When it comes to wildland fire mapping software, MapSavvy is coming on strong as one of the most important tools to help fire managers strategically deploy crews and resources to stamp out fires in wilderness areas.
Wildland fire mapping software tools like the MapSavvy web mapping service provide wildland fire managers with valuable intelligence about where the fire is spreading, changing fire perimeters, difficult terrain, and more.
Wildland Fire Mapping Software Is the Optimal Tool
When we talk about wildland fire mapping software, a typical question is: why not use a drone? There are plenty of reasons why a web mapping tool like MapSavvy is more functional, effective, and safer to use than drone technology. Here's why:
Drones have limited height capabilities. When you're looking at a massive wildfire covering thousands of acres, the only way to get accurate insights is to view the fire from an overhead satellite vantage point. The overhead view lets fire managers see more acreage and allows for better fire mitigation planning. In contrast, FAA regulations limit drones to a maximum flying height of 400 feet.
Drones impede firefighting planes. There have been reports of slurry bombers (firefighting planes) that had to make emergency dumps of their retardant and then deploy an emergency power climb to avoid a drone in their airspace. When a slurry bomber has to dump its load on an emergency basis — not where it's needed — that's a huge waste of money, and it doesn't help fight the fire.
Drones must stay miles from the fire. Because drones can pose a safety hazard to firefighting planes, they are required to stay well away from active fires. That doesn't allow for the imagery needed to assess a fast-moving wildfire, protect fire crews, and assess the risk to nearby property or structures.
Web Mapping Services Are the Best Tool for Wildland Fire Management
In contrast to drones, aerial imagery services like MapSavvy allow fire managers to pull web maps of vast areas viewed from above, view roads and structures as part of the web map, and then use that aerial imagery to make more informed decisions about how to fight a wildland fire.
Aerial imagery from web mapping services is helpful in virtually all firefighting scenarios, both urban and wildland. Fire departments responsible for fighting wildland fires find aerial imagery especially helpful for comparing how fast a fire is moving, how close it is moving toward roads and inhabited areas, and more.
MapSavvy: The Affordable Option for Wildland Fire Management
MapSavvy is a powerful, affordable web map imagery service that provides the images needed for wildland fire management, coupled with a price that's a fraction of what most aerial imagery vendors charge — $999 per year for up to 40,000 WMS requests. At a time when fire departments everywhere are challenged to do more with less, MapSavvy is an affordable source of aerial imagery for developing strategic plans to fight fires.
Interested in learning how MapSavvy serves as a fire mapping software tool? Try our free 14-day trial.