Member Spotlight with Ignis Technologies: Pioneering Wildfire Tech from Bozeman, Montana

In the previous post, I wrote about how little has changed in wildfire over the decades. I stand by that. Very little has changed with regard to how we do business, especially when it comes to health and wellbeing. That doesn’t mean that everything that wildland firefighters do is antiquated. Sometimes wildland firefighters have great ideas that are too good to not act on. So they call a buddy in the off-season, and tell them that they have this crazy idea of how to make a line of work they intend to leave, ultimately better. They then dedicate time, effort, and energy to help bring wildfire management out of the dark ages and toward a brighter future where a common operating picture, creates more decision space, and safer operations.

The Wildfire Industry Collective (WIC) recently had a discussion with Andrew Dixon and Cody Casperson, the founders of IGNIS Technologies, based in Bozeman, Montana. In this conversation, The WIC members discuss their journey in setting up a wildfire tech company, the mission driving them, and their hopes for the wildfire industry.

WIC: Can you tell us a little bit about the journey of IGNIS and what inspired you to start it?

IGNIS: The inception of IGNIS came from recognizing a critical gap while working in the field—a lack of necessary information about different geographical areas. Leveraging our backgrounds in wildfire, computer science, GIS, and business entrepreneurship, we founded IGNIS to aggregate essential data for firefighters and present it in an intuitive manner. Our aim is to bridge the technology gap in the wildfire industry and equip firefighters with tools and information that resonate with the current times.

WIC: How have your individual backgrounds helped in shaping IGNIS?

IGNIS: Our combined experience in aviation and wildfire, GIS, computer science, and business entrepreneurship has allowed us to bring a balance to IGNIS. While one of us could envision innovative solutions, the other ensured its feasibility in the real-world scenario, ensuring the sustenance and success of our initiatives. Our friendship since college and mutual understanding have been a strong backbone in steering IGNIS in the right direction since its serious inception in January 2020.

WIC: Can you elaborate on your company’s mission statement and how it has evolved?

IGNIS: Our mission is to "deliver mission-critical intelligence and technology to save lives, property, and natural habitats from wildfire." Initially, we were focused more narrowly on grass-root solutions. However, as we delved deeper, we realized that our technology could benefit a broader audience including management, decision-makers, and even the insurance sector, helping them understand and manage risks better. The essence remains the same—to empower emergency responders with intelligent solutions.

WIC: Could you tell us about IGNIS's products and their unique attributes?

IGNIS: We are developing an offline-first mobile situational awareness application designed specifically for wildland firefighters. This intuitive mobile app is designed to function seamlessly in remote locations, providing critical data and tools to firefighters across different phases of incident management. We emphasize interoperability, striving to be a bridge between various existing platforms, promoting data sharing, and preventing data silos. Our goal is to create a tool that firefighters trust and prefer to use because it adds substantial value to their operations.

WIC: What have been some of the significant challenges you've faced, and how are you navigating them?

IGNIS: Apart from initial technical hurdles, the most significant challenge has been navigating the complex politics involved in operationalizing a new application in the field. Balancing different viewpoints and working through various governmental layers has been a meticulous task. Yet, we remain focused on our mission to foster better communication and data sharing in the industry.

WIC: Could you share IGNIS’s short-term and long-term goals?

IGNIS: Short-term, we are focused on completing the application to support initial attack phases; facilitating interoperability across federal, state, and local resources. Our long-term goal revolves around enhancing the product to support extended attack phases, fostering data-rich research initiatives, and consolidating critical tools into one reliable platform, saving time and facilitating better decision-making for firefighters.

WIC: How do you see IGNIS shaping the future of the wildfire industry?

IGNIS: We envision a future where the wildfire industry thrives on partnerships, with private and public sectors collaborating seamlessly to find solutions. IGNIS aims to be a catalyst in this transition, fostering data interoperability, and helping establish data standards and application-agnostic approaches, with the ultimate goal of aiding firefighters in the field.

 WIC: How does IGNIS envision its Wildfire Industry Collective membership enhancing its strategic objectives?

IGNIS: WIC could be helpful for IGNIS in raising awareness of what we’re doing, and opening up doors for us to have conversations with the right people. We believe it’ll also be helpful in forming partnerships with other companies. The fire world, rightfully, is headed in the direction of being application agnostic. In order to do that correctly and for IGNIS to be successful, we need to collaborate with other companies before the government requires it.

WIC: How can people learn more about IGNIS?

IGNIS: We plan to launch an open beta version of our app on our website, encouraging feedback from people who are passionate about the industry and looking for unmet needs. Currently, we are pilot testing with the Angeles National Forest and are eager to shape the app into a tool that genuinely aids those in the wildfire industry.

If you enjoyed this post, don’t forget to subscribe to The Lookout to learn more about what is happening in the wildfire industry. Feel free to share this insightful conversation with Andrew Dixon and Cody Casperson, cofounders of Ignis Technologies, to delve deeper into their journey and visionary goals of IGNIS Technologies. And make sure you stay up to date and participate in the beta test of the IGNIS app to help them develop the best product they possibly can.

Check them out at www.ignistech.io and on Instagram @ignis_technologies