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Global Wildland FireEarly Warning

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Fire Danger mapsTypical data flow

1. Collect noon weather observations from WMO centres

2. Transfer data

3. Extract and decode weather data; interpolate conditions to build grid layers in a GIS; produce daily early warning maps

4. Map products displaying current fire danger are distributed via WWW and GEONETCast Terrain and

Vegetation characteristics

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Why a Wildland FireEarly Warning ?

Significant Ecosystem damage• Degradation in forest/grassland health due to uncontrolled

burning• Agriculture and land degradation with losses in production• Hydrological changes resulting in desertification and flooding

Significant loss of life, including negative societal impactand economic losses• Losses and vulnerability at urban-rural interface increasing• Global health impact due to smoke and emissions• Disruption of transport due to changes in visibility• Costly fire suppression programs

Potential impact on climate change• Global carbon cycle impact

Wildand Fire is a Global Source of Multiple Hazards

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Reference initiative

UN-ISDR initiative “Global Wildland Fire Network” and will consider as planning reference the project “Global Early Warning System for Wildland Fire”, presented at EWC III in Bonn, March 2006 by a consortium including

• Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC), Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, c/o Freiburg University / United Nations University, Germany on behalf of the UNISDR Wildland Fire Advisory Group / Global Wildland Fire Network

• Canadian Forest Service (CFS), Edmonton, Canada• Bushfire CRC, Australia• Global Observation of Forest and Land Cover Dynamics (GOFC-GOLD)

Secretariat, Edmonton, Canada • University of Maryland (UMD), USA• World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

– World Weather Research Programme (WWRP)• Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre (BMRC), Melbourne, Australia• European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF)

– Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia, Spain– Finnish Meteorological Institute, Finland– MetOffice, UK

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Objectives

ObjectivesTo develop a global early warning system for wildland fire based on existing and demonstrated science and technologies.

• To develop an information network to quickly disseminate early warning of wildland fire danger that reaches global to local communities.

• To develop an historical record of global fire danger information for early warning product enhancement, validation and strategic planning purposes.

• To design and implement a technology transfer program to provide training for global, regional, national, and local community applications in:

a) early warning system operation, b) methods for local to global calibration of the System, and c) using the System for prevention, preparedness, detection, and fire

response decision-making.

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Activities Task DI-06-13

ParticipantsCo-leaders

Johann Goldammer task point of ContactISDR/GFMC (Global Fire Monitoring Center)Michael Brady, Canadian Forest Service, representingGOFC-GOLD (Global Observation for Forest and Land Cover DynamicsJoao CostaINOV (Instituto de Novas Tecnologias ) Portugal

Contributors include WMO and organizations in the following Countries:• Australia• Canada• Japan• Portugal• Rep. of Korea• South Africa• Thailand• USA

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Activities scheduled for

2007The schedule of activities foresees definition of the Global System and its implementation by progressive inclusion of regional/national systems, that are today at different stages of design and implementation.GEO focus will be to support definition and implementation activities in regions where identified gaps to have the system in place are higher.

The GFMC website - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/ - is periodically updated with all the progressive contributions.

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Activities flow

Regional System Definition

Distribution Scenario Definition

Prototype Development

GEONETCast Planning

Prototype operations

Summit

Regional System Review

Production Scenario Definition

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Key Milestones table 2007

NOTE The prototype will be presented and reviewed during a dedicated workshop scheduled for 29-31 October in Accra, Ghana

2007Q1 Start

June 2007 Global system concept and Regional system definition

September 2007 GEONETCast planning definition

October 2007 Regional System review and start prototype operations

28-30 Nov 2007 Presentation at Ministerial

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Deliverables for the Summit

• Production and dissemination of Daily Fire Danger maps over Africa.

• Use of GEONETCast for product dissemination.

There is an option still open to develop the product also for SE and Central Asia – discussions are on going with Sentinel Asia.

Initial feasibility assessmentNo show stoppers identified from a technical point of view.Discussions on going to finalize the support that key players will give to the development of the prototype and to a pre-operational phase.