The NRO was asked to take the lead in the system because of its expertise in
the acquisition, integration and development of satellite-related systems. The
Hazard Support System will use ballistic missile warning satellites, civil
weather and environmental satellites and other sensors to continuously monitor
the United States and its territories to detect wildland fires and the entire
globe for volcanic activity. It can also track the movement of volcanic ash
clouds which impact aviation.
The program is the collaborative effort of more than a dozen government
agencies and its prototype should be ready to test this summer. Full operations
would start in 1999. It could save the United States millions of dollars
annually in fire losses and fire-suppression costs, can reduce the number of
lives endangered, and can provide early warning to avert a potential volcanic
catastrophe.
The Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Space spearheaded an
interagency effort to field the prototype system, which will be operated by the
USGS. The initial prototype of the system cost $23.6 million and is being
developed over two years. The development contract was won by a Raytheon-led
team that includes the Harris Corporation and Ball Aerospace.
The Hazard Support System center will be in Reston, VA., at the USGS. The
center will receive information from the various satellite systems which will be
fused and correlated in real-time with other data, such as nationwide
lightening-strike events, Doppler weather radar, fire potential indicators and
wind data. Detections of fires, volcanic eruptions and ash clouds will be
reported electronically to the federal agencies responsible for warning of these
disasters.
