NASA has unveiled its "Wildfire Digital Twin" project, a sophisticated tool designed to assist firefighters and wildfire managers in monitoring fires and predicting harmful air pollution events.

NASA's Wildfire Digital Twin Project

Current global models for describing wildfire spread and smoke movement typically have a spatial resolution of about 10 kilometers per pixel, according to NASA.

However, the Wildfire Digital Twin aims to produce regional ensemble models with a substantially enhanced spatial resolution of 10 to 30 meters per pixel. These two orders of magnitude improvement allow for more accurate and detailed predictions.

Moreover, as per NASA, these high-resolution models can be generated within minutes, a significant advancement compared to the hours required by current models.

Milton Halem, a Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at the University of Maryland, spearheaded the Wildfire Digital Twin project, along with over 20 researchers from six universities.

Halem stressed the importance of providing firefighters with timely and useful information, especially considering the limitations of internet access and computing resources in the field. With the API version of the model, the digital twin can be run on portable devices like laptops or tablets, according to Halem.

NASA's FireSense project aims to use the agency's capabilities to enhance wildfire management across the United States. Supported by the Earth Science Technology Office, this initiative focuses on developing innovative observation capabilities for predicting and managing wildfires, including systems like Earth System Digital Twins.

NASA notes that the Earth System Digital Twins are dynamic software tools designed for real-time modeling and predicting climate events, utilizing data from various sources to produce ensemble predictions.

Enhancing Boreal Forest Wildfire Research

Halem anticipates that Wildfire Digital Twins will enhance boreal forest wildfire research, critical for carbon sequestration, despite their contribution to CO2 emissions, as shown in a 2023 study.

In October, Halem's team joined the first FireSense field campaign, collaborating with the National Forest Service's FASMEE to observe smoke traveling over 10 miles during a controlled burn in Utah using a ceilometer. Data from this burn, according to NASA, enhances software accuracy in tracking smoke plumes.

The team focuses on tracking PM 2.5 particles, which are significant for health issues and long-distance travel from fire sources. They also seek to quantify the relationship between wildfire aerosols and precipitation, which is crucial for understanding wildfire impacts across scales.

"We want to be able to provide firefighters with useful, timely information," Halem said in an official statement.

"There is generally no internet, and no access to big supercomputers, but with our API version of the model, they could run the digital twin not just on a laptop, but even a tablet."