UAS Wildland Fire Collaborative
Less heat between firefighters and the line.
We are a collaborative of UAS wildland fire pilots. We process, standardize, and deliver thermal mapping into the hands of incident commanders and crews fast enough to keep them out of heat they cannot see.
What the Collaborative does
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For pilots
A standardized pipeline behind your aircraft. You fly. Raw thermal data goes in. Calibrated, NIROPS compatible deliverables come out. Your data, your name on the product.
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For decision makers
Operational intelligence in the formats incident teams already trust. Live feature services, NIFS schema deliverables, and IR logs delivered the moment a pilot approves the package.
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For crews
Less time walking into heat that better intelligence would have flagged. Fewer surprises on the line. Reduced exposure is the reason every other piece of this exists.
What it looks like
From the air to the line.
Thermal data from a pilot's drone, processed into a NIROPS compatible perimeter and heat polygon set, delivered as a live feature service the same hour. Incident teams pull it into the maps they already use.
Why it matters
Crews are walking into heat that pilots in the air could already see.
Thermal cameras are mounted to UAS over fires every day. The data exists. The bottleneck is getting it processed, standardized, and into the right hands before crews are committed.
When a pilot's data sits in proprietary formats, gets stuck in email, or arrives in shapes the IMT cannot read, ground resources keep working off yesterday's picture. Hot pockets get missed. Lines get pushed into heat. Exposure is the cost.
We are pilots ourselves. We built the Collaborative so the data we already collect reaches crews in time to matter.
How it works
One Survey123 form to five deliverables, in under two minutes.
The pilot does what they already do. The pipeline takes it from there.
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Submit
Pilot uploads thermal imagery and one Survey123 form from the incident.
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Process
Pipeline orthorectifies, classifies heat, and builds NIROPS compatible deliverables in 55 to 90 seconds.
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Approve
Pilot reviews the draft package by email and confirms accuracy in two clicks.
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Deliver
Five products land on the NIFC FTP and a live feature service goes online for the IMT.
Incidents
Where the Collaborative has flown
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Fossil Complex
Details coming soon.
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Lee Falls
Details coming soon.
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French Fire
Reference case for NIROPS compatible deliverable format.
Built with the fire community
We are a member of the Oregon UAS Innovation Accelerator Cohort.
Developed in operational collaboration with the Oregon Department of Forestry since the 2024 fire season, and aligned with National Wildfire Coordinating Group standards.
- Oregon Department of Forestry
- US Forest Service
- National Wildfire Coordinating Group
Oregon UAS Innovation Accelerator
Board of Directors
The people accountable for the work.
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Eli Polsky
Founder and Executive Director
Wildland fire UAS operator since 2012. Administratively Determined with US Forest Service. Call When Needed resource with Oregon Department of Forestry.
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Jeff Pricher
Director
Fire Chief. National Wildfire Coordinating Group UAS Subcommittee member.
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Nikki Hart Brinkley
Director
GIS advisor and Esri affiliate. Technical authority on geospatial standards.
Reach the Collaborative
Pilots, fire managers, supporters: one inbox.
If you are a UAS pilot interested in flying with the Collaborative, an incident commander or fire manager wanting our work on your next fire, or a supporter helping us reach more incidents, get in touch.