From May 21 to 23, 2024, the esteemed National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) gathered at NASA Ames Research Center. The meeting featured representation from 13 distinct agencies and organizations. As a beacon for unified leadership in wildland fire operations amongst various partners, including federal, state, local, Tribal, and territorial entities, NWCG benefits from NASA’s associate membership since February 2024. This alliance seeks to harness NASA’s wealth of data, innovative technologies, and cross-agency collaborations to enhance national wildland fire management initiatives.
At NASA Ames, projects like FireSense and Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations (ACERO) stand testament to NASA’s comprehensive strategy for wildland fire management. These projects support the ecosystem, wildlife, and human settlements across different stages of a wildfire.
The proactive nature of these projects aligns with NASA’s Earth Action agenda regarding wildland fires. With a focus on pre-fire conditions, active fire dynamics, post-fire assessments, and air quality predictions, FireSense exemplifies NASA’s front-line response to wildfires. ACERO, on the other hand, introduces innovative technologies to remotely detect, monitor, and mitigate wildfire using unmanned aerial systems.
Key personnel from Ames, including Michael Falkowski and Parimal Kopardekar, bolstered the interactive sessions with NWCG by showcasing NASA’s integrated management strategies for monitoring the entire fire lifecycle.
The hosting of the NWCG’s offsite Executive Board meeting at Ames was an opportunity for board members to engage with NASA experts and project leaders, tour facilities instrumental to wildland fire management, and explore ways to augment NWCG’s nationwide strategies through NASA’s capabilities, especially by leveraging data analytics and human performance research.
Data management was a central topic, with Ian Brosnan elaborating on the NASA Earth eXchange (NEX) and its supercomputing prowess that aids in making sense of voluminous data from various NASA missions and studies, including machine-learning applications to predict wildfire spread and impacts.
Significant emphasis was also placed on human factors like managing fatigue within fire management teams. Jessica Nowinski and her colleagues from the Human Systems Integration Division showcased their efforts in Human Factors, astronaut and pilot training, and fatigue research.
The NWCG members toured facilities such as the Airspace Operations Laboratory, highlighting the use of drones in fire management, and visited the Wind Tunnel, gaining insights into the aerodynamic tests conducted at Ames.
Collaborative efforts are at the heart of NWCG’s mission, and the three-day session capitalized on the harmonization of expertise from both NASA and NWCG. By uniting research and technology development from both entities, the nation’s strategy for wildland fire management is expected to grow more integrated and effective.
Continuing this partnership, NASA aims to forge deeper connections with NWCG and support its objectives by participating in committees focused on Data Management, Geospatial, Aviation, and Risk Management. By facilitating exchanges with NWCG field experts, NASA anticipates advancing national objectives in wildland fire management.
FAQs about the NASA Ames and NWCG Collaboration
- Who are the members of the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG)?
- NWCG consists of representatives from federal, state, local, Tribal, and territorial firefighting agencies. It is focused on facilitating cooperative wildland fire management efforts across these agencies.
- What is NASA’s role in the management of wildland fires?
- NASA contributes to wildland fire management primarily through projects like FireSense and ACERO, applying research and advanced technology to support the firefighting community before, during, and after wildfires.
- How does NASA’s data capabilities aid in wildland fire management?
- NASA’s data capabilities, exemplified by platforms like NEX, provide vast computing resources and analytics tools that help in understanding and predicting fire behavior, managing air quality, and planning firefighting strategies.
- What human performance characteristics studies are related to wildfire management?
- Studies on human performance characteristics at NASA Ames focus on aspects like fatigue management among firefighting personnel, to enhance their efficiency and safety on the field.
- What is the goal of NASA’s partnership with NWCG?
- The goal is to optimize wildland fire management nationwide by integrating NASA’s technological innovations, research capabilities, and expert knowledge with the operational experience of NWCG.