Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
By almost any available metric, wildfires are becoming an increasing threat in the United States every year--number of fires, number of acres burned, size of fires, value of property destroyed, and number of lives lost. One factor that exacerbates the impact of wildfires is many of them are occurring at the wildland-urban interface (WUI), the zone of transition where human development encroaches on unoccupied land. As human development continues to sprawl, an increasing number of structures and lives are at risk. Early detection of wildfires and accurate determination of where fires are and where they go is essential for effective firefighting and public safety. As other factors like climate change, drought, and extreme weather appear to become more pronounced, the frequency and severity of wildfires will continue to get worse.The GeoFire Real-Time Wildfire Alert System (WAS) will be built, tested, and deployed in this project to definitively answer where a wildfire is right now and where it is heading next. This is accomplished by using a high-density sensor network to track the location and growth of individual wildfire cells in real time. When deployed in target areas such as residential neighborhoods at the WUI, industrial and commercial campuses, or high-voltage power lines, the system delivers community and asset protection at an unprecedented scale.
Animal Health Component
50%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
50%
Developmental
50%
Goals / Objectives
The goal of this project is to build, test, and deploy the GeoFire Real-Time Wildfire Alert System to definitively answer two critically important questions about developing wildfires: (i) Where exactly is the wildfire right now? (ii) Where precisely is it heading next?The primary objectives of this project are:Design and assemble low-cost encapsulated sensors with 10+ year lifetime in an outdoor environmentDesign and assemble gateways with wireless connectivityTransmit direct and remote alerts during a prescribed burnMap fire cell location and predicted growth during a prescribed burn
Project Methods
To build, test, and deploy the GeoFire Real-Time Wildfire Alert System, MPT will design and assemble low-cost sensors and gateways with 10+ year lifetime and wireless connectivity, and map fire cell location and predicted growth during multiple prescribed burns. To help meet the USDA NIFA SBIR Program Priorities, MPT will participate in prescribed burns under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with RMRS Fire Sciences Laboratory. Findings and results from the project efforts will also be disseminated in partnership with RMRS Fire Sciences Laboratory under the CRADA.