Case study
Pomera Maderas
Forestry company
August 13, 2025
The Challenge
Pomera Maderas is a forestry and industrial company with more than 42,000 hectares of land in southern Misiones and northern Corrientes, dedicated to producing and selling high-quality roundwood and treated poles.
In this environment of high climate and operational vulnerability, Pomera faced a major challenge: detecting fires in time across a vast territory, mostly covered by forests at different growth stages. Before Satellites on Fire, its protection system depended on:
Detection towers with permanent staff
Cameras and physical surveillance in the field
Its own "Fire Management" consortium, coordinating actions among different stakeholders
Despite the effort, there were blind spots at night, delays of several hours to confirm hotspots and a heavy dependence on visibility conditions.
How Satellites on Fire Steps In
Since implementing Satellites on Fire, Pomera has transformed its protection system, moving from a model based on people and visual coverage to one that is automated, predictive and running 24/7.
Main benefits
Faster detection:
Satellites on Fire gives them a one-hour head start over NASA FIRMS, allowing hotspots to be verified before they spread.
Continuous coverage:
They used to depend on shifts and schedules; now they have 24/7 surveillance, even in areas without infrastructure, improving response capacity at night and on weekends.
Spread simulation:
The platform projects how a fire may move based on weather and vegetation type, which improves planning and resource use.
Operational alerts by WhatsApp and email:
Alerts show the exact location and the AI-estimated probability of a real fire, and fit quickly into the company's response protocols.
Real impact
They reduced verification and response times
They prevented several large fires that previously could have spread due to poor visibility or slow detection
They cut economic losses by acting earlier and making better use of brigades and resources
They value having few false positives, and would rather receive alerts they later dismiss than let a fire go unnoticed
What's next
Pomera has shown interest in expanding its use of the system with features such as:
Georeferencing field personnel to improve response efficiency
Weather visualization built into the app, focused on the next few hours
Better integration with radios and Google Maps for fast decisions
This case shows how a company with outsourced operations, complex communication and heavy operational pressure can scale its protection with smart technology, without costly structures or drastic changes.
How They Use the System
When an alert comes in, it is shared in the internal WhatsApp group and relayed over the radio.
The Area Supervisor passes the case to the nearest contractor or brigade, who verifies the hotspot and decides what to do.
If confirmed, the weather and spread projection is used to organize the attack and protect the company's assets.
“What matters most is getting there first. Today we have a system that warns us earlier, even when the towers see nothing.”
