The National Incident Service (NIFS) is available for use by Intterra clients for dynamic sharing of wildfire incident mapping with the National Interagency Fire Center’s (NIFC) Fire Enterprise Geospatial Portal (EGP) and partners.  This article provides a NIS overview, describes three levels of access (services) that are available and recommended practices (settings and use) for Intterra clients for two anticipated use scenarios, as well as additional reference information. 
Intterra clients should encourage IMT’s to use the NIFS service for incident maps. This is the best solution for shared incident mapping.  Triage was added to NIFS in 2019. 

National Incident Service (NIFS) Overview

  • The NIFS is intended for use on incidents of any size.  All users will have access to the same feature service in their web maps, which will help streamline data sharing and transitioning between teams; this means data can be shared easily and in near real-time with fire personnel at any time or location.  The service is hosted by the Fire EGP.
  • A growing number of IMTs are using NIFS for collecting field mapping and creating an incident IAP map.
  • The NIFS also serves as the perimeter database for the INFORM application. All perimeter edits performed using the INFORM application suite are managed and maintained within NIFS.

Intterra Access to NIFS

Two levels of access (services) are available for Intterra clients for use in the web application.

  1. National Incidents (NIFS) - Approved
    • Read-only view of features in an Approved status
    • The same service as viewed in the EGP.
    • Similar function as old IAP Map (FIMT) layer.
    • NOTE: The NIFS incident features become visible in the National Incidents (NIFS) - Approved layer and EGP when the three following NIS attributes are set by an editor:
      • Access = ‘Cooperators’ or ‘Public’
      • Status = ‘Approved’
      • isVisible - ‘Yes’
  2. National Incidents (NIFS) - All
    • Read-only view of features in all statuses
    • Similar function as viewing field mark-ups, initial attack mapping, and collection.
Note: NIFS is only available in the Field Tool to users with an EGP account.

GISS Access to NIFS

NOTE: GIS Specialists using NIFS for incident mapping on incidents will likely use a GIS app for editing.  Click here for a GISS workflow overview.  Permissions to access this service will be managed by the EGP.  The EGP access and training content reside here.  If you/any of your teams wish to edit or contribute to the NIFS directly using a GIS app, contact Skip Edel for an account and privileges (setriplett@fs.fed.us).    

As an incident escalates, it's important to be able to share your Intterra mapping to the NIFS  used by the IMT's GISS using a process that saves time and minimizes duplication of effort.   Since the Intterra and NIFS data schema are the same for wildfire and triage, the incident's GISS can simply copy the Intterra features along with all the attributes and attachments directly into the NIFS

There are two ways to share data to the GISS:
  • Use the Layer Export Tool to export of your data for an area of interest.  You can email a link for the GISS to download the data.
  • Intterra can approve a GISS to access the services directly into their ArcGIS Pro session.  Contact support@intterragroup.com for details.
The same process can be used to share other types of data from Intterra.

NOTE: On June 19, 2020, the NIFS was moved to ArcGIS Online.  The ability to edit NIFS with in Intterra is no longer available. 

Recommended Practice for Intterra Clients

Edit using Intterra's Add/Edit Incidents and view only NIFS

  • All incident editing occurs using the Intterra incident features. 
  • Users will:
    • Use your Intterra incident layers to map your local incidents.
      • Viewable in your system only.
      • A potentially larger pool of editors who can edit only your incidents.
      • Ability to use the Field Tool and all tools in Intterra.
      • Includes HAZMAT, Hazard, SAR, Law and EMS incident mapping, plus Triage and Damage Assessments, and Critical Infrastructure
    • Use National Incidents (NIFS) - Approved to
      • Access Wildfire and Triage maps created by Incident Management Teams and other EGP partners.
To support this use of NIFS:

  • Provide the National Incidents (NIFS) - Approved layer to all roles and workspaces with access to your incident information. 
For more information on mapping workflows, click on Incident Mapping Workflow.

Intterra Client Considerations

Because the NIFS is an external service to Intterra, some tools within Intterra designed to use Intterra incident data will not work with the NIFS layer.

  • NIFS is not available in the Field Tool unless the user is logged in with an EGP account.
  • Incident ‘List’ Tool (zoom to, rename, delete) require Intterra incidents.
  • Briefing Mode, Active Incident Report, State Wildfire Actively Map, and Incident Interactive Tables will only include IRWIN incidents and data.  % owner acres will not work. 

Troubleshooting

  • Features ‘Approved’ by the IMT’s GISS are missing in my National Incidents (NIS) - Approved layer.
    • Make sure the GISS has also changed the Access field from ‘Incident’ to ‘Cooperator’ or ‘Public’.