Google launches new wildfire mapping feature
The apocalyptic orange and hazy skies of the United States’ west coast serve as a reminder to the American public of the annual wildfire season, often peaking in September and October. To alert wanderers and provide relief to those affected, Google announced a plan to launch a new Google Maps filter that would show users the location of active wildfires surrounding them. Vanessa Schneider, who works with Google’s crisis response team, told the Mountain West News Bureau that Google Maps would show all major fires throughout the globe. For the United States, the feature will be able to track smaller wildfires due to the data provided by the National Interagency Fire Center, a Boise-based organization and public fire database.