Fire Behavior Assessment Team: in-fire videos from 2020 to 2023

Metadata:

Data_Quality_Information:

Attribute_Accuracy:

Attribute_Accuracy_Report:

Imagery from commercial off-the-shelf timelapse cameras is high quality. Imagery from fire-arrival triggered cameras is low-quality from a surveillance (Video Graphics Array) system triggered by fire arrival. The VGA imagery does not have an accurate timestamp. Approximate times are determined from fire arrival at fire arrival sensors at known locations relative to the camera. Some video is obscured by smoke.

Logical_Consistency_Report:

not applicable

Completeness_Report:

All available data are provided. Video is not available for all plots. The reasons are generally that the triggering system for the video malfunctioned and video was not captured. Sometimes rain, a passing deer or person, or other animal activity would trigger the video prior to fire arrival. In some cases, it is unclear why the system failed.

Lineage:

Methodology:

Methodology_Type: Field

Methodology_Description:

Between 2020 and 2023, FBAT collected video during plot burning on the 2020 Red Salmon Complex (plots were on the Klamath National Forest in northwest California), the Summer Fire within the 2021 River Complex (plots were on the Klamath National Forest in northwest California), and the 2023 Lookout Fire (on the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest within the Willamette National Forest in Oregon). Video was successfully collected on 13 plots across 3 different fires. Plots did not burn on the 2022 Six Rivers National Forest Lightning Complex (SRFLC, northwest California) or on the 2023 SRFLC. This package also includes two videos from plots on which Terrestrial Laser Scanning, but no other FBAT measurements, was done pre- and post-fire on the Mosquito Fire within the 2023 SRFLC.

Imagery from commercial off-the-shelf timelapse cameras is high quality. In this case, the camera is launched at a set image capture rate and placed in a fire-hardened box behind a 2-layer window. Most of the imagery was collected at 1 herz (Hz) from a surveillance quality (Video Graphics Array) imaging system and is triggered to start by fire arrival at a wire circuit strung around the plot. The camera is fire hardened and the view port is a double layer of high temperature and infrared radiation reflecting glass. Camera boxes stand on a tripod with the viewing window at approximately 4 feet above ground. The failure rate with triggered cameras is high for a variety of reasons, particularly early triggering from animal activity and rain that short the circuit. The VGA system outputs segments of video. These are converted to MP4 format for archiving. Total video length varies from approximately 1-6 hours. For purposes of creating a video library for training and education, we created short video segments (mostly 30 to 60 seconds) to highlight the variation in fire behavior observed at each plot and other fire phenomena.

FBAT reports, included in this data publication, contain additional details about each fire.

Process_Step:

Process_Description:

Timelapse imagery is collected as stills which are then converted to video using proprietary software provided by the camera manufacturer. VGA video is output in segments, each approximately 250 megabytes in size and 15 minutes long. These segments are then converted to MP4 format using VLC Media Player. For convenience, these segments are not combined, but are archived individually to support future use.

Process_Date: Unknown

Process_Step:

Process_Description:

MPEG-4 (MP4) format for videos was chosen because it was the preferred format for the Research Data Archive. For VGA surveillance imagery, file format was ASF (a Microsoft format). We used VLC Media Player to convert files to MP4.

Process_Date: Unknown

Entity_and_Attribute_Information:

Overview_Description:

Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:

Below you will find a list and description of the files included in this data publication, which include a series of videos and clips of fires on plots and transects included in the FBAT database.

DATA FILES

Red Salmon Fire videos (7)

1-2. \Data\2020_RedSalmon\REDS###.mp4: Moving Picture Experts Group (MP4) files containing video of the 2020 Red Salmon Complex Fire on the specified plot (### = 002, 005).

3-7. \Data\2020_RedSalmon\REDS###_C*.mp4: MP4 files containing short video clips taken from the full video of the 2020 Red Salmon Complex Fire on the specified plot (### = 002, 005). Clips are numbered sequentially within a plot (e.g., C1, C2, etc.).


