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20 years of automated early wildfire detection

Protecting people, nature, and property

IQ FireWatch - we see more

The automated early wildfire detection system IQ FireWatch detects smoke and hot spots in real time so that wildfires can be detected and extinguished as soon as possible after they occur.

With this superior technology, early fire detection has become the backbone of a successful forest fire strategy, alongside forest fire prevention and firefighting. 

More than 180 IQ FireWatch systems monitor forest areas in eight German federal states. Worldwide, this leading technology "Made in Germany" is installed on 4 continents.

More than 20 years

The patented technology was first used in forests in Brandenburg, Germany, in the early 2000s.

Worldwide operation

IQ FireWatch protects people, nature and property on 24 million hectares worldwide.

Base technology

Originally, the technology was developed for space together with the DLR (German Aerospace Centre).

IQ FireWatch protects people, nature, and property

Whether flat, hilly or mountainous forests, industrial sites or residential areas surrounded by forests, IQ FireWatch can be perfectly calibrated for all regions, vegetation and operating and weather conditions.

What our customers say ...

"In simple words, IQ FireWatch is the best Forest Fire Detection System available on the market. The system outperformed our initial expectations regarding smoke detection, and the quality of components is first class demanding low maintenance, a crucial point when thinking about a remote detection system. Choosing IQ FireWatch gives you the best performance, best quality, and overall the best value for your money on a Forest Fire Detection System. Last but not least, the IQ wireless team has been incredibly supportive and helpful throughout the years making them not a provider but a real partner. We are pleased to work with a company made up of great people with the common goal of protecting the natural resources and forests of Chile."

Juan Eduardo Ovalle G. // BZ Naval Engineering, Chile

„We trust in the automatic early warning system IQ FireWatch since 2009, and have not lost any large areas of land since. We detect everything in no time!”  

Helmut Beuke // State Forestry of Lower Saxony, Germany - Forest Administration Office Oerrel

The base technology was developed by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) for the Rosetta Mission in the 1990s. IQ wireless GmbH extended the technological development and initially designed IQ FireWatch for the German forests. Today, after we invested more than 100,000 hours of work and technological improvement, IQ FireWatch is the one and only wildfire detection system in Germany, and human fire spotting has become history.

It is an immense honor to have been inducted into the U.S. Space Technology Hall of Fame for our unique terrestrial wildfire detection system 
IQ FireWatch.

 

We are proud to say that IQ wireless GmbH was the first organization outside the U.S.A. to receive this esteemed recognition. Check out the official Space Foundation website here

About us

IQ Technologies for Earth and Space GmbH (formerly IQ wireless GmbH), headquartered in Berlin, was established over 20 years ago and currently consists of three innovative business divisions: IQ FireWatch, IQ spacecom, and IQ wireless. IQ spacecom is a provider of high-performance radio communication solutions for small satellites such as CubeSats. IQ wireless employs expertise accumulated over many years to effectively plan and install radio transmission technology

With currently more than 50 employees, all three divisions work tirelessly on the development and optimization of these products in order to meet the needs of customers and offer solutions for the complex challenges of the future. The technological innovations of IQ Technologies for Earth and Space GmbH are researched, developed, manufactured, and tested at its headquarters in Berlin, Germany.

RBB (Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg) visited us and gave an insight into our work:

06 March 2024

IQ FireWatch protects North Rhine-Westfalia in Germany

Together with Minister Silke Gorißen and Forstry Office Manager Julian Mauerhof, we had the pleasure of opening the wildfire control center in Wesel, where the smoke alarms from the eight IQ FireWatch sensor locations are verified in real time. NRW is already the 7th German federal state with our tried and tested automated  early wildfire detection system! Our high-tech sensor systems monitor endangered areas on the Dutch border on the Lower Rhine and detect smoke development up to a distance of over 40 km. The system, which has been tried and tested worldwide for over 20 years, closes the gap between prevention and control. To protect people, the nature and property.

More information (DE)