CityWatch is a huge leap forward in the management of fires in an urban environment. Building on the fire detection technologies used in ForestWatch, CityWatch provides municipalities with the capability to detect fires early so as to minimize loss of life and property.

The system has been in use in Cape Town for many years and is leading the way in preventing the spreading of shack fires in the informal settlements around the city. The densely clustered housing creates the perfect environment for catastrophic fires and the informal nature of the housing creates challenging logistical problems for a city's fire department. It is therefore crucial that the city detects these fires as soon as they appear.

CityWatch users can take advantage of all the powerful tools developed for ForestWatch including georeferencing for accurate positioning of fires, and a special night mode which combines a day view overlay to provide context for potential fires.

Features developed specifically for CityWatch include a street search function. With this capability fires reported to the operations center can be quickly positioned on the city map.