Integrated Systems for More Efficient Forest Fire Management

Firefighting is a very demanding and resource-intensive activity that involves distributed personnel in aircraft, in command centers, in ground vehicles, and on foot, working together in environments that are typically hot, smoky, disorienting, dynamic, and workload-intensive. The research established in Phase I the feasibility of today's sensors, communications and computers to implement Human-Aiding Technology (HAT) for aerial supervisory personnel. HAT can greatly enhance firefighter situational awareness by creating a "shared mental model" among distributed personnel, thereby reducing miscommunications, automating routine communication tasks, reducing workload, and increasing firefighter safety. The proposed Phase II research implements the candidate airborne supervisory HAT displays and input devices identified in Phase I in the context of a simulation-based laboratory. This laboratory environment can be used to host and evaluate HAT devices, synthesize integrated displays, conduct crew resource management and workload studies, and eventually serve as a training system for aerial supervisory personnel and tactical pilots. Phase II will culminate in a demonstration and evaluation periods where the User community (aerial supervisors, safety officers, tactical pilots) will be invited to validate the candidate integrated HAT displays and controls in the simulated environment.