Cutting edge tech could help Western Australia in fight against bushfires

Cutting edge technology that has helped archaeologists discover ancient Mayan cities in the jungles of South America is now being used to mitigate bushfires in Australia.

In an Australian first, Airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) was used this summer to conduct a detailed survey of bushfire loads across high-risk areas in the Adelaide Hills.

And if geospatial tech company Aerometrex has its way, the technology could be rolled out in WA, too.

LIDAR is a remote sensing method that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure variable distances to the Earth.

The light pulses — along with other data recorded by the airborne system — generate precise, three-dimensional information about the shape of the Earth and its surface characteristics.

The data collected will provide critical information to help the South Australian Government and Country Fire Service develop targeted bushfire fuel load management plans to prepare throughout the year.

It will also help authorities gain a better understanding of the current risk to lives and infrastructure and facilitate effective communication to enable fuel management on private land.

While there are not yet any “solid” plans to implement the technology in WA, Aerometrex LIDAR product manager Samuel Holt told Countryman the company was “looking for every opportunity” to collaborate with fire agencies, State and local governments across Australia.

“We’re really hoping … to expand our current methodologies and offer similar solutions in other States,” Dr Holt said.

“The work we’ve done has been based off calibration techniques taken from the vegetation types we get from the Adelaide Hills.

“But we’d be really open to collaborate with agencies in WA to look to develop similar models more tailored toward the vegetation and climate you would see in WA.

“We’re excited about what we’ve achieved here in SA, and we’re equally excited to see what we can achieve alongside the experts in other States.”

The Adelaide Hills survey analysed about 6000 dwellings and structures across 80sqkm of eucalypt woodlands and forests.

Nearly a third of properties surveyed had high fuel loads within 100m and the average distance by road to the nearest bushfire “last resort refuge” was found to be 7.5km.

The results included a range of maps that correlated closely with overall fuel hazard — including cumulative fuel load density and fuel load vertical connectivity, as well as the amount of physical fuel load across the landscape, in tonnes per hectare.

Aerometrex has also developed an automated methodology to provide bushfire experts with remotely calculated “bushfire attack level” for any existing structure, or proposed new structure, within the survey area.

An Aerometrex spokesman said the company would collaborate closely with the SA Government, Country Fire Service and bushfire industry experts in the coming months.

“This project is the first step towards using Airborne LIDAR to analyse bushfire fuel load for different vegetation types in other States and territories,” he said.

“With the newly-acquired knowledge, Aerometrex and partnering stakeholders can help drive continued innovation in bushfire science across Australia.”