Research at Remote Sensing Lab in Sacramento could prevent next catastrophic wildfire

Release Date: Mar 18, 2015

MCCLELLAN, Calif. — Imagine if one could prevent the next Rim Fire.

The Remote Sensing Laboratory-Information Management Staff located in McClellan is using a variety of technologies and with their latest collaboration with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA-JPL); they hope to do just that.

Technology being used includes satellite and airborne remotely sensed data such as: Landsat, commercial high resolution satellite imagery Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and imaging spectroscopy (or hyperspectral). Remote sensing is the science of obtaining information about objects or areas from a distance, typically from aircraft or satellites. To support the use of these technologies, ground-based measurements of forest characteristics, locational information using GPS, and spectroscopic measurements using a portable field spectrometer are also acquired. Much of the technology is free or already available to the federal government. The U.S. Forest Service is in partnership with NASA-JPL for acquiring the LiDAR and imaging spectroscopy data for the King fire.

GIS/Remote Sensing Analyst Rodney Hart gets a reading on ash with a sensor as a part of the field spectrometer at the King Fire on the Eldorado National Forest. (Photo by John C. Heil III)

The on-the-ground data is collected and used in the interpretation of the remotely sensed data. This includes the calibration and validation of statistical models comparing the ground measurement to the imagery. Uses of the data can span multiple resource areas and can have numerous applications. For example, seeing what conditions contribute to high-severity wildfires or prioritizing where mulching or reforestation would be most effective thereby saving potentially millions of dollars, are just a few potential uses of the data. Other uses include understanding fire behavior to assist firefighters with areas of specific danger or determining where habitat is suitable on the forest for species such as the California spotted owl and black-backed woodpecker.

“Data from these various tools used together will provide better information, which will lead to better land management decision making,” said Carlos Ramirez, program lead for the Region 5 Remote Sensing Lab.

Vegetation Mapping Technician Laura Young receives readings on a computer software program from a portable spectroradiometer(spectrometer) at the King Fire on the Eldorado National Forest. (Photo by John C. Heil III)

Senior Remote Sensing Analyst Dr. Shengli Huang sets up the calibrated white reference panel for the spectrometer field readings at the King Fire on the Eldorado National Forest. (Photo by John C. Heil III)

For examples of the data products being developed from these new-generation tools and updates on the collaborative study, please see: http://wildfire.jpl.nasa.gov/

For other studies on this topic please see:

• The Ecosystem Disturbance and Recovery Tracker:
  https://ucdavis.box.com/s/xbdp4ab0fwmqivvac0h5le73xf8ym7wk
• GOES Early Fire Detection System -  Rim Fire case slides (developed by the UC Davis Center for Spatial Technologies and Remote Sensing and the U.S. Forest Service Remote Sensing Application Center in Salt-Lake City, Utah):
  https://ucdavis.box.com/s/iz9bxlxmusnk7j3o5h6826snfbhfuyb1

There will continue to be updates covering the collaboration and findings from the U.S. Forest Service’s work with NASA-JPL; University of California, Davis; University of Washington; the National Center for Atmospheric Research; and the Pacific Southwest and Pacific Northwest Research Stations.

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