AN INTEGRATION OF REMOTE-SENSING, GIS, AND INFORMATION DISTRIBUTION FOR WILDFIRE DETECTION AND MANAGEMENT

A disaster mitigation feasibility study, entitled ''WILDFIRE,'' was in itiated in 1997. Project WILDFIRE demonstrated the feasibility of inte grating civil and commercial communications and information technology it, provide operational resources to firefighters attacking wildland fires. The demonstration of various technologies occurred during an ac tual ''controlled'' burn in a wildland environment in northern Califor nia. Real-time data transfer of thermal line scanner data from an airb orne platform via a cellular data phone transmission was accomplished, and near-real-time map integration and development was demonstrated u sing portable uplink/downlink systems to ''move'' data and asset infor mation (such as vehicle and personnel locations) to a fire camp and a disaster control center. Vehicle tracking was accomplished with the Gl obal Positioning System (GPS) and radio communications to track both f ire equipment and field personnel in real time. We focus on the utilit y and melding of these ''off-the-shelf'' and emerging technologies in the context of disaster mitigation and response.