The ACT Emergency Services Agency (ESA) has been recognised for world-first technology that is helping Canberrans better prepare for bushfires.
ESA’s Automated Bushfire Attack Level (AutoBal) tool has received the 2019 ‘Special Achievement Geographic Information System Award’.
AutoBal helps the ESA to understand the level of risk from bushfire to people and homes in bushfire prone areas.
In just one hour, 16,000 properties can be accurately assessed using 3D mapping of buildings, landscapes and vegetation to determine the individual risk to each home. The assessments provide detailed information to help residents understand how to prepare themselves, their families and homes for the risk of bushfire.
This first-of-its-kind technology was developed by the ESA Risk and Planning team in partnership with leading global spatial analytics provider Esri Australia.
Esri Australia Group Managing Director, Brett Bundock said the innovative spatial thinking demonstrated by groups like ACT ESA places the organisation at the leading-edge of global efforts to combat Mother Nature’s unpredictable and at times, cruel ways.
“Over the past decade, the most significant advancements in GIS have come from those charged with responsibility of preserving human life.
The Special Achievement in GIS award recognises not only the degree of innovation exercised by ACT ESA, but also the profound difference the Auto BAL tool will make to communities beyond Australia’s borders.”
“Australia’s emergency response community has every reason to be profoundly proud of the GIS team at ACT ESA.”
Receiving the accolade this week in front of over 20,000 people at Esri’s global conference in San Diego California, this award recognises an ACT ESA’s extraordinary achievement – not only in the space of predictive risk assessment, but also applied advanced location analytics.
To learn more about the world-first tech powering emergency preparedness and management download the case study.
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