NASA Science Serving Society: Improving Capabilities for Fire Characterization to Effect Reduction in Disaster Losses

Abstract

In 2007, the United States experienced one of the most severe fire seasons on record with 110,237 fires (wildfires, prescribed, and management fires) burning 12,899,948 acres of land [1]. The suppression and damage costs of those fires exceeded one-billion dollars (US). Fires have wide ranging implications for ecological composition, climatic impacts, soil stability, economic and personal loss. U.S. wildfire management agencies are tasked with coordinating and fighting these conflagrations from the ground and air, at great risk to those crews and personnel on the front lines. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the U. S. Department of Agriculture-Forest Service (USFS) have teamed to explore innovative capabilities for observations of fire events, with the goal to improve the temporal resolution and information content of remotely sensed information to effect a more rapid disaster decision process. New technologies, derived from NASA science capabilities, have been developed, demonstrated and are currently being implemented in the national fire management system. In 2007, the partnership demonstrated new airborne thermal and multispectral sensor systems, innovative Unmanned Airborne Vehicle (UAV) platform operations, and a real-time decision support system and integrated data elements to facilitate a rapid fire collaborative decision environment to be used by national managers, Incident Command Centers, and field personnel. These capabilities were demonstrated during the western US fire season in summer 2007, and further integrated into the wildfire management structure during the devastating southern California firestorms of late October, 2007.