PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The 2019-2020 “Black Summer” bushfire season was the first time that fire authorities disseminated fire spread prediction maps or “red maps” to the public, showing where fires were predicted to spread within the next 1-2 days. The novelty and popularity of these warnings has prompted a growing interest in agencies across Australia, and therefore a need to understand where, when and how these maps should be used in the future. The overall aim of this project is to optimise the predictive map design and dissemination to ensure that these maps, using interviews, surveys, and workshops with relevant stakeholders. This project is phase one of an anticipated multi-year project and brings together a range of researchers from Deakin, QUT, RMIT, Swinburne University and the Country Fire Association.