Why is a collaboratory needed?

There are a lot of pockets of research and development going on around the world. The questions are: a) how to better connect all of these research efforts for the common good, general efficiency, and higher quality results, and b) how to specifically focus these efforts toward the needs reflected in the U.S. National Fire Plan. This new plan requires us to think out of the box, to look at new ways to focus and re-prioritize our research and development work. This collaboratory is dedicated to doing just that. Yes, much of the results of the collaborative R&D will be focused on traditional problems of fire suppression; however, we must increasingly focus our efforts on goals of the National Fire Plan such as shifting from a short-term response to fire as a catastrophe towards a long-term, proactive, collaborative, community-based perspective that recognizes fire as a natural part of the ecosystem, and emphasizes fire mitigation through the use of fuels reduction.

Scope of the collaboratory

Wildland Fire R&D is a very broad term thus some clarification is required. This collaboratory is focused on research that is associated with understanding wildfire in the context of atmospheric processes and the impact of these interactive processes on our society, both in the near term and for the long haul. Not only is the direct interaction of the atmosphere with the fire in real time important, but it is also very important to understand the delicate and complicated dance that occurs between the atmosphere and potential fuels for future fires, the emissions that come from wildfire, the actual combustion process in some detail, and the long-term effects of wildfire on climatic factors such as carbon sequestration.

Finally, the development part of the equation focuses on validating software, hardware and system engineering practices that can transfer the good science base from the laboratory to an operational setting. It also includes development of new training and education programs, and knowledge-based systems that can rapidly convey these new understandings into useful information for policy makers and planners.

Please read the mission statement and guiding principles. The collaboratory is international in scope. Although the collaboratory is heavily focused on the U.S. National Fire Plan, interaction is solicited from all interested parties around the
globe.

The most effective method for utilizing this site is to become a member. This allows you to post your organizations' relevant information for all users to view, to use the interactive functions of the site, to vote on priorities and issues that will periodically be presented to the membership and to be an elected member of the collaboratory's Governing Board (see Members section for details). You can also browse the site for information you need without playing an interactive role. We strongly advocate the former mode of interaction for, after all, that is the very purpose of a collaboratory - to foster a higher level of interaction within a group of interested parties, particularly when large geographical distances separate them.

How do you submit information to other collaborators?

If you are a member, information can be submitted directly to the Idea Bank. It is like a professional bulletin board. You may enter any idea, comment, proposal or question you like. If others interact with you, the exchange will be captured in a thread under the subject that you first entered, so that others may follow the collaboration and join in if they wish.

Material for other sections of the site must be submitted to the site custodians for preparation and insertion. This includes press releases, publications, announcements and articles for the In the Spotlight section. Send any material of this type to wagoner@ucar.edu for review and posting. Any suggestions for changing the format or architecture of the site are welcomed and can be sent to the same email address.