Ember Alert

With the increasing threat of wildfires across the United States, we attempted to develop a tool that empowers emergency responders, policymakers, and residents with real-time information about fire hazard zones to mitigate potential risks. By leveraging technology, we aim to enhance wildfire prevention and response efforts, ultimately protecting lives, the environment, and its habitats.

Ember Explorer is an interactive web application that gathers geospatial data from the Google Earth Engine (GEE) API to analyze wildfire hazard zones across the United States. The system determines the fire risk of an area based on several key environment factors: soil moisture, vegetation density, humidity levels, temperature, wind speed, and more. This information is then visualized on a React-based interactive map, pinpointing areas of high-risk along with the respective radius of hazard. Additionally, the map includes the location of fixed drone stations, which used an algorithm fixated in placing them in strategic locations near bodies of water. They are capable of being deployed to assist in wildfire containment.

We built Ember Explorer using: Frontend: A React-based interactive map for visualizing data. Backend: Integration with the Google Earth Engine (GEE) API for geospatial data analysis. Data Processing: Algorithms to analyze environmental factors such as soil moisture, vegetation density, and humidity levels. Drone Integration: Mapping drone station locations for potential deployment in wildfire containment.

Building Ember Explorer came with several challenges: Data Processing: Handling large volumes of geospatial data on the backend required significant optimization efforts. API Integration: Encountering authentication issues while pulling data from Google Earth Engine delayed progress. Visualization Complexity: Developing an intuitive yet detailed map interface to display hazard zones and drone station locations posed design challenges. Connecting the Frontend to the Backend: Because of the issues with Data Processing and Google Earth Engine's API Integration, the Backend would not display the points properly on the Frontend.

Accomplishments that we're proud of include successfully integrating real-time geospatial data from GEE into a user-friendly interface. We were also able to develop a system capable of pinpointing high-risk wildfire areas with actionable insights for emergency responders. We incorporated drone station mapping as an innovative approach to wildfire containment.

Through this project, we gained several valuable experiences. We learned how to work with large-scale geospatial datasets and optimize backend systems for real-time performance. Additionally, we developed skills in integrating APIs like Google Earth Engine into web applications, ensuring seamless data retrieval and processing throughout. Finally, we focused on designing interactive maps that balance functionality with user experience, creating an intuitive and informative interface for users.

To further enhance Ember Explorer, we plan to enhance the system's accuracy through the incorporation of additional environmental factors, such as wind speed and temperature patters, allowing for a more precise fire risk assessment. We also aim to expand drone capabilities by simulating real-time deployment scenarios such as wind speed and temperature patterns in order to integrate more effective response strategies. Additionally, we seek to collaborate with government agencies and emergency response teams to pilot test Ember Explorer in high-risk areas. Lastly, we intend to develop a mobile version of the application, making it more accessible to residents and first responders remotely on the go.