Joining NWCG, NASA will Overcome Forest Fires with Technological Support

Illustration of forest fires detected by NASA (photo: dock. NASA)

JAKARTA – NASA officially joined the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG), a federal inter-agency group formed in 1976 to prevent forest fires in the US.

With this group, the US government can understand and prevent the problem of forest fires to protect humans. NWCG wants to leverage technology so they can respond to forest fires safely and appropriately.

NASA Deputy Administrator, Pam Melroy, said that NASA was trying to help the government in dealing with the problem of forest fires. These natural disasters are getting bigger and more frequent, so collaborative partnerships are needed.

While joining the NWCG, NASA will develop solutions to control forest fires. The state agency will use the latest technology and share research results to support firefighting efforts.

"By utilizing Earth observation capabilities and cutting-edge technology in safe air operations, we are ready to establish new connections that will support efforts to extinguish forest fires," Melroy said in an official statement.

Melroy also said that they would use various research and development, data collection and distribution, and technology transfer from NASA's three mission directorates. Therefore, these institutions have an important role in the NWCG.

NWCG Executive Councilor, Aitor Bidaburu, confirmed the importance of NASA's position. According to Aitor, NASA's presence will improve NWCG's performance and help the group control the problem of forest fires in various regions.

“An important aspect of the NWCG's role is to develop standards for the wildland fire community to enable interoperability. "Together with NASA, this will significantly improve the common framework for the inter-agency wildland fire community," Aitor said.