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State of the art mapping technology assists in the firefighting effort

The Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) uses many different tools in the preparation for and the suppression of wildfires.

By Department of Sustainability and Environment - 24th November 2003 - Back to News

One of the most valuable tools used behind the scenes in the management of fires is Geographic Information Systems or GIS mapping. This involves layers of map-based features with attached details and data used for a variety of purposes.

In modern fire fighting efforts, there is a demand for maps that can be used to assist with fire details for crew deployment, community briefing sessions, the location of staging points and access to the fire

and to help the work of strategic and logistics planners.

The maps are also used by co-operating authorities such as the CFA, the police, St Johns Ambulance and municipal agencies supporting the firefighting agency.

These days, maps need to convey the following information:

• Last known fire edge and intensity
• Location of control lines
• Location of strategic breaks
• Fall back options
• Assets that need protecting - private land, infrastructure (towers etc)
• Helipads and other installations
• Sensitive areas - cultural heritage, threatened flora, etc.
• Predicted fire behaviour

Information to produce the base layers of the maps comes from Corporate data libraries, image files created in advance showing key features and from satellite imagery.

Information for the fire details comes from infra-red linescans, GPS (Geographic Positioning Systems) mapping using aircraft and vehicles, aerial reconnaissance and debriefs with sector leaders.

DSE's Coordinator of GIS mapping, Hans Van Elmpt said that until several years ago, mapping of progress of the wildfire had been done by hand on copies of topographic maps.

"Distribution was manual, so it was very slow and the quality was poor - usually black and white," he said.

"The demand for timely map products with current information has led to a rapid increase in the use of GIS for fire suppression."

"The drawback is the amount of time it takes to have an effective GIS system up and running. The maps each need to show different information and at different scales.

"It is not used in initial attack on smaller fires due to the time it takes to set up in a remote location," Mr Van Elmpt said.

By using this mapping system, DSE staff can update the fire boundary from GPS and thermal imaging equipment, using the most up-to-date version of data. Maps can be made to different scales and are in colour and are much clearer than photocopied maps.

The map information is in layers, which is useful for varying map products and can be distributed electronically as well as being faxed and photocopied faster. There is fast reproduction in colour, areas and distances can be easily calculated and managers can analyse the interaction between the layers of information.

The maps produced by DSE's Mapping Unit during the Alpine fires this year were invaluable in providing information about the fire situation to many different agencies, firefighters, planners and communities across the state.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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