Interesting article on some computer applications and how they have been used for wildfires, and the lack of funding to continue the research effort in this field.

Understanding wildfire behavior and predicting its spread …

http://www.miller-mccune.com/science-environment/smokey-bear-now-studies-computer-science-8272/

The war being waged against wildfires from Southern California to Greece and Australia is almost as complex as the infernos themselves. Innovative computer mapping tools advance, as do airborne imaging techniques that can look straight through black smoke for views of emerging dangers no firefighter ever sees. However, some crews battle blazes on bulldozers older than they are, and funding is tight all around. Still, the breakthroughs keep coming….