Spatial Informatics Group

06/02/2025

🏚️🔥 Wildfire-resistant homes aren’t just safer—they’re smarter.

A new analysis from Headwaters Economics shows that rebuilding homes to wildfire-resistant standards after a disaster could save billions in future losses.

📊 The research makes it clear:
✅ Investing in fire-resistant design pays off
✅ Post-fire rebuilding is a key opportunity to improve long-term resilience
✅ Stronger codes = fewer losses = safer communities

At SIG, we support this approach with science-based risk assessments, fire modeling, and planning tools that help communities reduce exposure before the next fire starts—and rebuild smarter if it does.

📖 Read the full article: https://headwaterseconomics.org/headwaters/building-wildfire-resistant-homes-after-disasters-will-save-billions/

Upfront investments in rebuilding to wildfire-resistant standards can save billions in future avoided economic losses.

05/27/2025

🔥🎙️ What does it take to stay fire-ready year-round?

In honor of National Wildfire Awareness Month, the Bureau of Land Management released the final episode of its wildfire podcast series—focusing on year-round preparedness and the importance of proactive wildfire mitigation.

From prescribed burns to fuel breaks, the episode highlights how science-backed strategies reduce risk and build resilience before the first spark.

At SIG, we’re proud to support this mission through data-driven wildfire modeling, landscape-scale risk assessments, and tools that help land managers plan ahead—not just react.

🎧 Listen here: https://www.blm.gov/media/podcasts/2025-05-19/blm-recognizes-national-wildfire-awareness-month-part-3-3

In the final installment of BLM On the Ground’s three-part Wildfire Awareness Month podcast series, we discuss wildfire prevention education, the prevalence of human-caused wildfires, and the importance of public responsibility, such as preparing properly before recreating on public lands, checkin...

05/26/2025

This Memorial Day, we honor and remember.

At SIG, we pause to reflect on the sacrifices made by those who gave their lives in service to our country. Their dedication and courage make possible the freedoms we enjoy—and the work we do to protect our shared environment for future generations.

We are grateful, and we remember.

05/22/2025

🚁🔥 In Fire Year 2025, 18 drone incursions have already been reported—17 in California alone.
Unauthorized drones near wildfires are more than a nuisance—they’re a serious safety hazard. When a drone is spotted, all aerial firefighting operations must be grounded until the airspace is clear. That delay can cost precious time, putting both fire crews and communities at greater risk.

🛑 Drones can interfere with:
✈️ Air tankers and helicopters
🚒 Firefighting efficiency
🧑‍🚒 Firefighter safety

At SIG, we understand the critical role of aviation in wildfire response. We urge everyone to Know Before You Fly and keep drones FAR AWAY from wildfire zones.

📢 Help protect lives, land, and firefighting operations.

Learn more: https://knowbeforeyoufly.org/home

Know Before You Fly is an education campaign organized by he Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI),

05/21/2025

🌲🔥 Boosting timber production to reduce wildfire risk? The USDA is taking action.

In a new initiative, the USDA announced steps to increase sustainable timber harvests on federal lands—aimed at reducing hazardous fuels, supporting rural economies, and promoting healthier, more fire-resilient forests.

At SIG, we support this shift toward science-based forest management that aligns ecological restoration with wildfire risk reduction. Through spatial analysis, fuel modeling, and collaborative planning tools, our work helps land managers prioritize treatments that protect both people and ecosystems.

This is exactly the kind of integrated approach we need to address the dual threats of wildfire and climate change.

📄 Read the USDA announcement: https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2025/05/06/usda-acts-boost-timber-production-reduce-wildfire-risk

🔬 Learn about SIG’s wildfire and forest health work: https://sig-gis.com/services/wildfire-mitigation/

05/16/2025

🔥🌍 The good, the bad, and the ugly—how wildfires reshape our landscapes

A new USGS feature explores the complex aftermath of wildfires—how they destroy, renew, and transform ecosystems. From promoting native regeneration to triggering erosion and invasive species spread, fire’s legacy is anything but simple.

At SIG, we study these dynamics to help land managers balance risk with recovery. Our wildfire science and post-fire planning tools guide smarter reforestation, erosion control, and habitat restoration efforts—because resilience starts with understanding fire’s full impact.

📖 Read the full article: https://www.usgs.gov/news/featured-story/good-bad-ugly-how-wildfires-reshape-landscapes

🔬 Learn about SIG’s wildfire work: https://sig-gis.com/services/wildfire-mitigation/

05/15/2025

🔥💰 Financing the future of wildfire resilience

At SF Climate Week 2025, one message came through loud and clear: we need bold, adaptive financial strategies to keep pace with growing wildfire risk.

From insurance innovation to community-scale adaptation funding, the Climate Resilience Fund’s recap highlights critical conversations on how we align dollars with data to protect people, ecosystems, and infrastructure in a rapidly changing climate.

At SIG, we’re proud to contribute to this ecosystem by providing the science and modeling that inform risk-aware investments and policy. Because when it comes to wildfire resilience, funding must follow the fire science.

📖 Read the full recap: https://www.climateresiliencefund.org/sf-climate-week-2025-highlights-wildfire-insurance-and-adaptation-finance/?utm_source=LinkedIn&utm_medium=LinkedIn&utm_campaign=WRF-SFCW&utm_id=WRF-SFCW

Building Resilience, Together

05/13/2025

🌊🛰️ Big news from Guyana: G-CAS is live!

