Official bushfire boundaries data launch at AFAC 2024

The bushfire boundaries data team recently took the opportunity to invite Joe Buffone, Chair of the NBIC Board and Deputy Coordinator General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to launch the data at AFAC 2024.

Speaking at the launch, Joe Buffone called out the work of EMSINA, the states and territories, CSIRO and Geoscience Australia, saying, ‘This is about collaboration across every part of the country’.

‘Going forward data, analytics and decision support are going to make us respond faster and better’.

‘Consistency in data and analytics for shared decision making and for tactical and operational decision making cannot be underestimated’.

Chair of the Emergency Management Spatial Information Network Australia (EMSINA), Simon Webster said, ‘The work celebrates the success of EMSINA in bringing together people from different agencies to produce nationally consistent and good outcomes’.

‘EMSINA has been able to publish a set of standards highlighting the importance of bringing together state-based data and working towards a standard so that we can all talk a common language’.

Uses

The National Bushfire Boundaries data service is shared freely with all sectors of the government and community and this is where the impact of this work is really being demonstrated.

• Supporting government responses: The data helps the Commonwealth Government assist state agencies in managing bushfires, including integration into the National Joint Common Operating Platform (NJCOP).
• Cross-jurisdictional information: It ensures data availability beyond jurisdictional and political boundaries, addressing imminent risks to various regions.
• National scale awareness: It informs those outside the emergency management sector about fire activity on a national scale, including managers of commercial activities and critical infrastructure.
• Filling data gaps: It provides crucial near real-time data between current incident reports and historical records, offering seasonal accumulated products for assessing recent impacts, planning recovery, and understanding large-scale or prolonged events.

In summing up, Joe Buffone said, ‘I look forward to the next phase of collaboration from NBIC in producing that shared national picture of bushfire hazard that goes out through states and territories to support communities’.