This Campaign Used Real-Time Data to Transform Your Desktop Into a Stark Reminder About Forest Fires

The Outdoor Recreation Council of British Columbia (ORC) has created a scenic desktop background that surprises users by transforming into a fiery landscape, reflecting the increasing number of wildfires in BC by using real-time data.
Working with Rethink, ORC’s dynamic desktop is part of a campaign to raise awareness of BC’s worsening wildfires and educate the public about what they can do to help. The beautiful landscape image of BC’s Yoho National Park changes from clear to smoky and blazing, in correlation to the number of wildfires currently burning in BC.
ORC shared the dynamic desktop with their social media followers last week as a free download, as a way to “stay connected to the outdoors” and “see BC’s parks like never before.'' By digitally linking the desktop to live data from the BC Wildfire Database, the users who downloaded it were surprised with a real-time look at what is happening to BC’s landscape.
The images featured in the desktop’s progression were created by using photos from last years’ wildfires for reference, so users would experience an accurate simulation of the environmental effects of a forest fire.
ORC encourages everyone who downloaded the desktop to become ambassadors for wildfire awareness themselves. Users are given a link to ORC’s website, where they can read tips on how to reduce the risk of human-caused fires—especially during the hot and dry season.
Wildfires have become a serious topic of concern for British Columbians in recent years. Last year BC saw the worst fire season on record, breaking the previous record from 2017. While some wildfires are started by natural causes, data provided by the BC Wildfire Service reveals that the percentage of fires started by humans ranges between 30 to 60 per cent.