August 23, 2023 Update: This open data activation has been expanded to include imagery for the fires in Kelowna, Canada.
Thousands of residents are evacuating Yellowknife, the capital of Canada’s Northwest Territories, to escape unprecedented fires burning across the region. Authorities in Yellowknife, home to approximately 20,000 residents, called for an evacuation of the city and surrounding areas by Friday, August 18, 2023. More than 1,000 fires are currently burning across Canada as the country in what is the worst fire season on record. Extreme winds and lack of rain have complicated efforts to contain the fires.
Learn more about the fires in Canada in these news articles:
When crises occur, Maxar is committed to supporting the humanitarian community by providing critical and actionable information to assist response efforts and fulfill our purpose, For A Better World. As part of our Open Data Program, Maxar will publicly release data of the affected areas to support response efforts as it becomes available.
Any imagery or data distributed through the Open Data Program is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 license (CC BY-NC 4.0). This licensing allows for noncommercial use of the information, meaning it can quickly be integrated into first responder workflows with organizations like Team Rubicon, the Red Cross and other nonprofits. If commercial companies are interested in using the data distributed through the Open Data Program, it can be purchased by contacting us here.
Imagery has been posted on our Open Data Program website. Please continue to check this site and our social media channels for updates on additional post-event data.
