national infrared operations (nirops) program...
TRANSCRIPT
National Infrared Operations
(NIROPS)
Program Overview
Tom Mellin National Infrared Program Manager
Topics NIROPS organization
Phoenix imaging system
Aircraft
Data delivery to infrared interpreters
IRIN functions
Product delivery to incident
Image examples
Future developments
National Infrared Operations (NIROPS)
Headquartered at National Interagency
Fire Center (NIFC) and consists of
Phoenix Imaging Systems & IR techs (FS)
Planes & Pilots (FS)
Infrared Interpreters (Interagency)
Geographic Area Coordination Centers
and GACC IR Liaisons
Northern R: Lee Werth
Rocky Mtn: Melinda McGann
Bob Malcolm
Southwest: Tom Mellin
Great Basin: Hope Spriggs
CA N/S: Kyle Felker
Northwest: Jim Grace
Southern: Scott Wilkinson
Eastern: Liz McNichols
Alaska: TBD
PHOENIX System Installation
Phoenix is a digital image
processing system coupled
with a dual channel line
scanner
WHY IR LINE SCANNERS? Cover extremely large areas in a very short
period of time
Line scanners are extremely accurate
(depending on processing system)
Can detect very small fires
(While simultaneously)
Mapping very large areas
Timely delivery
PHOENIX System Specifications Two channel thermal IR line scanner
3-5 μm band for intense heat
8-12 μm band for background terrain
1.25 milliradian IFOV – 3.8 meter pixel at NADIR, 10,000 feet AGL
1200 FOV – 6 mile swath at 10,000 feet AGL
1680 pixels per scan line
200 scan lines per second
Digital image processing system 256 gray scale (256th pixel is colored red)
Aircraft: Dedicated to IR use from April-November
144Z Cessna Citation
Bravo
149Z Beechcraft 200
Super King Air
National resource, can
cover multiple incidents
in multiple states
IR Data delivered from plane
Waldo Canyon Fire June 25, 2012, 2253 hrs
Orthocorrected color tiff Orthocorrected tiff w/ fire detects “raw” tiff
IR Data delivered from plane (cont.)
Waldo Canyon Fire June 25, 2012, 2253 hrs
Heat detect point shapefile “dumb” reduced resolution jpeg
mosaic of all runs
KA-B Detection Concept
Mid
IR
LW
IR
KA
-B
MO
DV
OL
12.5 ft Pixel
0 Deg. C Terrain
10 Inch Square
600 Deg. C Fire 100 Deg. C Asphalt
Courtesy John Green, Argon ST
A = Mid IR (3-5 µm)
B = LWIR (8-12 µm)
AACU
ACPU CWAP
Corded SIP Handset
(for maintenance ONLY)
GPS/PCS
Antenna
ABS
Antennas
WiFi
Antennas
9
Wired Ethernet
(optional)
AIRCELL System Imagery delivered to NIFC ftp site via AIRCELL system
Aircell is the company that provides in-flight Internet for
commercial airlines (“GoGo”).
N149Z and N144Z have the business aviation systems; a Wi-Fi
hotspot in the sky
Either as WinZip archive or FreeArc compressed archive (.exe)
NIFC ftp site
AIRCELL System Advantages
Fewer takeoffs and landings resulting in less spent
fuel per mission and less maintenance.
Safer flights due to fewer landings late at night into
uncontrolled dark airports.
Late night drives to pick up data by Interpreters
eliminated.
Less time wasted doing ftp uploads since data
transfer is almost in real time from aircraft.
Data arriving at NIROPS web site earlier in the
mission allowing faster product delivery to incident.
Less expensive than satellite based systems.
