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

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

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.

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