Integrating remote sensing and geographic information systems for 'fire hazard categorisation'

Abstract

The distribution of fire hazards clearly indicates a spatio-temporal irregularity that needs to be understood in order to improve emergency operations. Fire hazard categorization enables comparison of hazard in one place to another and assists in understanding these spatio-temporal variations. Current in-situ methods to categorize fire hazards are beset with some critical issues such as being too hazard focussed, lacking currency and most importantly a poor understanding of the concept of hazard. This paper demonstrates the development of a semantic model that a) leads to a better understanding of the concept of hazard by approaching it holistically and b) integrates remote sensing technology with GIS in order to generate fire hazard categories. The study is carried out for two regions Bathurst and Hornsby Shire in NSW, Australia and is the outcome of a joint project between the University of New South Wales and the New South Wales Fire Brigades (NSWFB). The NSWFB is the largest emergency organization in Australia which is primarily responsible for fire protection in the urban areas.