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

Questions?

Tom Mellin – National IR Program Manager

(505) 842-3845

tmellin@fs.fed.us