16 April 2018
This blog provides a rapid response to the major bushfires in Sydney’s south-west on the weekend (14-15 April 2018).
Unseasonably warm weather (more akin to summer than autumn) caused major bushfires in Sydney’s south-west on Saturday 14 April 2018, posing a serious threat to many properties in nearby suburbs.
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NSW RFS’ major fire updates (link)
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BOM’s special climate statement 65: Persistent summer-like heat sets many April records (issued 13 April 2018, link)
As main information products were already shared on social media, now we only add links below.
Level 1: Earth Observation & Imagery Analysis
The latest Sentinel-2 satellite imagery during the event (15 April 2018) is available, showing the fast propagation of intense fires driven by strong westerly winds.
Major bushfires in Sydney’s south-west captured by Sentinel-2 satellite today (15/04/2018, 10:02am local time). Thanks to the great effort of @NSWRFS & all Emergency Services staff, no homes have been reportedly destroyed so far @CopernicusEMS @CopernicusEU @abcnews @ABCemergency pic.twitter.com/NtK6hDynF9
— BigData Earth (@BigDataEarth) April 15, 2018
Level 2: Integrated Property Location Profile Report
We routinely produce property location profile reports, which contain comprehensive information on climate-warming trends, exposure estimates and ABS’s Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA, based on 2016 Census and released in late March 2018). Sample reports (each 31-page PDF and based on Version 4.3) for three suburb addresses are available:
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Brushwood Dr, Alfords Point NSW 2234
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St George Cres, Sandy Point NSW 2172
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Rosewall Dr, Menai NSW 2234
Property location profile report, including exposure estimate
Location: Rosewall Dr, Menai NSW 2234
Full PDF report: 31 pageshttps://t.co/WAI4INGYoJ#NSWRFS #bushfires @NSWRFS @frnsw @abcsydney @ABCemergency pic.twitter.com/xtSfA4XNTw— BigData Earth (@BigDataEarth) April 15, 2018
Level 3: Bushfire-prone Areas (animation)
We have used Sentinel-2 imagery (5 April 2018, immediately before the fire) and a semi-automated method to classify bushland with high accuracy. Then, we use delineated bushland to map out bushfire-prone areas.
Rapid response to the major bushfires in Sydney’s south-west raging on the weekend (14-15 April 2018): Bushfire-prone areas
Location: Rosewall Drive, Menai NSW 2234
Full resolution animation: https://t.co/TJCt6wHsIH#NSWRFS #bushfires @NSWRFS @frnsw @abcsydney @ABCemergency pic.twitter.com/qcPNS5X0TO— BigData Earth (@BigDataEarth) April 15, 2018