As wildfire seasons grow longer and more destructive, the challenge of understanding and combating these fast-moving blazes has never been more urgent. To address this escalating threat, researchers at the University of California San Diego have unveiled the Wildfire Science & Technology Commons, a groundbreaking platform designed to accelerate collaboration, innovation, and practical solutions in wildfire science.
The Wildfire Commons acts as a central hub for data, models, computing resources, and expertise, enabling scientists, technologists, and practitioners to move ideas from theory into real-world applications. Developed by the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) in partnership with the Proactive Wildfire & Environmental Sustainability Solutions (ProWESS) Center, the platform is supported by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and brings together the talents of UC San Diego and Los Alamos National Laboratory.
“Wildfires are a complex, evolving problem,” says Ilkay Altintas, director of UC San Diego’s Societal Computing and Innovation Lab (SCIL). “The Wildfire Commons provides the tools and collaboration environment necessary to translate research into actionable technology.”
Membership spans a wide range of stakeholders: academic researchers, technology developers, frontline firefighters, and government agencies. By connecting these groups, the Commons ensures that science, technology, and policy efforts are aligned, enhancing the real-world impact of fire management initiatives.
Members gain access to extensive datasets on fire behavior, weather patterns, vegetation, and historical wildfire trends, alongside AI modeling and visualization tools. FireForge allows users to curate personal catalogs, prototype innovations, and showcase projects, encouraging collaboration and knowledge sharing.
The platform’s initial pathfinder projects include collaborations with the Western Fire and Forest Resilience Collaborative, Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority, and the Earth Fire Alliance, highlighting how open data and shared expertise can drive scalable solutions.
A notable feature of the Wildfire Commons is its emphasis on immersive visualization and AI-ready datasets. By integrating diverse data sources into high-resolution 3D models, researchers can explore wildfire scenarios in unprecedented detail, from fuel characterization to community planning and mitigation strategies.
“This complex case study demonstrates the full potential of the Commons, enabling new methods of training, decision-making, and public communication related to wildfires,” says Altintas.
The Wildfire Commons has already convened working groups and hosted webinars to foster cross-sector collaboration. For instance, the Western Fire and Forest Resilience Collaborative discussed knowledge gaps in wildfire science and strategies for scaling proactive interventions.
With wildfire seasons becoming more intense and unpredictable, the Wildfire Commons provides a structured, collaborative, and technologically advanced platform to anticipate, model, and mitigate the impact of wildfires. By uniting researchers, practitioners, and technology developers, UC San Diego is helping transform wildfire science into actionable solutions that protect communities, ecosystems, and lives.
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