In the field of wildfire management, GIS and GPS technology are becoming important tools, not only for the management of ground operations and the creation of incident status maps but also for real-time monitoring of critical data and position when the firefighting effort takes to the air. By combining easy-to-use GIS functionality with GPS navigation, XMap offers a truly unique and incredibly valuable tool for this application.
The following excerpts are taken from an article written for Wildfire Magazine by Mark Zaller and Dan Ward, both Air Attack pilots, on the critical role played by XMap in tackling wildfires from the air. The article describes how they have implemented a unique application for XMap that provides an airborne GIS platform used in tandem with infrared (IR) photo and video capture. This combined technology allows the team to monitor the terrain, record the flight course, make on-the-spot decisions based on GIS-based information, and capture a visual record of the mission.
“DeLorme XMap is the only software that does it all, because GIS files (ESRI .shp) are directly imported without translation. Every morning GIS teams upload their data on to ftp.nfic.gov and downloading these maps is as free and easy as surfing any web page. Loading the GIS on the plane’s systems is another one of those drag-and-drop maneuvers. Start DeLorme XMap GIS while on the ground, drag-and-drop today’s files on the computer map.”
“The system always runs automatically showing IR, moving topographic maps and fire GIS. For those who do want to touch the map, a mouse click will zoom in to the name of everything all the way down to individual buildings, or out to see the big picture.”
“Sending maps and IR photos to the Incident Command Team on the ground is a bi-product of this technology. We in the air want IR and GIS for tactical reasons and for safety. Because the equipment is easy to use, the IR and moving map with current fire overlays has become like another window in the airplane.”
“Seeing crews through smoke while circling above, identifying fire lines before arriving, zooming into the name of every bump, creek, and road, and instantly finding hand-cut lines or drop points, is all worth its weight in gold.”
“The moving topographic maps in XMap can be oriented in direction of flight and show agency boundaries along with detailed maps, and of course our fire perimeter as mapped by the GIS technicians. Improved safety and situational awareness is elevated to a new level for the Air Tactical Group Supervisor (ATGS) and pilot. Aerial firefighters say IR and GIS is a 30% overall improvement in tactical effectiveness, and possibly the best new thing since using the airplane for Air Attack.”
“Capturing video is also incredibly useful for airborne operations and when used in tandem with XMap, whole fires have been translated to a map within about 30 minutes of the first Air Attack aircraft landing; long before an infrared helicopter arrives or the GIS team has assembled.”
“Watching the video is almost like sitting in the back seat of the aircraft with GPS track previously recorded by DeLorme in one window and the video at the same time in another window or a second display. The moving-map GPS window shows precise location at every instant, and the rolling video is like looking out the window as you virtually fly along. Now without getting airsick anyone can easily draw fire lines until they get it exactly right by simply rolling the video. This system can do the work of a whole team of intelligence field observers in just a few minutes from the safety of a cool office.”
Click here to read the complete article in Wildfire Magazine
