2nd Annual California Aerospace Week

12 - 13 March 2013

State Capitol Building, Sacramento, CA.

Enhancing our Nation’s Wildfire

Management Capabilities Through

Application of NASA Science and

Technology

Vince Ambrosia

Earth Science Division. Biospherics Branch

NASA-Ames Research Center

Importance of Wildfires in California / Nation

• 15-20 year trend of increasing mega-fires (more acreage consumed)!!

• Population infringement at the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) results in

increased fire threat to infrastructure, property and lives.

• Fire management agencies (USFS, CALFIRE, BLM, etc.) need improved

information to manage / mitigate fire effects at WUI and in our public lands.

• NASA working in partnership with CALFIRE and USFS to find solutions to

improve capacity and reduce data access barriers.

CA Five-Year Fire Averages (2007-2011): • Annually 6,687 Fires

• Acres Burned: 785,816 ac.

National 10-Year Averages: (2003-2012): •Annually: 74,551 Fires

•Acres Burned: 7,286,123 ac.

Wildfire Observations: Spaceborne Assets

• Repeatable, 2-4 observations a day

• 1 km pixel spatial resolution

(thermal)

• NASA-developed fire detection

product (Rapid Response),

operational by USFS;

• Used to provide synoptic fire event

information in U.S.

• Limitations:

• Too coarse for tactical use;

• Too infrequent for tactical use

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS)

NASA Airborne Wildfire Support Heritage

1970’s – early 2000’s

• NASA-ARC collaboration with CA to

support disaster events with “as-

needed” / available airborne sensor data

(agreements date to mid-1970’s).

• NASA Earth Science Research Aircraft

with thermal sensing systems supported

over 100 fires in period with digital

imagery on fire locations

• NASA C130

• Supported Oakland Hills Fire

• Supported Yellowstone NP complex

• NASA U2 / ER-2

• Supported numerous CA fires

• Yellowstone NP complex

NASA Wildfire Research and Applications

Partnership (WRAP)

Partners:

NASA, USDA-Forest Service, CALFIRE, National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), BLM, CSU-Monterey Bay,

UC-Santa Cruz, Industry: General Atomics, Xiomas, Inc.,

Objectives:

• Evaluate, test, mature and implement into operational utility: emerging technology, instrumentation,

models, and airborne systems (UAS) to dramatically improve capabilities to observe / manage wildfires.

• Identify the capability / technology gaps; Mature high technology readiness level (TRL) capabilities to fill

those gaps.

Gaps:

• Time-critical (real-time) data collection, modeling and delivery.

• Long-duration platforms to allow multiple data observations / lingering

• COP system to integrate disparate data sets for “battlefield” assessment of wildfire incidents

• Improved sensor systems to reliably gather pertinent fire information.

Western States UAS Fire Imaging Missions

NASA Ikhana UAS

AMS Sensor

GCS @ NASA-DFRC Ku satellite antenna link

2008

2007

California Wildfire Support 2006: Esperanza Fire

2007: Zaca, Tar, Babcock, Colby, Butler, North, Fairmont, Grouse, Lick,

Bald, Moonlight, So. CA Firestorm: Harris, McCoy, Witch, Poomacha,

Horno / Ammo, Slide, Grass Valley, Buckweed, Ranch, Magic, Santiago,

Rice

2008: Piute, Clover, Silver, North Mtn., American River, Cub Complex,

Canyon Complex, Basin, Gap, Camp, Cascadel, Hidden

2009: Station and Piute Fires (post-fire assessment)

2011: Lion, Eagle, Great, Coe Prescribed Science Burn

NASA Ikhana

Autonomous Modular Sensor

Sees through smoke

Collaborative Decision Environment Real time Information Direct to

First Responders

NASA Wildfire Efforts: Research to Operations

Operational Capabilities Derived from Partnership

• CDE (Used in various incidents by USFS, CALFIRE and others);

• On-Board Processing to derive real-time products (employed by NIFC-

NIROPS aircraft / sensors);

• Real-time data delivery via air / ground comms. link (AirCell used by NIFC-

NIROPS);

• Sensor “loan” of AMS from NASA to USFS to support wildfire observations in

2013. Operated on a Citation jet.

• Continued evaluation of sUAS to support fire teams and augment manned

aircraft assets. USFS UAS Working Group to evaluate and develop

operational guidelines for UAS use.

These technology adoptions have improved national

wildfire decision support systems, resulting in

significant time-savings in intelligence delivery, and

simplified the analysis of the data

NASA Sensor on USFS Aircraft:

Supporting National Operations in 2013!!

USFS Citation Jet AMS Instrument Install

1 March 2013 First Test Flight Collections

Salt Lake City, UT

EXTRA SLIDES