The University of Guyana has officially launched the Guyana Coastal Analysis System (G-CAS)—a powerful new platform for monitoring climate and environmental change along Guyana’s vulnerable coastline. Access it at: https://gcas.gy/.

📡 G-CAS integrates satellite imagery and geospatial analysis to support decision-making around coastal resilience, sea level rise, and climate adaptation.

At SIG, we’re proud to support this groundbreaking initiative alongside partners in Guyana. It’s a shining example of how science, technology, and international collaboration can drive real-world climate solutions.

📰 The launch is making waves in national media across Guyana:

Guyana Times: https://guyanatimesgy.com/ug-unveils-high-tech-climate-monitoring-platform-on-coastline/

Village Voice News: https://villagevoicenews.com/2025/04/28/ugs-faculty-of-earth-and-environmental-sciences-launches-ground-breaking-coastal-monitoring-platform-g-cas/?fbclid=IwY2xjawJ-SDFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETA5UjV6TU9PbnlHRG8wYjdBAR7dECviBqPOXDQSafBHow4F9ypyPnP4QHyZziYSwHIi3Gy_xuq_UEAoZAbWQQ_aem_QUGHc16WnOExKQbvXP-T1g

Guyana Current Affairs: https://guyanacurrentaffairs.com/news/government-news/university-of-guyana-unveils-high-tech-coastal-monitoring-platform/

NAREI Facebook Coverage: https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1097431539096680&id=100064895312119

🌍 This is climate monitoring in action—empowering communities and institutions with tools to adapt, plan, and protect.

05/10/2025

🛰️🌲 Big news from space: ESA’s Biomass satellite is now in orbit!

Designed to map and monitor the carbon stored in Earth’s forests, this mission will provide critical data to improve global carbon accounting and climate modeling.

Why it matters:
🌍 Forests play a key role in regulating our climate
📡 Until now, large-scale biomass estimates have lacked the detail we need
🔬 This satellite will help close that gap—with radar technology capable of peering through forest canopies to measure tree mass directly

At SIG, we’re deeply invested in understanding forest carbon and helping landowners, agencies, and policymakers use that data for smarter, climate-focused land management.

📖 Learn about our forest carbon and biomass work: https://sig-gis.com/services/forest-carbon/

📡 Read about the launch: https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/FutureEO/Biomass/Biomass_launched_to_count_forest_carbon

ESA’s groundbreaking Biomass satellite, designed to provide unprecedented insights into the world’s forests and their crucial role in Earth’s carbon cycle, has been launched. The satellite lifted off aboard a Vega-C rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on 29 April at 11:1...

05/09/2025

🔥🌲 Planning today for a safer, more fire-resilient tomorrow.

The final report for the Placerville Community Wildfire Resiliency Strategy is now live! This science-based, community-driven plan details actionable steps to reduce wildfire risk, safeguard homes and infrastructure, and promote long-term forest and watershed health in the eighty-thousand acre Placerville project area.

SIG is proud to have supported this effort in collaboration with WSP, providing geospatial analysis, data aggregation, fire risk assessment, GHG-emissions modeling, and detailed treatment planning over the next fifteen years

👏 Huge thanks to the El Dorado Resource Conservation District for their leadership and commitment to effect real change on the wildfire issue .

📄 Explore the report: https://www.eldoradorcd.org/placerville-wildfire-resilience-strategy

Placerville Wildfire Resilience Strategy

05/08/2025

🛰️🌲 Big news from space: ESA’s Biomass satellite is now in orbit!

Designed to map and monitor the carbon stored in Earth’s forests, this mission will provide critical data to improve global carbon accounting and climate modeling.

Why it matters:
🌍 Forests play a key role in regulating our climate
📡 Until now, large-scale biomass estimates have lacked the detail we need
🔬 This satellite will help close that gap—with radar technology capable of peering through forest canopies to measure tree mass directly

At SIG, we’re deeply invested in understanding forest carbon and helping landowners, agencies, and policymakers use that data for smarter, climate-focused land management.

📖 Learn about our forest carbon and biomass work: https://sig-gis.com/services/forest-carbon/

📡 Read about the launch:
https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/FutureEO/Biomass/Biomass_launched_to_count_forest_carbon

ESA’s groundbreaking Biomass satellite, designed to provide unprecedented insights into the world’s forests and their crucial role in Earth’s carbon cycle, has been launched. The satellite lifted off aboard a Vega-C rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on 29 April at 11:1...

05/06/2025

🌎🌧️ Droughts. Wildfires. And now—flooding.

The climate crisis is reshaping risk across the U.S.—and it’s not just about heat and fire. New analysis from First Street Foundation shows that intensifying precipitation and aging infrastructure are dramatically increasing flood risk in communities nationwide.

🚨 What we're seeing:
🔥 Drier landscapes fueling bigger wildfires
🌧️ Simultaneously, more extreme rainfall events are overwhelming systems built for a different climate

At SIG, we believe addressing climate risk means preparing for both extremes. Our science-driven work helps communities build resilience to wildfire, flood, and everything in between—because a safer future demands it.

📖 Learn more about how we support climate resilience: https://sig-gis.com/services/

📚 Read the new report: https://firststreet.org/research-library/the-precipitation-problem

First Street™ research is transparent, peer reviewed, and proven against real environmental events. Use the Library to access First Street Research.