Every week, NASA publishes a video called "This Week at NASA" (TW@N) to highlight important news and activities from the agency. In the
latest edition of TW@N, the
Human Systems integration Division's Scalable Traffic Management for Emergency Response Operations (STEReO) project was featured in a segment showing how new technologies are being developed to help fight natural disasters, such as wildfires.
Increasingly widespread and devastating wildfires are causing billions of dollars of damage every year, and have resulted in substantial loss of life and property. Currently, disaster response is limited by extensive manual collaboration across a wide range of agencies and organizations. This collaboration is further hindered by a limited communication infrastructure. Fortunately, some NASA technologies being developed by the
Airspace Operations Laboratory will soon be available to help first responders respond to disasters in a more effective and efficient manner. Using drones, new software tools, and innovative networking/communication capabilities, NASA is creating a powerful and portable disaster response tool. By building on NASA's expertise in
drone traffic management, the STEReO project is developing new communications infrastructure which will allows emergency responders to stay in close contact to better coordinate their activities.
The STEReO project has successfully tested their technologies in multiple joint flight demonstrations conducted with the
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) and the
U.S. Forest Service. By leveraging their expertise in air traffic management, and gathering detailed feedback from their government, industry, and academic partners, STEReO will ultimately improve the efficiency and timeliness of the response, mitigation, and recovery phases of a natural disaster, ultimately saving lives, protecting property, and minimizing the financial burden on taxpayers.