26 September 2023

New bushfire model gets warm reception

Start the conversation

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is to develop a nationally consistent bushfire modelling and prediction technology under an agreement with the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council (AFAC).

CSIRO said the partnership involved the development of Spark Operational, a cutting-edge bushfire simulation tool based on CSIRO’s Spark fire prediction platform.

“Fire and emergency services Agencies across Australia will be able to use Spark Operational, opening bushfire prediction opportunities across borders and over different landscapes,” CSIRO said.

“[The] Spark platform combines current fire behaviour knowledge with state-of-the-art simulation science to produce predictions, statistics and visualisations of bushfire spread, as well as simulating hours of fire spread across a landscape in a matter of seconds,” it said.

“AFAC’s Fire Prediction Services Group will work with CSIRO to improve existing technology and build a national system that allows for consistent bushfire predictions to support emergency service and response teams across borders.”

CSIRO said Phase One of the technology’s implementation commenced in January and it was expected to become fully operational over the next three years.

“With each phase of its implementation, Spark Operational will be grown and adapted into a tool that all Agencies nationwide can tailor to specific landscapes and bushfire behaviour, enabling them to better predict – and thereby protect – local environments,” it said.

Chief Executive of CSIRO, Larry Marshall said the Organisation believed the advanced system would help firefighters “outthink fire”, anticipate its actions, and get ahead of it.

Start the conversation

Be among the first to get all the Public Sector and Defence news and views that matter.

Subscribe now and receive the latest news, delivered free to your inbox.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.