US-based DigitalGlobe and Native Communities Development Corporation (NCDC) announced the award of a wildfire risk assessment and emergency response planning contract using DigitalGlobe’s high-resolution QuickBird satellite images and NCDC’s proprietary remote sensing technology. The Tahoe Basin Fire Safe Council (Lake Tahoe, Calif.) awarded the contract to the Wildfire Consulting Services Division of Davey Resource Group (DRG) and NCDC. The assessment and planning area covers the unincorporated fire districts located on the California side of the Lake Tahoe Basin.
DRG and NCDC will utilize 300 square miles of DigitalGlobe’s 60-centimeter resolution QuickBird satellite imagery in conjunction with advanced remote sensing, feature extraction and three-dimensional mapping techniques to design and conduct a wildfire risk and hazard assessment, and to develop mitigation plans for each fire protection district. The final product, to be delivered to the Tahoe Basin Fire Safe Council in August 2004, will detail risk assessments and mitigation proposals for each district and adjacent public lands, including detailed GIS maps, public reviews, and recommendations for continued public education.
By incorporating NCDC’s imagery into detailed GIS-based maps and resource inventories, DRG’s wildfire specialists will be able to prepare plans which will assist fire managers and emergency planners during critical evacuation and suppression activities.
Native Communities Development Corporation (NCDC), based in Colorado Springs, Colo., is an Indian-owned company which assists Native American and Alaskan Native communities and rural, state and federal agencies with the assessment and integrated planning for the management of natural and cultural resources.
