Interior department enhances program to Deter drones from wildfires
Interior department enhances program to Deter drones from wildfires
13 June 2017
published by https://unmanned-aerial.com
USA – Building on recent initiatives to prevent privately operated unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) from interfering with federal, state and local wildland firefighting, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) is expanding its wildfire location data-sharing program for 2017.
The new service, Current Wildland Fires, is accessible through the Geoplatform ArcGIS Online Organization.
By providing greater public access to a wider array of wildland fire location data, drone operators will Know Where Not To Go in near real time, states Mark Bathrick of the DOIs Office of Aviation Services. As the 2017 wildland fire season gets underway, this improved service should greatly reduce the incidents of drone incursions on wildfires and enhance the safety of our firefighters and the communities they work so hard to protect.
According to the agency, the 2017 program provides location data on any wildland fire reported in the last eight days compared to last year, when the service offered information on wildfires reported only within the previous 72 hours. The 2016 program included wildland fires reported by the DOI, the U.S. Forest Service, and two States (Alaska and Texas). However, this years program includes the addition of Wyoming, North Dakota and Los Angeles County. The DOI also plans to increase coverage to include more federal, state and local reported wildland fires.
Tropical peat swamp forests, which once occupied large swaths of Southeast Asia and other areas, provided a significant “sink” that helped remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. But such forests have been disappearing fast due to clear-cutting and drainage projects making way for plantations. Now, research shows peatlands face another threat, as climate change alters rainfall patterns, potentially destroying even forested peatlands that remain undrained.
Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-06-peatlands-dwindling-losses.html#jCpTropical peat swamp forests, which once occupied large swaths of Southeast Asia and other areas, provided a significant “sink” that helped remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. But such forests have been disappearing fast due to clear-cutting and drainage projects making way for plantations. Now, research shows peatlands face another threat, as climate change alters rainfall patterns, potentially destroying even forested peatlands that remain undrained.
Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-06-peatlands-dwindling-losses.html#jCp
