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Decision support system for forest fire protection in the Euro-Mediterranean region

European Journal of Forest Research volume 131, pages 597–608 (2012)Cite this article

Abstract

This paper describes the development of a decision support system (DSS) for prevention planning and emergency management of forest fire events that incorporates weather data management, a geographical data viewer, a priori danger forecasting and fire propagation modeling, automatic fire detection, and optimal resource dispatching. Collection, input, storage, management, and analysis of the information rely on advanced and automated methodologies using remote sensing, GPS, digital mapping, and geographic information systems. The results included short-term dynamic fire danger indices developed for improved and realistic prevention and pre-suppression planning. An automatic fire detection technology based on infrared video was developed and successfully tested on site. Several models for understanding fire propagation on forest fires have been proposed for practical application. Additionally, a DSS was developed with the innovation of covering wildland fire hazard management entirely, providing a complete coverage of technical and administrative activities that support decision makers in real time. The DSS was tested for high fire seasons in two different sites in South Europe.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the European Union within the RTD project “Automated Fire and Flood Hazard Protection System/AUTO-HAZARD PRO” (EVG1-CT-2001-00057). The authors would like to thank the colleagues at their respective academic and research institutions for collaboration and the end-users of civil protection authorities in Greece and Spain for their cooperation with test and validation efforts of the system.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, University of the Aegean, 81100, Mytilene, Greece

    Kostas Kalabokidis, Olga Roussou & Christos Vasilakos

  2. NAGREF, Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems and Forest Products Technology, Terma Alkmanos, 11528, Athens, Greece

    Gavriil Xanthopoulos

  3. Climate, Fire and Natural Resources Consulting, 14 Jeanette Street, East Ryde, NSW, 2113, Australia

    Peter Moore

  4. TECNOMA S.A., Area of Forest Ecosystems, Isla del Hierro 7, San Sebastián de los Reyes, 28700, Madrid, Spain

    David Caballero

  5. Department of Physics, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15784, Athens, Greece

    George Kallos

  6. Department of Informatics, University Carlos III of Madrid, Leganes, 28911, Madrid, Spain

    Juan Llorens

Authors
  1. Kostas Kalabokidis
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  2. Gavriil Xanthopoulos
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  3. Peter Moore
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  4. David Caballero
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  5. George Kallos
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  6. Juan Llorens
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  7. Olga Roussou
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  8. Christos Vasilakos
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kostas Kalabokidis.

Additional information

Communicated by W. Warkotsch.

In memoriam: Forestry Professor Nikolaos I. Stamou, Greece.

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Kalabokidis, K., Xanthopoulos, G., Moore, P. et al. Decision support system for forest fire protection in the Euro-Mediterranean region. Eur J Forest Res 131, 597–608 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-011-0534-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-011-0534-0

Keywords

  • Forest fire management
  • Risk management
  • Decision support systems
  • Geographic information systems
  • Natural disasters