Geospatial information technologies - sensors, systems and software that collect, analyze and display information about locations on the earth's surface - can help in managing wildland fires, but they are not being used as effectively as they could be, according to a report released by the General Accounting Office. The study, which was requested last year by U.S. Representatives Mark Udall (D-CO) and Joel Hefley (R-CO), found that geospatial technologies can be used to help reduce the risk of uncontrollable fires, respond to ongoing fires and aid in recovering from fire disasters, but that lack of interagency coordination is hampering their use.

The Colorado lawmakers asked GAO to conduct the study in the aftermath of Colorado's devastating 2002 fire season. Last year, more than 3,000 fires in the state consumed 926,000 acres at an estimated cost of $200 million. The Hayman Fire alone destroyed nearly 138,000 acres and cost more than $39 million.
"GAO's conclusions are not surprising. We've known for some time about the availability of sophisticated technologies that can help prevent fires, monitor their spread, and help in restoration efforts after they have occurred. But these technologies are not being used effectively by our public land agencies. It seems to me that as long as we are allocating resources to fire fighting and fire risk reduction projects, we should do it right to ensure that these agencies have the best available tools at their disposal," said Udall.

"Practically speaking, there is no reason why we shouldn't be able to access geospatial imagery gathered from the air and from space to help us manage our forests and to guard against forest fires. The technology exists to measure fuel loading in our forests in order to pinpoint where preventive action needs to be taken. Likewise, the technology exists to pinpoint those burned areas which may threaten our watersheds and are most in need of rehabilitation. The thoughtful use of such technology would be a boon to our forest managers and, I believe, could save the taxpayers millions of dollars," said Hefley.
While geospatial technologies can help provide accurate and timely information on fire movement and growth to fire-fighting personnel and the public, there remain challenges to using these technologies to manage wildland fires. According to the GAO, the root cause of many of the challenges is the lack of an overall strategy guiding interagency management of the resources and technology.

On August 28, Udall and Hefley hosted a public forum in Colorado to discuss the feasibility of using geospatial technologies to help fight wildfires. Based on the information gathered at the public meeting, they are considering introducing legislation that would identify how local municipalities could access geospatial technologies and address the challenges to using the technologies.

A copy of the report can be accessed at www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-03-1047.

<< Back to Press Room