Deploying a Remote Data and Communications Network in Denali National Park and Preserve

Project details
As part of its wireless fire monitoring work, the National Center for Landscape Fire Analysis (NCLFA) is installing fire data and communications systems in Denali National Park and Preserve (DNP&P). The Park management staff wanted to monitor fires through remote camera systems while also transferring digital data from remote sites to incident managers at Park headquarters. The remote pan-tilt-zoom cameras attached to small footprint, long-range radio networks can link images from remote, backcountry fires back to the fire management staff. This gives fire managers quick, real-time access to fire information and prevents dangerous helicopter flyovers. At the same time, this remote wireless network provides a communications and data transfer link to headquarters for remotely based Park employees.

During the summer of 2006, NCLFA staff installed nine long-distance data nodes over 100 linear miles. The completed network includes remote camera systems, long-distance radios, and communication hardware utilizing Voice over Internet Protocols (VoIP). The network uses commercial, off-the-shelf broadband data radios connected to long-distance line-of-sight directional antennas. Power is typically provided by a photovoltaic/battery system, though alternative means of power (wind, propane generators, fuel cells, etc.) are being investigated for future use. These radios typically require line-of-sight deployment, so in choosing sites, the NCLFA aimed to minimize disturbance, utilize existing repeater locations, and choose sites that allow for the easiest possible access. Network termination points are Wonder Lake Ranger Station, Toklat Road Camp, and the Murie Science and Learning Center (MSLC). At the MSLC, the radio network connects to existing DSL services. Terminal links at Toklat give network access to employees via the VoIP capabilities of the network. The terminal link at Wonder Lake Ranger Station gives the same connectivity for staff and also allows for fire crew members to get closer to potential future fires while transferring digital information on those fires to managers at headquarters. In 2008, the NCLFA added a network location at the Park's new Eileson Visitor Center

NCLFA will continue to develop applications utilizing the long-distance data and communications network while simultaneously providing technology transfer and internal capacity building. Primary activities include advancement of remote camera systems for fire management, development of mobile applications for field personnel, implementation of network interfaces for monitoring devices such as soundscape microphones, and enhancement of supplemental communications technologies. Finally, advances in appropriate technology will be monitored and investigated for use in serving other Park missions such as scientific research support and public education within DNP&P.

Project development
Denali National Park and Preserve encompasses approximately six million acres of interior Alaska, making it one of the most remote areas in the National Park System. Fire management in DNP&P is complicated by the extended distances between park headquarters (where fire staff are stationed) and the fire locations, typically in the un-roaded northwestern section of the park. Similarly, approximately 75 Park employees work in remote, secluded areas of the Park (Toklat Road Camp and Wonder Ranger Station) without a reliable system to communicate with Park headquarters. In June, 2006 Denali National Park and Preserve and the National Center for Landscape Fire Analysis at the University of Montana signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to deploy and test proprietary long-distance wireless networking equipment in DNP&P.

Project application
The Denali project demonstrates the feasibility of applying technology in remote, backcountry settings to make management work safer and more efficient - with wireless sensors and cameras, wildland fires in the remote interior of Denali can be monitored without costly and potentially dangerous helicopter flights. Because part of Denali is designated wilderness, and the Park's mission is to preserve natural and cultural resources, NCLFA has creatively navigated these important political boundaries to best utilize this wireless network without degrading the wilderness experience of the Park.

Additionally, this project dovetails with the Park's efforts to secure private network access within this wireless network (Park communications and business must occur over a secure private network). To this end, Denali is already defining the appropriate usage of the network for providing basic management support for park operations.  Regional NPS management has monitored the progress of this project and has shown interest in adopting the technology to support management in a number of Alaska National Parks.

Principal Investigator: Jim Riddering
Project Staff: Andrew Neuschwander, LLoyd Queen, Josh Rodriguez, Crystal Stonesifer, Casey Teske
Project Partners: Denali National Park and Preserve