Credit: Charles Sturt University
A Charles Sturt University academic has led research that has produced new AI technologies that will save lives, homes and livelihoods by reducing bushfires.
Dr Anwaar Ulhaq Senior Lecturer in the Charles Sturt School of Computing, Mathematics and Engineering and Deputy Leader for the Machine Vision and Digital Health Research Group within the Faculty of Business, Justice and Behavioural Sciences, led the research with PhD students.
He said vegetation management is key to controlling some of the natural disasters Australia is facing.
“Bushfires are nothing new in Australia,” Dr Ulhaq said. “However, the 2019-20 season was unusual in many aspects.
“More than 46 million acres (72,000 square miles) were consumed by the bushfires, which is roughly the size of Syria. During the many fires between September 2019 and March 2020, at least 3,500 homes and thousands of other structures were destroyed and 34 people perished.”
Dr Ulhaq says that emerging technologies, particularly AI, can be effective combatants against these environmental disasters.
“Controlling radiant heat and ember attacks is critical to protecting lives and property from bushfires,” Dr Ulhaq said.
“Mapping flammable trees such as Cyprus, pines, and eucalyptus in urban and regional suburbs, as well as creating a shelter belt by fire retardant plants such as Acacia cyclops or evergreen plants is one method of reducing radiant heat and stopping embers from blowing onto homes.”
Dr Ulhaq and his PhD student Dr Asim Khan have developed an automated vegetation detection and mapping system for vegetation management by combining image data from Google Street View imagery and manually capturing imagery of street trees in the study area of Wyndham City Council, in Melbourne.
“The technology is powered by data annotation and deep learning,” Dr Ulhaq said. “The system can assist local governments to improve vegetation management to control the loss of lives and property from bushfires.”
Dr Ulhaq has expanded on this research by using 3D LiDAR data to create a virtual and realistic model of vegetation management.
Dr Ulhaq said that for broader coverage and control, AI needs to be integrated with various data sources and technologies such as 3D LiDAR and digital twins.
