Rapid Disturbance Assessment & Services (RDAS) Program - Support to Wildfire. Brad Quayle RDAS Program Leader Everett Hinkley National Remote Sensing

Transcription

1 Rapid Disturbance Assessment & Services (RDAS) Program - Support to Wildfire USDA Forest Service National Remote Sensing Program Brad Quayle RDAS Program Leader Everett Hinkley National Remote Sensing Program Leader GOFC Fire-IT meeting - Waginingen, The Netherlands

2 Rapid Disturbance Assessment and Services (RDAS) Program Tactical and strategic remote sensing support in response to disturbance events Rapid depends on the context (hours to months) Disturbance events: wildfires, Wx events, floods, etc. Support provided to Forest Service units and external agency partners Current program activities include: Remote sensing-based rapid event detection and mapping Post-event condition assessment Disturbance data analysis Disturbance information management and distribution Long-term support to incident management teams

3 RSAC Fire Support Programs and Services Remote sensing/geospatial support to the Forest Service and other agencies for all phases of fire management Preparedness Fire risk assessment and fire intelligence Detection and Response Strategic and tactical fire detection, monitoring & mapping, and incident support Post-Fire Assessment Incident burn severity mapping & characterization

4 Additional RDAS Activities Satellite Data Acquisition/Processing Operations Direct readout ground station operations High volume data processing Technology Development and Implementation Web/desktop geospatial tools and applications Fire-related Geospatial Technology Transfer Programmatic training/outreach activities Cost Reimbursable Projects Remote sensing/geospatial, fire-related International Activities Coordination, working groups, committees International Programs support (Africa, Bhutan) Various direct support requests

5 Predictive Services Program Support

6 Predictive Services Program Geospatial Portal ( Predictive Services Program at NIFC and GACCs Decision support for proactive fire management; Anticipate suppression resource needs RSAC provides geospatial data, analytical products and applications Weather, fuels, fire intelligence and significant fire forecasts

7 Direct Readout Operations

8 RSAC Direct Readout Operations Objectives 1) Support interagency wildland fire management using near realtime imagery and fire-related data products National/Regional scale MODIS/VIIRS fire mapping products, data and information 2) Provide comprehensive, multi-resolution science products for Forest Service/interagency resource management applications Multi-disciplinary MODIS/VIIRS data products for other resource applications and agency clearinghouse operations

9 MODIS Terra Aqua Wide field of view 2,330 km swath width Daily observations by each sensor of any point on the Earth s surface at latitudes > 30 o July 25, 2009 (NASA GSFC Rapid Response) Spatial resolution 250m/500m/1,000m Surface reflectance imagery 2 times daily (both sensors combined) Thermal/Emissive imagery 4 times daily (both sensors combined) Terra and Aqua observations are offset ~2 ½ to 3 hours

10 VIIRS Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership Wide field of view 3,000 km swath width Daily observations of nearly any point on the Earth s surface April 13, 2012, (NOAA/University of Maryland) Surface reflectance imagery Once daily Thermal/Emissive imagery 2 times daily NPP VIIRS and Aqua MODIS observations are nearly coincident Spatial resolution 375m/750m

11 RSAC Direct Readout Operations 1) MODIS/VIIRS data immediately broadcast to Earth RSAC X-band antenna in radome 3) NRT imagery collected for U.S., Canada & Mexico 2) Imagery received directly by RSAC antenna

12 RSAC Direct Readout Data Processing DR Ground Station Network Selected MODIS/VIIRS L0/L2 Data (every minutes) L2 data via LANCE (every 15 minutes) Selected L0 Data NASA International Polar Orbiter Processing Package (IPOPP) used for processing L2 Product Stream for U.S. and Canada L2 Products L0 Data (12-14 GB daily) USFS-RSAC IPOPP Processing System IPOPP MODIS/VIIRS L2/L3 Products Active Fires Land Surface Temperature Corrected Reflectance Surface Reflectance Day/Night Band NDVI/EVI Snow Cover Burn Scar Aerosol Products Cloud Products Sea Surface Temperature Chlorophyll A Etc., etc.

13 Active Fire Mapping (AFM) Program ( Satellite detection and monitoring of wildfire activity in CONUS, Alaska, Hawaii & Canada Leverages NASA and NOAA assets MODIS AVHRR GOES VIIRS Facilitates decision support for strategic planning & response for U.S. and Canadian fire agencies Prioritize allocation of fire suppression assets Integrated into fire-related applications and decision support systems Developing new capabilities Early detection Spatially refined data

14 AFM Value-Added Products Mapping/Visualization Products JPG/PDF fire detection maps Interactive fire detection map viewers Google Earth fire detection KMLs/KMZs Detection analysis/summary products Imagery/Geospatial Data Products Daily georeferenced image subsets Fire detection GIS datasets WMS/WFS services All products available via AFM website Update frequency: Every 15 to 60 minutes or immediately after every satellite observation Ongoing coordination with fire management community to develop products to meet operational needs

