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September 2000
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Online Mapping Helps Frontline Firefighters Get the Upper Hand in West’s Wildfires
GeoMAC Implements ESRI’s ArcIMS to Map Location and Extent of Fires in Real Time
As devastating wildfires raged in the Western part of US, authorities mounted a technologically advanced offensive to bring the conflagrations under control. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has teamed with federal firefighting agencies and private companies including ESRI to form the Geospatial Multi-Agency Coordination Group (GeoMAC). The team will assist in prioritizing the use of wildfire suppression resources and providing for public and firefighter safety.
GeoMAC’s initial goal has been to implement an Internet-based mapping application that enables firefighting coordination centers and incident command teams to access online maps of current fire locations and perimeters using standard Web browsers. ESRI’s ArcIMS and ArcSDE software is the backbone of the application according to Mike Hutt, GeoMAC project coordinator.
The project evolved from concept to implementation in less than two weeks, as experts from various agencies including a technical support team from ESRI worked together to develop the application. Fire perimeter data is updated daily based on input from incident intelligence sources, global positioning system data, and satellite imagery. The GeoMAC Web site enables firefighters in remote locations to manipulate map information displays, zoom in and out to display fire information at different scales and levels of detail, and download and print hard-copy information for use on the fire line.
This real-time application of infrared satellite imagery will enabled to see, on a daily basis, where the fires were burning, where they started, and where they were going in relation to the urban interface areas.
The fire maps have relational databases in which the user can display data layers about individual fires such as current acreage, fuel types, aircraft hazard maps, and other critical fire analysis information. As fire hazards are quelled, GeoMAC’s focus is switching to rehabilitation efforts. Fire recovery teams will use the Web site to retrieve fire boundaries and other associated geospatial data to help assess damage and plan remedial measures.According to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, more than five million acres have burned this year in 70,000 wildland fires.
More information available at http://wildfire.usgs.gov , www.esri.com
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