Table of Contents

1 - Is it possible to predict forest fires in metropolitan areas?

2021-12-12

1 min read

Wildfires are naturally caused (e.g. by lightning bolts), and human-caused, e.g. with lit cigarette butts carelessly thrown away in areas where cities meet rural and industrial zones.
The study about wildfires, as broad as it is, considers risk/hazard models, fire spread, control and post-disaster recovery. Wildfires are impossible to predict at the moment. However, these studies can identify fire-prone areas. To do so, they may use: historical data, satellite images, machine learning and drone monitoring.
Many studies concentrate on understanding biophysical factors that make fire more likely to occur, such as: altitude, gradient, climatic conditions, solar radiation, wind, drought, and vegetation cover.
Other studies focus on understanding human factors towards fire, such as, institutional governance, prevention/response attitudes of the population, economic/social loss and post-fire landscape.