Lab 7

The 2009 California Station fire was one part of the greater California wildfires.  From late July to early November, a series of 63 wildfires burned in California.  Over 336,020 acres were burned, destroying thousands of structures and killing two people.  The largest of these 63 wildfires was the Station Fire, which burned in the Angeles National Forest north of Los Angeles.  The Station Fire burned in late August, and continued burning until October 16th. It was responsible for the death of two firefighters on August 30th.  Cities threatened by the Station Fire included La Canada Flintridge, Glendale, Acton, and Altadena.  By itself, the Station Fire was responsible for the destruction of 160, 577 acres.  

The map directly above shows the temporal projection of the fire from late August to early September.  Each different colored area shows the perimeter of the fire for a specific date.  The map shows the growth of the fire and how it shrank as it was contained.  Many residents filed complaints that the fire was not contained as well as it should have been within the first 48 hours, and this progression shows that in fact, the fire grew dramatically within the first few days. 

The index map shows the area of the fire layered on top of a map of California.  This enables the map user to see where the fires were with respect to the California geography.  This is most helpful for people who are unfamiliar with California or where the county of Los Angeles is in California.  The index map helps create a visualization in a broader context.

The thematic map included shows the temporal projection of the fire, layered on a map of california with all of the major health facilities in the area.  It is interesting ti note that there are numerous health facilities near or just outside the perimeter of the Station Fire. This implies that although there were many facilities available for those affected by the fire, it also was a fire that placed many people and important structures in danger.  In fact, over five dozen homes were destroyed in the fire. 

Geographic information systems have made it possible to create visual representations of the extent of the fire, its perimeter given different dates and times, and the different facilities that it was near and potentially endangered, among other things.  In this particular context, they could potentially aid in better fire fighter responses.  In addition, it could become apparent through GIS what types of geographic areas were more predisposed to being involved in the wildfires that spread through California in 2009.  

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_California_wildfires

http://articles.cnn.com/2009-08-31/us/california.wildfires_1_mike-dietrich-firefighters-safety-incident-commander?_s=PM:US

http://blog.flickr.net/en/2009/09/03/station-fire-los-angeles/

http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_16024995

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/09/wildfires_in_southern_californ.html