Recently, a participant observed that nature does not respect political borders, as we saw earlier in the summer of 2023 when smoke from Canadian wildfires inundated communities on the east coast. One team member pointed out that the “new normal” for wildfires may be a greater awareness of the issue as an increasingly broader cross-section of society is facing impacts from wildfires. Whether you live and work in a fire adapted ecosystem like the high desert or in a location where wildfires are rare, being prepared to provide your audience with accurate and up-to-date fire information is a critical foundation for productive conversations on the topic. 

Join us next for an introduction to the Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS), which puts near real time wildfire data in the hands of interpreters looking to share the story with their audiences. 

For a sneak peak, check out this cool story map about FIRMS.

Diane Davies is the operations manager for NASA’s Land Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for EOS (LANCE) and manager for NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS). LANCE is an umbrella system that delivers near real-time satellite data and imagery from 12 instruments. FIRMS delivers near real-time active fire data in easy to use formats. Diane has a particular interest in how satellite data and derived products can be made more accessible to end-users. Before taking on her role as LANCE operations manager, Diane worked at the University of Maryland (UMD) where she was the co- Principal Investigator (PI) for the USAID funded Central African Regional Program for the Environment (CARPE) and PI for FIRMS.