Accessing geospatial data in wildland fire operations: Review of the Wildfire Data Logistics Network and data ferry prototype

Abstract:

Much of the current research on data sharing and processing depends on the assumption of an underlying, ever-present infrastructure. However, when considering emergency response scenarios, such as wildland firefighting or hurricane response, first responders are likely operating in an area with no or severely degraded communication infrastructure. This presentation will review development and prototyping of the Wildfire Data Logistics Network (WildfireDLN), a distributed solution developed by a multi-university research team funded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Public Safety Communication Research program. We will describe the software, demonstrate the WildfireDLN Data Ferry and review our ideas for maturation and deployment.

Access to large data by wildland firefighters in the field is severely limited in areas with poor, slow, or disrupted internet WiFi or cell service, which is common in the backcountry. WildfireDLN provides a service for seamlessly moving data from geospatial servers to end users in disconnected environments. The system developed can be used by any incident command system that conforms to general incident operations protocols, such hurricanes or other disaster response scenarios with disrupted communication situations. The physical realization of WildfireDLN is a Data Ferry that employs small form factor, System-on-a-Chip (SoC)-class systems such as the Raspberry Pi. Being physically compact, this class of ferry can be easily carried into the field and transported by numerous means. Compute and I/O capabilities on SoC devices provides in-situ computation services on ferry nodes in addition to running the core DLN software stack. The DLN software eliminates the need for homogeneous hardware – any device with basic networking, storage, and compute capabilities can be added to the network as an end-user device, Data Ferry, or Command Center Base Station. The system software is designed to provide a simple user experience and enables agencies to utilize hardware already on hand, such as mobile phones and tablets, allowing interoperability among agencies at a low cost. The multi-functionality of WildfireDLN provides an adaptable solution for data transfer through disconnected networks that can continue to be expanded as future technologies evolve.