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A new AI-driven immersive visualisation system will help us to address the new generation of extreme fires caused by global warming. 

An immersive visualisation platform that virtually recreates the experience of being in a wildfire will help artists, designers, firefighters and scientists better understand and communicate the dynamics of these extreme events.

“Wildfires are a whole new generation of fires,” says lead researcher Scientia Professor Dennis Del Favero at UNSW Sydney. “We’re experiencing accelerating levels of global warming which are leading to fires of a scale, speed and violence never before seen in recorded human history.”

Unlike traditional bushfires that move relatively predictably, wildfires are fundamentally unpredictable, the ARC Laureate Fellow says. They can form their own weather systems generating lightning storms that can ignite new fires; this, in addition to their size and speed, makes their behaviour difficult to anticipate, he says.

“Situational awareness is critical in a wildfire... It’s a bit like being in a combat zone. You don't know where the dangers are. They can surround you and be above you,” he says.

“So we’re developing a way of visualising this type of dynamic by using artificial intelligence to drive the visualisation so that the fire behaves unpredictably according to its own logic, not according to our expectations.”

The sector-first platform will give users and researchers a visceral understanding of the dynamics of wildfires, at 1:1 scale and in real time, within a safe virtual environment, he says.

“It uses real-world data to visualise not only what they look like, but also what they feel [and sound] like. Sound is very important … [because] wildfires have a particular acoustic that is entirely unique.”

The platform will provide a tool for two distinct users. For fire scientists, fire-fighters and fire organisations around Australia and internationally, it will facilitate research and training in the dynamics of wildfire scenarios by enabling open-ended decision-making for a more agile and collaborative approach to fire planning, group training and fire management.

It will enable artists, curators and designers to imaginatively explore wildfire landscapes using a digital palette with a vast range of atmospheres, flora and topographies to enhance public engagement and understanding of these scenarios.

Users can share and explore the environment across multiple locations and platforms, including mobile 360-degree 3D cinemas as well as more portable 3D projection screens, 3D head-mounted displays to laptops and tablets.

The five-year project, iFire, brings together global experts in fire research, including computer and fire scientists at UNSW such as Prof. Maurice Pagnucco and Prof. Jason Sharples, Data 61, the University of Melbourne, San José State University and more than 15 international industry and government partners, including the Australasian Fire & Emergency Service Authority Council, Fire Rescue NSW, CALfire, Pau Costa Foundation and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Climate Extremes.

It is funded by Prof. Del Favero’s ARC Laureate Fellowship and based at the UNSW . The project, like the Centre, is interdisciplinary in approach, working across art, design, computing and science.

It continues Prof. Del Favero’s research as Director of the iCinema Research Centre at UNSW. The philosopher-turned-artist uses artistic simulation to sensorially explore diverse risk-laden scenarios, directly addressing issues like global warming in visceral and compelling ways. 

Lead image: The platform will develop greater lateral and collaborative thinking in users working in firefighting, group training and fire planning. Image: Supplied. 

This article was originally published in 2022.