On a typical late May afternoon, numerous thunderstorms pepper the skies over Florida. Each storm can unleash hundreds or even thousands of lightning strikes, several of which connect with the ground, running the risk of starting a wildfire. However, not every strike carries the same intensity, and most wildfires are started by a special type of lightning that Esri partner, FNN™ (formerly known as Fire Neural Network™) has coined High-Risk-Lightning™ (HRL™).
Ignition Risk – Turning Intelligence into Resilience
By analyzing lightning activity alongside 35+ environmental factors, FNN™ isolates the 5% of strikes most likely to ignite a wildfire. FNN™ turns complex lightning activity into actionable intelligence using AI and proprietary, patented detection technology that can be combined with environmental, asset, and location data in ArcGIS. Rather than overwhelming teams with more information, FNN™ helps them identify emerging threats, understand their exposure, and prioritize where to look and respond first.
Scaling Risk Insights
FNN™ partnered with Esri in 2021 through the Startup Program. This enabled the company to embed geospatial intelligence into its technology and examine how location could transform the understanding of wildfire and infrastructure risk. Since then, the relationship has advanced from early product development into a strategic partnership.
In 2025, FNN™ joined the Esri Partner Network, expanding access to its proprietary and patented High-Risk-Lightning™ intelligence through the geospatial platforms organizations already use.
Through ArcGIS dashboards, feature layers, and integrations, the team delivers real-time wildfire and lightning intelligence to customers across the United States and internationally.
Predictive Intelligence
Wildfires are growing more intense and consuming larger areas, yet the average time to detect them remains more than 24 hours. Lightning accounts for more than 70% of the total area burned in the U.S. and Canada, and until recently, there was no way to know which strikes were most likely to ignite a fire. FNN™ was created to change that.
FNN™ sees the biggest opportunity in moving from mapping what has already happened to predicting what is most likely to happen next.
Mapping platforms can become the place where AI, real-time sensor data, environmental conditions, infrastructure, and historical patterns come together to flag emerging risk before it becomes an incident.
Esri’s ecosystem provides a foundation for turning real-time intelligence into location-based predictions at scale across wildfire, critical infrastructure, and other environmental risks, while allowing organizations to work within familiar systems and workflows.
Infrastructure Resilience Intelligence
FNN™ connects real-time High-Risk-Lightning™ intelligence with what’s happening on the ground: the weather, the terrain, and the assets nearby.
For utilities, FNN™’s Wildfire Hub brings all of that into one view. Teams can see wildfire risk across their service territory, including where it overlaps with critical infrastructure. That
makes it easier to decide where to trim vegetation, which assets to harden, and where to send crews.
Built for Every User
FNN™ designs its intelligence for everyone who relies on it, from utilities and public safety agencies to forestry organizations. It must be detailed enough for technical users while remaining clear enough for senior leaders who need to make decisions quickly.
Through FNN™’s HRL™ Dashboards, powered by Esri, users get a focused view that filters the noise and highlights the information that matters most in critical moments. When additional context is needed, they can explore deeper layers of data and adjust visualizations using interactive sliders.
The FNN™ Wildfire Hub brings real-time situational awareness, vegetation management, and asset hardening into one connected platform for utilities. For forestry agencies and emergency response teams, HRL™ Dashboards provide a focused view of the lightning activity and conditions that may require attention.
The goal is simple: bring essential information together in one place, so teams spend less time navigating data and more time making informed decisions when every second counts.
Key Products & Services
1. Fire Agency Solutions:
FNN™ Dashboards powered by Esri, providing Wildfire Intelligence & Monitoring, Wildfire Risk Mapping, and High-Risk-Lightning™ (HRL™) Data Visualization.
2. HRL™ Solutions:
HRL™ Detector and AI-powered High-Risk-Lightning™ intelligence, reducing detection from more than 24 hours to as little as 40 seconds, with 100% stroke detection efficiency.
3. Utility Solutions:
FNN™ Wildfire Hub, integrating vegetation management, asset hardening, and real-time situational awareness into one unified platform to strengthen grid resilience.
AI Transparency and Trust
FNN™ uses AI to strengthen human decision-making, not replace it. Its detection capabilities and intelligence are validated against authoritative data and real-world outcomes, alongside the agencies that use them.
In public safety and critical infrastructure, decision-makers need to trust the information in front of them. FNN™’s goal is to give them better information, earlier, so they can weigh it alongside their own experience and knowledge of the ground.
Industry Impact
FNN™’s technology and leadership have earned significant industry recognition. The company took first place in the Verizon x MIT Solve Disaster Resilience Prize, chosen from more than 200 applicants, for its real-time High-Risk-Lightning™ detection that strengthens community and grid resilience. FNN™ was also named a 2024 GrowFL Florida Company to Watch, and co-founders Tamas Kereszy and Caroline Comeau were named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in Energy & Green Tech.
The team has also partnered with The Weather Channel to spotlight High-Risk-Lightning™ activity across Florida, bringing greater public visibility to the strikes most likely to ignite wildfires.
Where FNN™ Is Headed?
FNN™’s next phase of growth is focused on expanding its High-Risk-Lightning™ intelligence coverage across the United States, with the goal of achieving nationwide coverage by the end of 2027.
As the company expands its detection network and integrates its intelligence into existing tools and workflows, FNN™ aims to make real-time lightning risk intelligence more accessible to utilities, government agencies, fire agencies, and emergency responders nationwide.
United Expertise with a Shared Vision
FNN™ is built on the complementary expertise of its three co-founders, combining scientific innovation, operational execution, and commercial leadership to turn advanced lightning intelligence into real-world solutions.
Dr. Istvan Kereszy, Co-Founder and CEO, is a Fulbright Scholar with a background in physics and lightning research. He leads FNN™’s strategic and technological vision, driving the development of its AI-powered High-Risk-Lightning™ technology to transform complex lightning data into actionable intelligence for wildfire mitigation and utility resilience.
Tamas Kereszy, Co-Founder and COO, brings engineering and operational expertise to scale FNN™’s technology. He oversees the manufacturing and deployment of the company’s detection network, expanding its operational capabilities and market reach. In 2025, he was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in Energy & Green Tech.
Caroline Comeau, Co-Founder and CCO, leads FNN™’s commercial strategy, business development, and customer relationships. Her background in economics, finance, and
operations supports the company’s market expansion and the adoption of its technology. In 2025, she was also named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in Energy & Green Tech.
Together, the founders unite scientific innovation, operational scale, and commercial strategy to advance FNN™’s mission of strengthening utility and wildfire resilience.
The Long-Term Vision
FNN™’s long-term vision is to establish High-Risk-Lightning™ technology as the new standard for lightning detection, moving beyond conventional methods to identify the strikes that pose the greatest risk.
With Esri’s ArcGIS ecosystem supporting the integration and visualization of its intelligence, FNN™ is redefining how we see and respond to wildfire risk. By advancing predictive wildfire management and extending its technology to broader challenges in infrastructure resilience and environmental risk, FNN™ is helping communities stay ahead of the storm™.
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