Project Topics
Here are some ideas to get you thinking about projects related to Wildland Fire problems. This list is by no means exhaustive; these ideas are examples of problems identified by some of our faculty and industry mentors. Teams are encouraged to either pursue one of these sample problems or one related to their own interests and ideas.
Also, if you missed the Winter Quarter Seminar series on Wildfires, you might want to hear some ideas shared by our great speakers.
Social Media to predict and respond to wildfires
Can social media be used either to predict wildfire ignition or aid post-event response?
AI Languge models to the rescue?
Can AI Language models be used to effectively prevent, predict, or aid in wildfire response?
Photo Point Monitoring ML tool
Using machine learning to track vegetation changes in time
Mapping root causes for locational catastrophic wildfire risk
Mapping root causes for locational catastrophic wildfire risk
Fire Smart Landscaping in Zone Zero
Develop tools that encourage people to adopt a 21st Century version of a beautiful landscaped home that is firesafe
Vulnerable Population Assessment
Traffic data to predict a fire
Could traffic data be used to predict a fire?
Vegetation Maps
Use Machine learning and/or GIS map vegetation, biodiversity, and monitor fuel treatment
Fire lines and vegetation classification
Develop an effective and efficient machine learning model to process images for fire detection and vegetation type.
Minimizing Ignitions
Can utilities operate the grid differently than PSPS?
Bluetooth or Wifi to estimate population
Can WIFI and Bluetooth scanning be used to estimate the number of people in an area?
Quantifying Vegetation Treatment Effectiveness
Wildfire Carbon Quantification
Use Planet data to improve carbon quantification metrics
Tree Assessment Protocol
Create a tool to automate the tree assessment process used by PG&E to reduce wildfire risk.
Infrastructure Inspection
Can AI be used to provide timely and accurate infrastructure inspections?
Worldwide high fire threat district (HFTD) Map
Develop a tool that creates a high fire threat district map for the world.
Improving forestry services and defensible space
Supporting fire prevention efforts for forestry services and defensible space programs at CAL FIRE
Community Resilience
focus on ways to improve communication with vulnerable and traditionally under-represented populations
Wildfire Machine Learning / AI Capabilities
using satellite- and sensor-based wildfire data to improve impact tracking
Satellite Tracking
Improve tracking of wildfires from satellite images
Risk-based maintenance strategy
What does a risk based vegetation maintenance strategy look like that balance’s lifecycle costs, performance and risks on outages and ignitions?
Public Health and Wildfires
Develop a system to track health impacts
Evacuation routes
CALFIRE needs help developing real time evacuation tools
Early Detection Using Cameras
Improve early detection of wildfires using wildfire tracking cameras
Smallwood Utilization
Developing new technologies and uses for harvested materials
Disaster Philanthropy
Tracking WIldfire Donations
Vulnerable Populations
Can you empower vulnerable populations?
Building Air Filters
Facilitating whole home air filtering
Home Protection
What is the best investment for protecting your home at the WUI?
Multi-benefit Forest Management
Balancing goals for recreation, forestry, grazing, and mining
Improved Smallwood Harvesting
We need improved ways to process accumulated fuels, preferably without fire.
Economic impacts
What jobs are most impacted by wildfires?
Cascading disasters
How can competing disasters be managed?
Public Opinion
What kind of public support is there for wildland fire policies?