Members of our team were honored with the Bertha Lamme Top Innovator Award for their development of the Wildfire Next Generation System (WiNGS) in October.
As key designers of the innovative WiNGS program, Cam Carroll, Nisha Menon, Robert Flamenbaum, and Joaquin Sebastian received the prestigious award for their efforts in data science, predictive modeling, and innovation. This recognition commends the exceptional contributions and cross-functional collaboration of their teams within the Wildfire Analytics field, and underscores our unwavering commitment to innovative technological advancements in the relentless pursuit of enhancing wildfire prevention and safety measures.
"Receiving this award is a testament to the dedication and pioneering spirit of our team at SDG&E," said Brian D’Agostino, Vice President of Wildfire & Climate Science. "We are immensely proud of the groundbreaking work accomplished by our data experts, whose innovative approach has elevated our wildfire prevention initiatives to unprecedented heights, improving the safety and security of our communities."
The profound impact of their work has transcended conventional boundaries, helping to foster a paradigm shift in the application of data science within the domain of wildfire prevention. Their commitment to harnessing data-driven insights and developing proactive strategies has paved the way for a more resilient and adaptive approach to combating the escalating challenges posed by wildfire and climate change threats.
Our team remains steadfast in its commitment to fostering innovation and harnessing the power of technology to better safeguard communities and the environment.
About WiNGS
In November of 2021, our Wildfire Mitigation, Enterprise Risk Management, and IT Digital Innovation teams joined forces to develop a proof of concept with the aim of accomplishing two goals
- Leverage data and analytics for generating visualizations that facilitate decision-making during Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS), enabling users to simulate hypothetical scenarios by adjusting various requirements and parameters, such as weather conditions.
- Support the company’s Wildfire Mitigation Program investments by providing our leaders and scientists with a geospatial view of recommended mitigation actions and associated risk reduction.
"WiNGS has proven to be a vital tool to help us prioritize wildfire hardening projects based on robust fire science data and real-world situations,” said Brian D’Agostino, our Vice President of Wildfire and Climate Science. “The intel it provides allows us to strategically identify infrastructure improvements that could help reduce the risk of wildfire, as well as the impacts to our customers during Public Safety Power Shutoffs in the future.”
WiNGS has become another important tool in our toolbox to help reduce utility-related wildfire risks and help guide the development and implementation of its Wildfire Mitigation Plan (WMP) filed annually with the Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety. The WMP outlines our ongoing practices and additional planned improvements to combat the effects of climate change and year-round wildfire threats. For more information on our most recent WMP, please visit https://www.sdge.com/2023-wildfire-mitigation-plan.