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SpatialNews.com Press Release
Fire Safe Council Uses Satellite Imagery and Geotechnologies for Wildfire Risk Assessmet
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LONGMONT, Colo., June 16 -- DigitalGlobeŽ and Native Communities Development Corporation (NCDC) announced the award of a wildfire risk assessment and emergency response planning contract using DigitalGlobe's high-resolution QuickBird satellite images and NCDC's proprietary remote sensing technology. The Tahoe Basin Fire Safe Council (Lake Tahoe, Calif.) awarded the contract to the Wildfire Consulting Services Division of Davey Resource Group (DRG) and NCDC. The assessment and planning area covers the unincorporated fire districts located on the California side of the Lake Tahoe Basin.
DRG and NCDC will utilize 300 square miles of DigitalGlobe's 60-centimeter resolution QuickBird satellite imagery in conjunction with advanced remote sensing, feature extraction and three-dimensional mapping techniques to design and conduct a wildfire risk and hazard assessment, and to develop mitigation plans for each fire protection district. The districts covered include the Fallen Leaf Fire Department, the North Tahoe Fire Protection District, Meeks Bay Fire Protection District and the Lake Valley Fire Protection District. The final product, to be delivered to the Tahoe Basin Fire Safe Council in August 2004, will detail risk assessments and mitigation proposals for each district and adjacent public lands, including detailed geographic information system (GIS) maps, public reviews, and recommendations for continued public education.
DigitalGlobe and NCDC's combined geotechnologies will be used to identify and map wildfire threats, including hazardous fuel accumulations, flammable roofing materials, and all major roads and structures situated within each area's wildland-urban interface.
NCDC's QuickBird image analysis will enable DRG's wildfire specialists and ground survey crews to efficiently target areas of greatest concern for detailed fire risk assessments. By incorporating NCDC's imagery into detailed GIS-based maps and resource inventories, DRG's wildfire specialists will be able to prepare plans which will assist fire managers and emergency planners during critical evacuation and suppression activities.
"The state-of-the-art marriage of DRG, NCDC, and DigitalGlobe technologies has provided the Tahoe Basin with an opportunity to showcase an unprecedented fire plan that our community can take great pride in," said Jennifer Arrowsmith, Tahoe Basin Fire Safe Council administrator. "The accuracy provided by the satellite images has generated enough confidence to use the fire plan as the single platform for all future fire management activities. Local government agencies, fire response organizations, businesses, and residents eagerly await the final fire plan," she said.
DigitalGlobe and NCDC recently completed a similar-scale wildfire risk assessment project for the Colorado State Forest Service along Colorado's Front Range, just southwest of Denver. The two organizations are currently developing wildfire risk assessment projects for implementation in New Mexico, Arizona and Manitoba, Canada.
About Davey Resource Group and the Wildfire Consulting Services Group
Davey Resource Group (DRG) is a division of the Davey Tree Expert Company, the nation's oldest silvicultural specialists. DRG has a reputation for innovative solutions to a wide range of natural resource management issues, including those related to wildland fire. In 2002, DRG was expanded to include a Wildfire Consulting Services branch. Their services include wildfire risk and hazard assessments, vegetation/infrastructure inventories and mapping, defensible space and fuels mitigation planning, GIS services, and the design and implementation of public information and education programs. More information can be found at www.davey.com.
About NCDC
Native Communities Development Corporation (NCDC), based in Colorado Springs, Colo., is an Indian-owned company which assists Native American and Alaskan Native communities and rural, state and federal agencies with the assessment and integrated planning for the management of natural and cultural resources. NCDC's High Resolution Satellite Imaging and Mapping Division specializes in applying the power of sub-meter high resolution images and its advanced remote sensing techniques to map, measure, monitor and assess natural resources. For more information, please visit: www.ncdcimaging.com.
About DigitalGlobe
DigitalGlobe is the clear leader in the global commercial Earth imagery and geospatial information market. The company's technical superiority and innovation, unparalleled commitment to customer service, extensive business partner network and open systems philosophy make DigitalGlobe the preferred supplier of satellite and aerial imagery and value-added products. In 2001, DigitalGlobe launched what remains the world's highest resolution commercial satellite today, QuickBird. The company will launch its next-generation WorldView system no later than 2006, while the competition has no plans to launch a satellite comparable to either QuickBird or WorldView before 2008. QuickBird has collected and stored in its ImageLibrary hundreds of thousands of Earth image scenes covering tens of millions of square kilometers, and collects an additional one million square kilometers each week. These new and historical images are essential for customers who map and plan for change in our world. DigitalGlobe is based in Longmont, Colo., USA. For more information visit www.digitalglobe.com.
DigitalGlobe is a registered trademark of DigitalGlobe, Inc
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