Wildfires

Geospatial data serves as the foundational building block for crucial mapping and communications tools used by state and local government agencies in responding to fast-moving disasters like wildfires.

As fires in Los Angeles County continue to burn, interest is piquing in the app run by a nonprofit in Northern California. Launched in 2021, it aggregates several relevant data streams and had 7.2 million users at year’s end.

When a blaze broke out last month in remote Black Star Canyon, the very first responder was a camera. After the device alerted the Orange County Fire Authority, firefighters contained it to under one acre.

An update to the 30-year-old Northwest Forest Plan for management could allow more logging to fight extreme wildfires and climate change. A draft environmental impact statement identifies several strategies for the U.S. Forest Service.

A new data-sharing platform at UC San Diego will bring the latest research and technology on wildfire ecology into one place, allowing researchers, government officials and other experts to collaborate on solutions.

Blazes this season have set an acreage record with 1.9 million acres burned in Oregon at the end of September. Battling them has also stretched firefighters thin nationwide and, in Oregon, sapped state funding.

The ALERTCalfornia camera system notified first responders of the fire on La Panza Ranch south of Highway 58, and state firefighters extinguished it. Mapping estimated its size at 16 acres.

To combat evolving fire risks more efficiently, a federal fire agency is developing an emergency response system that uses data to inform action. In California, a new online map makes Clean Air Centers information more accessible.

The Hawaiian Electric Co. has begun installing high-resolution video cameras with artificial intelligence technology, to spot ignitions early in areas near its equipment that have elevated fire risk.

The Modernizing Wildfire Safety and Prevention Act was introduced in a bipartisan effort and would help mitigate wildfires, use new technologies, solve the firefighter shortage and improve response times.

As of Monday morning, the largest fire in the state was the Post Fire north of Los Angeles, which had burned 14,625 acres and was 8 percent contained. Evacuation orders had been issued for 1,200 people along I-5.

The utility company announced initial phases of its plan to cut power to customers in certain areas when it becomes concerned by combinations of strong winds, low relative humidity, dry vegetation and other conditions.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Earth Fire Alliance, NASA, Google and SpaceX are among the entities looking to use satellite technology to more quickly find and extinguish wildland fires.

Research finds a correlation between poor air quality from wildfire smoke and visits to the emergency room for heart attacks, particularly pertinent as smoke from Canadian fires blows into the Midwest this week.

Pano AI’s CEO discusses how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing wildfire detection and response by helping agencies optimize resource allocation and protect lives through smarter firefighting tactics.

After the success of an AI-powered wildfire threat detection pilot, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources envisions how a real-time camera response center could safeguard millions of acres of forestlands.

The wildfire detection cameras, a first in Washington, have built-in artificial intelligence that can detect a smoke plume 500 feet tall and thermal imagery. If detected, a California-based central command center will alert local fire crews.

For state and local government agencies across the U.S., GIS technology has the power to inform decision-making, impact funding and improve the constituent experience through various applications.