ISU Helping Map Fires

POCATELLO, Idaho (AP) — Idaho State University is mapping areas scorched by wildfires to help the Bureau of Land Management rehabilitate those areas. KIDK-TV reports that the school's Geographic Information Systems program can quickly create maps that federal officials can use from cellphones to come up with a rehabilitation plan. Officials in the field can look at the maps to see how severe the fire burned in different areas and compare elevation. Geographic Information Systems Director Keith Weber says that so far the school has helped with about half a dozen wildfires in the state. Grant money from NASA pays for the program created more than 10 years ago.