A Virtual Reality Bushfire Mitigation Tool for Community Consultation

1. A Virtual Reality Bushfire Mitigation Tool for Community Consultation A.R Walker, S. Gard, B.J. Williamson, J.M. Bell Queensland University of Technology

2. Introduction • Fire prevention and mitigation • Save lives • Save properties • Education key factor • Residents who recognised the hazard of living in a fire prone area were more likely to have taken safety precautions against such a risk • Effective community education tool are essential components in the fight against fire at the urban/rural interface • Virtual Reality Bushfire Mitigation Tool for Community Consultation

3. Building Standards in Bushfire Prone Areas • AS3959-1999 • Building Standard “AS3959-1999 Construction of buildings in bushfire-prone areas” • Determines the bushfire-prone areas • DR05060 • Draft standard “DR05060 Construction of buildings in bushfire-prone areas” • Revision of AS3959-1999 • More comprehensive standard • Slope, vegetation type, construction material

4. Benefits of using Virtual Reality as a Consultation Tool • Traditional web sites • Bushfireinfo.com • Lack any interactive participation on the user’s part • Information presented as mainly text • Virtual Reality • Multi-sensory highly interactive computer-based environment • 3D visualisation in real-time • Active participant in a virtual world • Can recreate unsafe environments (fire model)

5. VR and consultation • Study of 26 examples of the use of VR for public consultation in the UK (Heame and Webster 2003). • This study concluded the following advantages of VR as a consultation tool • VR is far more interactive and residents have become much more engaged in the consultation process • Users of VR could see what they were going to live in and interact with it, they did not have to build up a representation in their own minds from relatively abstract/codified documents • VR draws in those who wouldn’t normally get involved in community engagement • This makes VR the prime choice for developing a bushfire mitigation tool for community consultation

6. Prototype VR bushfire mitigation tool • DR05060 standard • c# .NET • TV3D 6.2 visualisation engine

7. 3D Modelling • Fictitious terrain and property parcel were modelled using standard CAD software • Various vegetation types, as defined in the DR05060 were modelled • Two buildings types modelled • Timber and brick construction types

8. Classification of Vegetation and Slopes • Classify the vegetation and slope of the terrain • Done manually • Could use GIS data

9. Implementation of DR05060 Standard • DR05060 database lookup table • Easily adjusted • Scalable

10. Bushfire Propagation Model • Cellular automata (CA) fire propagation model • Terrain split into 1m x 1m cells • Fuel value and wind direction used in CA rules • Very simple naïve model • Proof of concept only • No effect of convection and wind interaction • No spotting ahead of the fire front • Very limited fire model

11. Results and Discussion • Prototype VR bushfire mitigation tool • VR functions • 1st person shooter interface • Common game controls used • Fly, walk, gravity, collision detection, animations, viewpoints, avatar

12. Results and Discussion • DR05060 functions • Add building to property parcel • Move location on parcel • Risk for each side of building • Construction material type displayed • Fire danger index (FDI)

13. Results and Discussion • Simulation of bushfire • Particle emitter to achieve the visual simulation • If CA cell burning • generate fire and smoke • Cell’s fuel depleted • No fire or smoke is emitted • Cell changed to a charcoal colour to simulate charred landscape

14. Conclusions • Virtual reality bushfire mitigation tool built • Will facilitate community consultation • Will stimulate behavioural change with regard to fire mitigation • First-person shooter style is well known to computer gamers • Rapid uptake of the VR interface • Fire simulation • Shows the advantages of alternate mitigation measures • Run fire simulations different property configurations • Visualisation of the fire model’s footprint • charcoal scar on the landscape • useful in evaluating alternate fire models • comparing them against the existing damage done to actual terrain

15. Novelty and Significance • The novelty of this research is the integration of bushfire modelling and DR05060 standard with a VR interface that will allow users to assess alternate bushfire mitigation scenarios • The significance of this work is its ability to improve community bushfire awareness and stimulate behavioural change which will directly reduce property damage and potentially save lives within the rural/urban interface

16. Future Work • Two separate VR bushfire mitigation applications planned • Non-expert • Web-based VR • Generic property and terrain • Editable parameters such as building material, vegetation and terrain. • Expert • PC-based VR • Real GIS data for terrain and vegetation information • Alternate bushfire scenarios/models

17. Demonstration • Demonstration.avi