Predictions & Analysis of Wildfire Spread
Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center
Welcome to San José State University's Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center (WIRC). We are a National Science Foundation Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) and an official Campus Center and Institute within the California State University system.
Our core mission is to conduct high-impact interdisciplinary wildfire research to help the world manage a growing crisis of increasing wildfire frequency and intensity. Our faculty pursue fundamental and applied research on both the physical and social aspects of wildfire science. Together with our industry and university partners, WIRC develops new prediction and observational tools to better understand extreme fire behavior in a changing climate.
WIRC Structure
Research With Impact
Our Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) projects are collaborative endeavors funded by our Industry Advisory Board (IAB) Members. Our goal is to develop new prediction and observational tools and informational frameworks that help our IAB members address the wildfire crisis and keep our local and national communities safer.
FireBench
FireBench is a pioneering, open-source framework developed by the WIRC modeling team to evaluate and cross-compare complex wildfire models. By standardizing diverse data sets into an intuitive, unified system, FireBench helps decision-makers and industry partners clearly understand which wildfire models to trust for operational forecasting, risk assessment, and hazard mitigation.
Residents within the wildland-urban interface often do not mitigate their properties to reduce wildfire risk. Four projects within WIRC investigate what mitigations matter most, how many residents are mitigating, and if not, why not. This information equips government agencies, insurers, utility companies, and policymakers with actionable data needed to protect communities.
Wildfire Hazards & Resident Behavior
Industry Advisory Board Members
International Map of Collaborations
Research Roadmap
The WIRC Research Roadmap outlines our three main research areas and the specific thrusts within each research area. It graphically represents the current research direction for WIRC and is used to guide research funding decisions during our annual Industry Advisory Board (IAB) meeting.