N144Z – 306 requests filled in 2011
(2010 – 142 filled, 2007 – 633 filled)
N149Z – 346 requests filled in 2011
(2010 – 197 filled, 2007 – 849 filled)
2011 NIROPS coverage
2012 NIROPS coverage (as of Aug 7)
N149Z - 230 requests filled
N144Z - 257 requests filled
Remote IRIN Support: One IRIN, Multiple Fires
NIFC ftp site
Interpreter(s) located at
duty station
Ph
oe
nix
da
ta
in W
inZ
ip a
rch
ive
NIFC ftp site
Incident
Airce
ll
IRIN “Pods” Multiple IRINs at a single location central to
multiple incidents
If working in a pod
A lead IRIN is assigned
Each interpreter usually responsible for multiple
fires, depending on size and complexity
Improved coordination and flexibility
Good example – Redding pod
from 2008
Roles and Responsibilities of the Infrared
Interpreter
Primary Objectives:
Quality Control of thermal imagery
Determine heat perimeter
Identify areas of heat and isolated heat
sources
Calculate acreage of the perimeter
Produce shapefiles, summary map(s) and
log
IR Aircraft
& Crew
IC
Planning
Section
Chief
Situation
Unit
Ldr.
Local/Expanded
Dispatch
IR
Interpreter
GACCFixed Wing
Aircraft Desk
NICC COD
Fixed Wing
Aircraft Desk
IR Team Coordination
National
IR Coord.
Regional
IR Coord.
Products Delivered to
Incident daily
Shapefiles, map, kmz, log
Aircraft vs. IRINs NIROPS aircraft are a national resource that can support multiple fires in multiple GACCs
NOT assigned to the fire
Fires receive the service
IRINs are a single resource (overhead) that can support one or more fires
Can be assigned to a Fire
OR can be assigned to a GACC or Area Command to support multiple fires (usually as a member of a “pod”)
Wallow Fire Growth, 5/30 – 6/8, 2011
Wallow Fire Growth, 5/30 – 6/8, 2011
Wallow Fire Growth, 5/30 – 6/8, 2011
Wallow Fire Growth, 5/30 – 6/8, 2011
Wallow Fire Growth, 5/30 – 6/8, 2011
Wallow Fire Growth, 5/30 – 6/8, 2011
Wallow Fire Growth, 5/30 – 6/8, 2011
Wallow Fire Growth, 5/30 – 6/8, 2011
Whitewater and Baldy Fires become
Whitewater-Baldy Fire, 5/22-23, 2012
Whitewater and Baldy Fires become
Whitewater-Baldy Fire, 5/22-23, 2012
Wolf Den Fire 7/5/12
Wolf Den Fire 7/5/12
Wolf Den Fire 7/5/12
Future developments
Integration of AMS on FS plane Autonomous Modular Sensor transferred to FS by
NASA
Band Wavelength m
1 0.42- 0.45
2 0.45- 0.52 (TM1)
3 0.52- 0.60 (TM2)
4 0.60- 0.62
5 0.63- 0.69 (TM3)
6 0.69- 0.75
7 0.76- 0.90 (TM4)
8 0.91- 1.05
9 1.55- 1.75 (TM5)
10 2.08- 2.35 (TM7)
11 3.60- 3.79 (VIIRS M12)
12 10.26-11.26 (VIIRS M15)
AMS Wildfire Sensor
Wide Area Imager (WAI) Development funded by NASA SBIR project
Operational Airborne prototype delivered by
John Green (Xiomas)
Testing over fires this summer
Different concept/same result as Phoenix
Cover 16 mile swath with same resolution as Phoenix system
using step stare mirror with high resolution frame grabbing
cameras
Dual band MWIR and LWIR camera and color infrared camera
Near real-time image classification and orthorectification
Future developments (cont.)
MWIR
Mosaic and
some zooms
Future developments (cont.)
3rd existing FS aircraft for sensor deployment Testing and operational platform for various sensors
including Phoenix system, AMS, WAI, etc.
Would help maintain NIROPS coverage if one plane was
down for extended time or
Provide improved coverage during times of high fire
activity and/or geographically separated fires