15 Near real-time MODIS/VIIRS data for national/regional scale resource monitoring GeoTiff datasets Visualization products Multi-discipline products Land Atmosphere Ocean Direct Readout Data Portal ( Leverages latest algorithms and data processing technologies provided by NASA

16 Direct Readout/Active Fire Mapping Challenges MODIS to VIIRS data continuity Sensor technical constraints Continuity in data products RSAC/GSTC move Need to maintain unobstructed 360 o view of sky Relocate antenna to another USDA facility in Salt Lake Valley? DCCI effects DR operations require unique skillset Latency of data/products? Website uptime? IT flexibility to meet needs of clients? Relocate antenna = Loss of NRT data coverage Costs

17 Tactical Fire Mapping Support

18 Tactical Scale Fire Mapping Support ( NIROPS - National Infrared Operations Provide high resolution fire detection/mapping to support incident command operations RSAC Support Functions: Maintenance NIROPS website IR ordering system Operations Users Guide IR Vendor listing PHOENIX sensor tech support Technology evaluation IRIN incident support IRIN training

19 Tactical Scale Fire Mapping Support Research & Development Operations IRINs: Tom Mellin National IR Program Manager (R3, Albuquerque) Forest Service Assistant Director Fire Operations: Kim Christensen IR Techs: Woody Smith Charles Kaz Kazimir (NIFC, Boise) Pilots: Dan Johnson (R4, Ogden) Tech Support

20 Tactical Scale Fire Mapping Support 144Z: Cessna Citation Bravo 149Z Beechcraft 200 Super King Air Airborne PHOENIX imagery acquired by two agency aircraft Imagery is pre-processed in flight and downloaded directly to ground for interpretation by IRINs High resolution, daily fire map products provided by 6:00 AM Products delineate fire perimeter and active fire areas

21 2012 Tactical Fire IR Support Demand 144Z 565 requests 149Z 598 requests IR requests range from annually More IMTs are requesting support UTF = Unable To Fill due to Wx, aircraft issues, etc.

22 New Airborne Sensors Available To USFS Autonomous Modular Sensor (AMS) 16 band sensor (VIS/NIR/SWIR/IR) Multi-mission potential for USFS Transition from NASA to USFS ongoing Interagency agreement signed Fit checks on 144Z conducted Sept 2012 NASA Ames/NIROPS technical meetings ongoing Installation details Flight test planning Availability of AMS to USFS in early CY2013 Testing & implementation spring/summer 2013 Infrared imagery/fire detection & characterization Post-fire assessment imagery

23 New Airborne Sensors Available To USFS Wide Area Imager (WAI) 5 band sensor (VIS/NIR/TIR) Multi-mission potential for USFS Developed by Xiomas under NASA SBIR Currently in SBIR Phase 3 FS contract let for WAI demo/eval mission Spring/Summer 2013 over western U.S. fires 3 day mission One 4 hour operational period per day Costs split 50/50 between NIICD and RSAC WAI MWIR imagery Availability of WAI to USFS anticipated in 2014 WAI MWIR imagery w/heat sources

24 Tactical Fire Mapping Challenges Need for surge aircraft To meet tactical fire support requests Transition/integration of new sensors Identify aircraft; Modifications Facilitate daytime as well as nighttime missions Potential to support non-fire missions DCCI effects NIROPS website uptime? IT flexibility to meet needs of clients? Costs

25 Unmanned Aircraft Systems

26 UAS Activity Background NASA/USFS WRAP Collaboration to facilitate and demonstrate evolving technologies to increase the information and timeliness of data collected for wildfires Funded by NASA ( ) Demonstrate/evaluate technologies UAVs, sensors, data transfer and visualization, etc. Missions utilized large and small UAV platforms USFS IRDB Additional support provided by IRDB since FY2007

27 Forest Service UAS Strategy Augment, NOT replace, our manned aircraft Work with partners to identify niche applications that are underserved by current technology Keep the approach simple; work on doing one thing well before adding additional capabilities Provide unified systems that are affordable

28 Small UAS Demonstration/Evaluation Missions Conducted primarily to assess UAS for fire management objectives Short/long endurance missions Incident intell and communications Tier I Small (Raven) USFS role: Evaluate entire system Report, develop guidance documentation UAS payloads and capabilities: EO/IR video and mapping cameras Wx sensors Communications relay Software technologies to generate NRT geospatial products Aircraft modifications for nighttime ops Tier II LALE (RS-16) NRT image mosaic product

29 Interagency UAS Coordination for Hazard Support 2011 Southwest Fire Season Coordination between DHS/CBP and IC Teams facilitated by DOI/Forest Service Daily tactical fire monitoring support provided by Ft. Huachuca-based Predator UAVs Real-time EO/IR video provided to IMTs via BigPipe and Remote Viewing Terminal (RVT) Feedback from fire teams was very positive Several recommendations provided to increase efficiency/utility

