Finally coming up for air

Busy week. Geez. Image acquisitions and downloads nearly every day this last week and this weekend. Since last Saturday, we've mapped the following fires:

• Potato Complex (Arizona), Saucer (Minnesota), Annabella (Utah), Blackbird Mine (Utah), Brins (Arizona), Adaven (Nevada), Skates (New Mexico), and Reserve Complex (New Mexico).
  

Next week, I have the following fires on tap:

• Isabelle (Wyoming), Perkins (California), Bear (New Mexico), Chippean (Utah), and Dry Wash (Utah).

We had a network update last weekend that has slowed our internet to a crawl. Typically, it takes me about 10 minutes to download a full NLAPS Landsat scene from USGS-EROS. Since last weekend, it's taken ~3-4 hours per scene. I downloaded two ASTER scenes last night for the Brins Fire and they took nearly 2 hours each. That really complicates my delivery options. Someone supposedly is working on the problem. Welcome to the Forest Service IRM, where saving money is more important than making sure things work efficiently.

The funniest (?) thing that happened last week was that I mapped the wrong fire. I got a call on the Adaven Fire on the Humboldt-Toiyabe NF in Nevada. I got pretty general fire location information, ordered the Landsat scene, and mapped the fire. I got a call this morning from the GIS person on the team saying I'd mapped the wrong fire. The first burn scar I saw on the Landsat I got looked right to me, so I mapped that guy. Turns out the fire was 20 miles west. Luckily (whew!), the correct fire was on the same Landsat scene, so I got the data out within an hour of the phone call alerting me of the error.

The Landsat scene covering this part of Nevada is quite interesting. Lots of geologic variability creating unique colors.