BRINC Drones Integrate Live Wildfire and Smoke Tracking into LiveOps Platform

Wildfires can be complex and challenging to respond to, with multiple factors at play including drones in the air, ground crews, dispatch information, and smoke that can obscure visibility. To help address this, BRINC, a public safety drone company, has introduced two new map layers to its LiveOps platform.

The new layers, which became available to all BRINC customers on August 7 at no additional cost, provide real-time information on active wildfires and smoke conditions. This information is displayed directly on the same map that agencies use for drone operations, live video, and incident response. The data is sourced from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and includes satellite-based fire detections and smoke plume information.

The integration of this data into LiveOps is designed to provide a single operational view for agencies, bringing together drone video, dispatch information, and third-party data. This can help responders to better understand where fire activity is occurring and how smoke is affecting an area.

The new features are particularly timely, given the current wildfires in the US West. BRINC wanted to get the information into responders' hands as quickly as possible, and the feature was reportedly developed in just a few days by an engineer who was tracking fires ahead of a camping trip.

The appeal of the new features is simple: responders don't have to keep jumping between different systems. As BRINC founder and CEO Blake Resnick notes, "When agencies are stretched thin responding to wildfires, the last thing they need is another screen to check."

The NOAA data being incorporated into LiveOps includes satellite-based fire detections and smoke plume information. However, it's worth noting that satellite-based detections can have limitations when clouds, smoke, or nighttime conditions interfere with observations.

The move is part of a broader effort by BRINC to turn LiveOps into a single operational view rather than simply a place to manage drones. The company says that previous upgrades and core integrations, including the addition of Google Maps traffic data, have been included for customers at no additional cost.

BRINC's technology is used by more than 1,000 public safety agencies and over 20% of US SWAT teams. With wildfire response becoming an increasingly data-heavy operation, the integration of fire activity, smoke conditions, and drone video into a single screen could make that information a little easier to act on.

### New Map Layers for LiveOps

The new map layers for LiveOps include:

| Feature | Description | | --- | --- | | Fire Detections | Satellite-based fire detections from NOAA | | Smoke Conditions | Satellite-based smoke plume information from NOAA |

### Benefits for Agencies

The integration of fire activity and smoke conditions into LiveOps can provide several benefits for agencies, including:

* Improved situational awareness * Enhanced understanding of fire activity and smoke conditions * Simplified access to critical information * Reduced need to switch between different systems

### BRINC's LiveOps Platform

BRINC's LiveOps platform is designed to provide a single operational view for agencies, bringing together drone video, dispatch information, and third-party data. The platform can help agencies to better understand and respond to emergencies, and is used by more than 1,000 public safety agencies and over 20% of US SWAT teams.