Outlining the danger: the vital role of risk maps in the battle against fires

In an effort to tackle the safety and resilience challenges posed by fires, the Geospatial Technologies team at Xcalibur Smart Mapping has taken a bold step forward with an innovative project: the creation of a national-level fire risk mapping for linear infrastructures, starting with Spain.

Through meticulous multivariate analysis, the team has gathered crucial data from over 1,500 Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) at a detailed scale of 1:25,000. These models, spanning the entire territory, have served as the cornerstone for understanding the complexities of the terrain and anticipating potential risk areas.

Furthermore, the mapping functions don't stop here. To paint a comprehensive picture of the fire risk landscape, forest information and land use data have also been integrated. From water areas to urban zones and dense forests, every element of the landscape has been meticulously examined and considered in the analysis.

Historical fire incidence in Spanish municipalities comes into play in the classification. Out of the more than 8,000 municipalities across the country, those that have experienced fires or outbreaks in recent decades have been identified. This information has been weighted, assigned specific values, thus creating a risk scale ranging from low to very high.

By combining these variables and analyzing their relative impact, we have created a final national-level fire risk map. This map not only identifies high-risk areas but also provides a solid foundation for implementing preventive and mitigation measures.

Once this part of the project was completed, we evaluated the risk map together with the existing linear infrastructure network, allowing us to precisely identify the most vulnerable sections. This comprehensive analysis is crucial to ensuring the safety and resilience of infrastructure against fires and to designing rapid response systems that protect different communities in times of crisis.

Having a fire risk map is essential for effectively understanding and managing the hazards posed by fires. Here are some key advantages of using a fire risk map:

1. Identification of high-risk areas: The map allows for identifying the areas most susceptible to fires, helping prioritize resource allocation and the planning of preventive measures.
2. Infrastructure protection: It enables the assessment of fire risk to infrastructure and the implementation of proactive measures to protect them, such as proper maintenance and the implementation of additional safety measures.
3. Environmental management: It helps understand the environmental impact of wildfires and design more effective forest management and conservation strategies.
4. Public safety: Provides crucial information for evacuation planning and emergency response, contributing to protecting life and property in fire-prone areas.
5. Awareness and education: Fire risk maps can increase public awareness of fire hazards and foster a culture of fire prevention and mitigation in affected communities.

If you're interested in delving deeper into the risk map project, you'll be glad to know that it's a collaborative effort involving several dedicated technicians. Among them are Esther Gil Portuondo , Andrés Fernández-Calvillo Villa and Angela Domingo Sánchez . Their roles are pivotal in the project, as they are responsible for crafting the methodology and meticulously generating the wildfire map utilizing publicly available data sources.

Should you have any inquiries or wish to learn more about the project's intricacies, feel free to reach out to them directly. Alternatively, you can also get in touch through the contact form available on the Xcalibur Smart Mapping website. We will be more than happy to assist you and provide additional insights into this crucial initiative.?

https://xcaliburmp.com/contact/