prevent and combat these disasters worldwide. Our co-founders, Melvin Sieben and Joris Kohl van Wijngaarden, met while working at charging station manufacturer Alfen. With backgrounds in technical physics and mechatronics, they founded MEJOR Technologies in 2021 after witnessing the devastating wildfires in Australia.


"We saw people losing their homes, nature being destroyed, and smoke suffocating cities miles away. We realised that wildfires are not just a symptom of climate change but also an accelerator of it" says Sieben, CEO of MEJOR Technologies.


Innovative AI-Powered Wildfire Solutions

MEJOR Technologies has developed two advanced solutions to tackle wildfires:

  • LUCI: An AI-powered wildfire prevention tool that assesses and supports in defining where, when and why a wildfire might occur. This allows authorities to implement preventative measures, such as landscape adjustments, to reduce fire hazards.

  • CHRIS is a wildfire response support system that performs wildfire mapping by stitching drone images together in near real-time, automatically detecting hotspots, providing their GPS coordinates, and drawing firelines to generate a detailed wildfire map.


A Global and Local Impact

While MEJOR Technologies primarily focuses on regions where wildfires cause billions in damages each year, the potential for impact extends closer to home. "The Netherlands may not have vast forests like California, but increasing drought and heatwaves are making wildfires more common," says Kohl van Wijngaarden. The 2020 Peel fire and multiple heathland fires on the Veluwe are clear indicators that wildfire risks are growing. "With our high population density, even a single failed evacuation can be fatal," adds Sieben.


Scaling Up: The Future of MEJOR Technologies

MEJOR Technologies has launched pilot projects in Australia and Brazil, and commercial projects are now gaining traction. "We have working products, and our first commercial projects are taking off," says Sieben. "Now, we need further investment and collaboration with insurers and policymakers to mitigate risks as early as possible."


With LUCI and CHRIS, MEJOR Technologies aims to establish a global wildfire management system that saves lives and protects ecosystems. "As we see in Los Angeles today, wildfires are not a question of 'if' but 'when.' The key is to be prepares, concludes Sieben.




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