Holographic-like technology benefiting bushfire management

Holographic-like technology that augments 3D printed landscape models with projected simulations is benefiting bushfire management.

HOLOGRAPHIC-LIKE technology that augments 3D printed landscape models with projected simulations is benefiting bushfire management.

Charles Darwin University fire information researcher Rohan Fisher says high-resolution landscape maps underline fire spread simulation.

Real-time hotspots of active fires from the Northern Australia Fire Information (NAFI) is incorporated into the holographic projections.

“When you have got this dynamic projection over 3D printed landscapes it looks holographic, but it’s more of a tactile hologram,” Mr Fisher said.

CDU fire information researcher Rohan Fisher demonstrates holographic technology used in bushfires management. Picture: Glenn Campbell

The purpose of the 3D approach is to allow the mapping of fire – tied to topography – onto landscapes.

The method is of great interest to Traditional Owners and Indigenous rangers running much of the Territory.

“Being able to explicitly see that helps people understand how fire may move through their country,” Mr Fisher said. Models that use terrain surfaces over projected spatial data and landscape process animations more broadly explains complexities of fire behaviour in tropical savannahs.