Abstract

Georeferenced PDFs On Android And iOS Devices Support Wildfire Operations
Track: Wildland Fire Management
Authors: Carl Beyerhelm

A variety of detailed maps are required to support air and ground operations during wildland fire suppression. On-site fire GIS specialists develop and revise map content on a 12-hour cycle, and it is not uncommon for hundreds of maps to be ordered for use during each operational period, placing a heavy burden on printers, plotters, supplies, and staff.

Recently, fire GIS specialists have begun supplementing paper maps with georeferenced PDF equivalents that can be cached on Android and iOS devices, and used as a live, in-hand, moving map. Georeferenced PDFs are easy to produce using ArcGIS. Handheld device-based maps are often more convenient than large format paper maps, and offer users much greater situational awareness and certainty about their position relative to map features when working in unfamiliar surroundings, when working at night or in heavy smoke, or when "all hell breaks loose".