Canadian National Wildfire Detection, Monitoring & Modelling 2025

Context:

CN connects Canada’s Eastern and Western coasts with the U.S. Midwest and the Gulf of Mexico, contributing to sustainable trade and the prosperity of the communities in which we operate since 1919. Given this large network of assets, a key focus for CN is solutions to support wildfire detection, monitoring & modelling. Such solutions facilitate the efficient deployment of resources to minimize risks to infrastructure, operations, and the communities in which we operate.

Response Criteria:

CN is seeking a solution with the following features:

·         Able to directly sense parameters related to wildfire risk, including humidity, wind speed/direction, temperature, etc.

·         Able to monitor all Canadian wildfire indices, with the potential to expand coverage to the US. Examples of resources CN finds relevant include:

o   Wildland urban interface risk class maps - Province of British Columbia

o   FireGrowthModel.ca - Home

o   Canadian Wildland Fire Information System

·         Capable of real-time modelling, predicting likelihood of meeting certain thresholds in the short term that indicate the need for action

Preference given to solutions which can:

·         Integrate with CN’s existing infrastructure and data platforms, particularly GIS

·         Be expanded to monitor other extreme weather hazards such as wind or precipitation

·         Provide an assessment of mid-term future conditions, i.e. next season

·         Be combined with climate-related scenarios to assess potential for severe weather events to increase in frequency or severity over the long term

A solution need not offer all of the above features in order to merit consideration by CN. CN is interested in a variety of technologies including thermal imaging, smoke detection, infrared sensors, and/or early warning systems. CN is open to solutions which utilize aerial surveillance, satellites or ground-based sensors depending on the scope and scale of the solution proposed. CN is interested both in solutions that could be deployed to discrete high value assets and/or deployed at a regional scale.

CN provides additional information on our expectations for suppliers on our Supplier Portal | cn.ca. Preference will be given to proposals which are able demonstrate successful deployment, i.e. solutions which have previously established proof of concept.

The Opportunity:

Successful proponents will have the opportunity to:

·         Gain access to one or more CN’s sites to demonstrate your solution in a North American context

·         Work with CN technical experts to understand market needs and CN-specific considerations

About CN:

CN is a leading North American Transportation and Logistics Company. Essential to the economy, the CN team of approximately 23,000 railroaders transports more than C$250 billion worth of goods annually for a wide range of business sectors, ranging from resource products to manufactured products to consumer goods, across a rail network of approximately 20,000 route-miles spanning Canada and mid-America.

CN’s Extreme Weather Fire Risk Mitigation Plan is available on our website at www.cn.ca/en/safety/community-safety/

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