During bushfires, aerial firefighters are dispatched by members of the National Aerial Firefighting Centre, using data available through Geoscience Australia that helps them find suitable nearby water sources. It is critical for effective decision making and bushfire response that the most current and accurate data about the location of water is available as quickly as possible.
Hazard Note 3: Identifying water sources for aerial firefighting summarises the first phase of the Identifying water sources for aerial firefighting project, a collaboration between Natural Hazards Research Australia, the National Aerial Firefighting Centre at AFAC, Geoscience Australia and FrontierSI.
This project has improved the reliability and clarity of information about water sources available to aerial firefighters by ensuring that data is updated more regularly and is easier to access.
This research provides a pathway for the National Aerial Firefighting Centre to develop a waterbodies solution, and equips Geoscience Australia with a prototype workflow for wider application of waterbodies data across the sector.