Software to Calculate Firefighting Resources
IBM is working with federal firefighting agencies to develop software that will calculate the resources needed to attack a wildfire (from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer).
BOISE, Idaho -- Federal fire managers and IBM researchers are announcing the second phase of a $36 million system to computerize the process of dispatching wildfire crews and equipment, a move intended to boost efficiency and cut costs.The first module of the Fire Program Analysis software automates firefighting resources in the initial attack phase of a blaze.
Completed by IBM in October 2004, it's now being tested by the Department of Interior, Forest Service, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Indian Affairs.
In the second phase, IBM researchers plan to work with federal officials to design a similar program to calculate suppression needs when fires burn for an extended period of time and over a large area.
This software should help by at least giving dispatchers an idea of how many resources will be required. However, I don't think fire officials should rely completely on these calculations. A little common sense will go along way.