Summer Fire videos (64)

1-55. \Data\2021_Summer\Summ###.mp4 or Summ###_S*.mp4: MP4 files containing video of the 2021 River Complex (Summer Fire) on the specified plot (### = 001, 004, 006, 007, 008). Long videos may be broken into segments, which are numbered sequentially within a plot (e.g., S01, S02, etc.) and segment number (_S*) is added to the filename.

56-64. \Data\2021_Summer\SUMM###_C#.mp4: MP4 files containing short video clips taken from the full video of the 2021 River Complex (Summer Fire) on the specified plot (### = 001, 004, 006, 007, 008). Clips are numbered sequentially within a plot (e.g., C1, C2, etc.).


Lookout Fire videos (54)

1-47. \Data\2023_Lookout\LOOK###.mp4 or LOOK###_S*.mp4: MP4 files containing video of the 2023 Lookout Fire on the specified plot (### = 001, 002, 003, 005, 011, 012). Long videos may be broken into segments, which are numbered sequentially within a plot (e.g., S01, S02, etc.) and segment number (_S*) is added to the filename.

48-53.\Data\2023_Lookout\LOOK###_C#.mp4: MP4 files containing video of the 2023 Lookout Fire on the specified plot (### = 003, 005).

54. \Data\2023_Lookout\LookoutFire_Progression_Timelapse.mp4: MP4 file containing a timelapse video showing Lookout Fire progression on the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest between 21 August and 17 October 2023 in the area where the southernmost FBAT plots (001, 005, 006, and 012), nearest to Lookout Creek, were located. The video encompasses the time period in which all the plots burned. The timelapse camera was placed on a tower at the 130 Quarry (on Forest Service Road 130) on the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest. The coordinates of the camera were 44.230304, -122.241003 and the camera’s viewing azimuth was 107 degrees.


Six Rivers National Forest Lightning Complex (SRFLC), Mosquite Fire videos (2)

1-2. \Data\2023_SRLFC\SRFL###.mp4: MP4 files containing video of the 2023 Six Rivers National Forest Lightning Complex (SRFLC), Mosquito Fire on the specified plot (### = 001, 002).



SUPPLEMENTAL FILES (4)

1. \Supplements\LookoutFire_2023_FBAT_Report.pdf: Portable Document Format (PDF) file containing the FBAT report on the Lookout Fire on the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest, Willamette National Forest.

2. \Supplements\RedSalmonComplex_2020_FBAT_Report.pdf: PDF file containing the FBAT report on the Red Salmon Complex. Plots burned on the Klamath National Forest.

3. \Supplements\SRFLightningComplex_2023_FBAT_Report.pdf: PDF file containing the FBAT report on the Six Rivers National Forest Lightning Complex. Videos are from two plots that were sampled with a Terrestrial Laser Scanner. Otherwise, all FBAT sampling on this fire involved pre-fire or post-fire plots.

4. \Supplements\SummerFire_2021_FBAT_Report.pdf: PDF file containing the FBAT report on the Summer Fire (part of the River Complex). Plots burned on the Klamath National Forest.

Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:

none provided

Metadata_Reference_Information:

Metadata_Date: 20240425

Metadata_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Person_Primary:

Contact_Person: Matthew Dickinson

Contact_Organization: USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station

Contact_Position: Research Ecologist

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: mailing and physical

Address: Forestry Sciences Laboratory

Address: 359 Main Road

City: Delaware

State_or_Province: OH

Postal_Code: 43015

Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 614-556-2271

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: matthew.b.dickinson@usda.gov

Contact Instructions: This contact information was current as of original publication date. For current information see Contact Us page on: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS.

Metadata_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Person_Primary:

Contact_Person: Carol Ewell

Contact_Organization: USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region

Contact_Position: Fuels Program Coordinator

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: mailing and physical

Address: 19777 Greenley Road

City: Sonora

State_or_Province: CA

Postal_Code: 95370

Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 209-532-3671 x284

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: carol.ewell@usda.gov

Contact Instructions: This contact information was current as of original publication date. For current information see Contact Us page on: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS.

Metadata_Standard_Name: FGDC Biological Data Profile of the Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata

Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001.1-1999