WFDSS Help | Run STFB Analysis

Running an Automated Short-Term Fire Behavior (STFB) Analysis

WFDSS Automated Short-Term Fire Behavior can be used by the Incident Author, Owner, or anyone granted Incident privileges. These analyses are conducted from the Incident's Assess Situation perspective.

The automated version of WFDSS Short-Term Fire Behavior (STFB) is a quick way to get an idea of potential fire spread from a point location starting with a single fuel moisture input (hidden to user) and and a static windspeed and direction (set by user and gridded by the model) for the user-defined burn period(s). WFDSS STFB returns the same gridded fire behavior outputs as WFDSS Basic, but also includes an Arrival Time Grid and Major Travel Paths.

The current automated version of STFB requires only the following information from the user:

Defined analysis area/landscape extent (normally no larger than 5 -6 miles per side)
Name for the analysis
Analysis Date and Time
Fire start location (click a point on the map or enter latitude/longitude information)
Length of the burn period
Number of burn periods for the analysis
A wind speed and direction
The model retrieves forecasted weather and winds for the selected time, using National Weather Service (NWS) Forecast Data for current simulations. For historic fires, the model uses historic weather from a nearby RAWS station at similar elevation.

You can accept the wind speed and direction that is provided, or you can replace those input values with ones you choose. The initial fuel moistures are conditioned prior to ignition and gridded winds are generated from the inputs; the outputs, however, still represent just a single 'snapshot in time'. Within a short period of time (usually within a couple of minutes), WFDSS Automated STFB outputs are ready for viewing.

Note: It is important to remember that the more automated the model, the less ability the user has to refine the inputs. Because WFDSS Automated STFB is highly automated (providing fuels, weather and topography data, and requiring very few inputs from the user), carefully critique the results before using them for supporting wildland fire decision-making.

The landscape extent cannot exceed 30 miles in either direction. The resolution is always a multiple of 30 meters and is set to 90 meters when the landscape size is 400-900 square miles. A values inventory is generated automatically when you run the STFB.

Note: You can view the input parameters from the Analysis perspective.

To run an automated STFB:

From the Incident List page, select the incident you want to run a short-term fire behavior analysis for.
Click Assess Situation. The Situation page appears showing the map of the incident area.
Select the Landscape Extent icon from the Map Tools.
Draw a landscape extent on your map around the incident. This is the area of the analysis.
From the Map tab, click the + sign next to Analyses. The list expands.
Mark the checkbox next to Short-Term. Three icons appear next to the label:

Refreshes map layer

Accesses the online help for the selected item.

Creates a new analysis.
Click the green + icon. The list expands.
Enter a Name for the STFB you are creating.
Enter a Burn Date. The analysis uses the weather and forecast data available for this date.
Enter the Burn Time in 24-hour format (hh:mm). The analysis uses the time to determine what the fire is likely to be doing (e.g., a burn time in the morning will give different results than one during the heat of the day).
Enter the Latitude and Longitude for the analysis start point. (Be sure to enter a positive number for Longitude.)
Note: If you don't know the latitude or longitude, click the Info button on the mapping tools. Then, clcik the location on the map where you want the analysis ignition to start. The Info tab displays the latitude and longitude that you selected. When you return to the Map tab, the latitude and longitude fields are auto-filled with your selection.
Enter the hours in a Burn Period and the number of Burn Periods to use in the analysis.
- The hours in the burn period start with the burn time; e.g., if you start the burn time at 15:00 and select a burn period of 3 hours, the model uses 15:00-18:00 as the burn period.
- If you choose more than one burn period, the model uses that number to determine how many days it will examine during the selected burn time; e.g., if you set the burn time and period as above and then select 3 for the number of burn periods, the model will look at 3 days during 15:00-18:00 to determine the output.
Click Next. WFDSS displays the wind data for the selected date and time. You can edit these data if necessary.
Click Run Model. A message appears stating that the model was successfully sent for processing. When the run is complete, the STFB appears in the STFB list and the results appear on the map.
To view more details, click the + next to the name of the STFB you just created and select one of the options listed. The map changes to display each option selected.
Depending on the load on the system, it could take several minutes for the run to complete. If you don't see results, try refreshing the page and zooming in.