Gridded Wind Model

Los Angeles County Fire Department

Managing forest and range wildfires, which are fast moving and can have devastating effects on life and property, has relied on geospatial technologies for years. GIS and GPS technologies are perfectly suited to capturing and communicating all aspects of wildfire management, from tracking firefighting resources on the ground and in the air, to identifying the direct impact on people's homes.

Wind simulations are especially important to assist wildfire management decision making. The Gridded Wind Model generated by the Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory's Wind Wizard software is the basis for this portrayal of a wildfire in the coast ranges of central California. These maps simulate wind flow under various general wind speed and direction scenarios over one particular digital elevation model. The various wind speeds are represented by different colored and sized arrows, which are pointing in the direction the wind is blowing.

As these maps show, different upper level wind flow speeds and directions change how surface winds are affected by the terrain. Because wind is a major factor in how destructive and dangerous a wildfire can be, firefighters are particularly sensitive to it. Wildfire management personnel use this type of data to help decide positioning resources, alert assets at risk, and forecast the spread of the fire.

Courtesy of Alfie Blanch.

Map Book Page [PDF]