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12/14/2017: How drones are being used to prevent wildfires
Dec 14, 2017

12/14/2017: How drones are being used to prevent wildfires

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Los Angeles is in its second week of trying to contain the Thomas fire that has spread through two counties. Millions of acres have burned across the U.S. this year, and one fire killed 44 people and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses in California wine country in October. What role is technology playing in preventing harm from wildfires? Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood talks with Brandon Collins, a research scientist at UC Berkeley’s Center for Fire Research and Outreach, about fire prevention technology – and its limits. 

Segments From this episode

What tech can — and can't — do to prevent and put out wildfires

Dec 14, 2017
A Berkeley lab is using drones and LiDAR to map fire fuel and understand how it burns.
Firefighters battle the Thomas blaze in California in 2017.
Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images

Los Angeles is in its second week of trying to contain the Thomas fire that has spread through two counties. Millions of acres have burned across the U.S. this year, and one fire killed 44 people and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses in California wine country in October. What role is technology playing in preventing harm from wildfires? Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood talks with Brandon Collins, a research scientist at UC Berkeley’s Center for Fire Research and Outreach, about fire prevention technology – and its limits. 

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