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Capital Public Radio Mines Current, Historic Data for State Wildfire Map

A new state wildfire map from Capital Public Radio mines data sets from 2018 to more than 100 years ago.

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Capital Public Radio (CPR) recently developed a way to look at where wildfires have been recorded for the last 100-plus years in California. Their interactive map, called “A History Of California Wildfires,” uses data sets from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) dating back to 1878, as well as the U.S. Geological Survey’s 2018 data set.

The map shows the perimeter of each recorded wildfire, and users can choose to view all the fires at once or look at each individual year. CPR notes that not all fires will appear on the map, as Cal Fire’s data sets do not include timber fires under 10 acres in size, brush fires under 50 acres, or grass fires under 300 acres. Additionally, the map does not necessarily depict burn areas as it only displays fire perimeters.

This story first appeared in Government Technology, Techwire’s sister publication.