The aim of the proposed work is to develop a state-of-the-art,
operational and strategic decision support tool for the real-time
simulation of forest fires in Mediterranean ecosystems.


The basis of the tool will be the real-time forest fires
simulator developed under contract EPOC-CT90-0020. This combines
models for combustion and flow field computation to predict the
speed, direction and intensity of the fire front.

A customised GIS system which provides the simulator with all the
necessary geographical and meteorological data will also be
designed and constructed along with the appropriate interface.

The final
product will be an integrated tool which will operate under a
central control system to be designed within the frame of the
proposed project. Appropriate graphics and will be included for
easy data modification and immediate utilization of the results.
Within this context the type and quality of the geographical and
meteorological data to be collected from different Mediterranean
countries will be defined. The data will be collected and
organized in a GIS based data bank which will feed the
forest-fire simulator.

Improvements will also be made in the
aspects of the physical modelling that need to be addressed in
more detail in order to enhance the degree of accuracy of the
fire spread model. A customized GIS will be constructed and the
proper forest fire simulator-GIS interface for real-time data
retrieval will be developed. Finally the effectiveness of the
operational tool for providing guidance to fire-fighters will be
tested in three Mediterranean countries.

The outcome of this work will be a management tool which will
provide vital information to decision makers at critical stages
in the development of a forest fire when accuracy, speed and
clarity of presentation are of utmost importance. The use of
the system may be easily extended to the evaluation of prevention
strategies, especially concerning the location and width of fire
corridors, forest cleaning and thinning and deployment
of equipment.