Wired Science

Airborne High Tech Gives Firefighters a Hand

Today's firefighters aren't only equipped with high-tech tools on the ground--they've also got them in the sky. Networked NASA satellites spot wildfires and alert the US Forest Service. Closer to Earth, unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with special software and infrared cameras gather thermal images of blazes and transmit the data to ground stations, allowing fire chiefs to assess the flames' direction and speed and figure out where to send their people.

Some piloted Forest Service planes are outfitted with Global Positioning System transponders that relay their location via satellite every two minutes to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho. Ground commanders around the country can tap in to the NIFC's database to keep tabs on who's where in the sky-- critical information when fires break out in remote areas where radar can't track aircraft.

Those ground commanders are also getting a better picture than ever of what they're dealing with. Paper maps faxed from control centers to field bases were replaced a few years ago with Web-based maps. But last year, the Forest Service began using three-dimensional mapping software developed by Google that can layer satellite images of a fire with other crucial data, such as changes in ground elevation and types of local vegetation, to give firefighters an idea of the amount of potential fuel in the area. The program also maps in roads and natural barriers that can act as firebreaks - or escape routes. It can even display incoming weather patterns to give a warning when winds are kicking up.

Turns out it's very handy to be able to look down on what's burning up.