Experiences using a smartphone application to evaluate wildfire threats

Wildfires can threaten property and life in the wildland-urban interface (WUI), where human development meets wild areas. Two priorities for mitigating these threats are collecting information about the fuel that is available... [ view full abstract ]

Wildfires can threaten property and life in the wildland-urban interface (WUI), where human development meets wild areas. Two priorities for mitigating these threats are collecting information about the fuel that is available to burn (i.e. forest structure, so actions can be planned to reduce the intensity and severity when wildfire occurs), and building cooperation through fostering a sense of shared responsibility and understanding by the numerous stakeholders. With limited resources and shrinking forest management budgets, creative applications of public participation in scientific research may help meet these objectives. In this work, a smartphone application was developed that utilizes a novel method of collecting rapid observations of forest vegetation structure. Participants were recruited from local communities, and questionnaires and observational notes were used to explore potential audiences for the application, motivations for volunteering, and experiences using the application. The data quality were evaluated using reference measurements and comparisons were made between participants with different levels of experience. A framework was developed to integrate the smartphone data with multispectral remote sensing and topography to make estimates over broader areas. As a result of these experiences, a range of future priorities were identified including building tools to reward the motivations for participation of different audiences and increasing the degree and quality of public participation.