30 Forest Service UAS Advisory Group (UASAG) Determine if there is an agency need for UAS Assess feasibility of implementation Agency aviation policy review/recommendations Acquisition and use of UAS and associated technologies Develop agency protocols UAS missions; External agency coordination Prepare agency UAS guidance documentation Communication plan, strategic plan and risk assessments

31 UAS Challenges Progress of the UAS Advisory Group F&AM support Keep up with partner agencies; Leverage synergies Lifting of UAS demo/eval mission stand down Will help advance UAS Advisory Group tasks

32 Post-Fire Burn Severity Mapping Support

33 Post-fire Pre-fire Post-Fire Mapping/Severity Assessment Image differencing approach using spectral indices Change detection conducted using specific pre/postfire satellite image pairs Analysis results are used to delineate burned area and characterize burn severity Landsat NBR dnbr Burn Severity 6/8/2005 Difference Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR) NBR = (NIR SWIR) / (NIR + SWIR) 6/14/2007 Differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (dnbr) dnbr = Pre NBR Post NBR

34 RSAC Satellite-Based Burn Severity Mapping Programs A Primer RSAC Program (Objectives/Specifications) Burned Area Emergency Response Support Where are the hazards and how can they be mitigated? Assessment of fire effects on soils/watershed hydrologic function Conducted on USFS and DOI agency lands Rapid Assessment of Vegetation Condition after Wildfire How do we prioritize restoration of damaged forests? Assessment and characterization of post-fire forest conditions Conducted on USFS lands only Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity How effective are our fire management policies? Fire trends? Multi-decadal mapping of the location, extent and ecological burn severity of all large fires Conducted on all lands: federal, state and private Time of Assessment Since Fire Immediately (Emergency Assessment) Approximately one month (Initial Assessment) Up to 1 year (Initial/Extended Assessment)

35 Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) ( Forest Service/DOI fast track emergency assessment Fires exceeding thresholds for size, severity and/or soil resource damage Range from 100s of acres to 100s of thousands of acres in size Assess fire effects on the soil and watershed hydrologic function (erosion and flood potential) Prescribe and implement emergency stabilization measures to mitigate potential hazards to: Life Property Long-term soil productivity Water quality Natural resources BAER response plan is required within 7 days of fire containment BAER field assessment BAER data analysis and plan development Straw waddles on Pike-San Isabel NF

36 BAER Imagery Support Program ( Provide rapid delivery of satellite imagery and derived severity products to Forest Service BAER teams Burned Area Reflectance Classification (BARC), preliminary vegetation burn severity, based on dnbr/dndvi assessment BAER teams use BARC with field observations and other spatial data to generate a soil burn severity map Soil burn severity map used to target and mitigate hazards to life and property RSAC provides imagery and data products within 24 hours of image acquisition 831 fires completed since 2001 (19 million acres/7.7 million ha) BARC Soil Burn Severity

37 Post-Fire Reforestation Planning Rapid identification of deforested areas and reforestation need after fire is necessary Reforestation is central to long-term restoration of forested ecosystems Respond to congressional, public and WO interests Post-fire reforestation needs on NFS lands exceed agency capabilities Better prioritization of resources is necessary Target investments to places that need them most Information guides decisions on prioritization and reforestation management Natural Recovery Assisted Recovery (planting, seeding or site preparation for natural recovery)

38 Rapid Assessment of Vegetation Condition after Wildfire ( Provide Landsat imagery and derived products characterizing fire effects on forest resources Conducted on fires where > 1,000 acres of NFS forested land is affected Assessment based on RdNBR a variant of dnbr - to derive post-fire forest condition layers: Burn severity % basal area loss % canopy cover loss Silviculturists use as decision support to identify and prioritize land suitable for reforestation 345 fires completed since 2007 (~9.7 million acres/3.9 million ha)

39 Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity ( Sponsored by the interagency Wildland Fire Leadership Council (WFLC) One element of a strategy monitoring the effectiveness of NFP and HFRA WFLC 2004 Monitoring Proposal, Module 2.1 Provide an information base to synoptically assess environmental impacts and trends Required for all lands in CONUS, AK, HI and PR Jointly conducted by RSAC and USGS

40 Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity ( Provide Landsat imagery and derived severity products for all large fires since 1984 > 1,000 acres in western U.S. > 500 acres in eastern U.S. Post-fire extent and burn severity layers based on dnbr assessment Products are used to support: Assessment of fire/severity trends Assess effectiveness of national fire management policies Land cover product updates Resource management and monitoring activities ~15,000 fires completed for (111 million acres/43.3 million ha)

41 Post-Fire Burn Severity Program Challenges Satellite image data continuity Landsat Cost-effective alternative image sources Educating users on the differences between programs Sensitivity of BAER datasets Increasing pressure to alter scope of MTBS Increased latency in product availability Funding Reliable and consistent fire occurrence data for MTBS DCCI effects Latency of data data/products? Website uptime? IT flexibility to meet needs of clients? Costs

42 Questions? Everett Hinkley Brad Quayle