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Transforming bushfire risk intelligence through digital innovation and collaborative design
Accurate bushfire risk intelligence is critical to supporting the statutory land use planning system and safeguarding communities. In Western Australia, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) historically relied on manual and inconsistent methods to gather bushfire prone area intelligence from local governments, including printed maps, hand drawn markups, emails, manual digitising, and labour-intensive field visits. These processes created delays, data quality concerns, and operational inefficiencies, particularly for local governments with limited GIS capability.
This abstract presents a technology driven solution pioneered by the Office of Bushfire Risk Management at DFES, which designed and implemented a modernised, evidence-based workflow that fundamentally changes how information about bushfire prone vegetation is collected, validated, and shared. Leveraging geospatial technologies, DFES has introduced a secure, self-service digital environment that enables local governments to view, update, and submit information directly through interactive GIS interfaces.
The new workflow replaces the antiquated manual processes with an automated, scalable, and traceable system that embeds continuous improvement and supports informed decision-making. The intelligence collected directly contributes to the Commissioner’s Gazettal, which updates the authoritative State Bushfire Prone Area dataset published on Data WA. This dataset underpins the modernised application of bushfire planning and building standards and the assessment of new developments, thereby reducing delays and appeals in the planning system.
This case study demonstrates how leadership, innovation, and knowledge sharing can transform longstanding and historic sector practices. It provides a replicable model for interagency collaboration and community engagement that extends well beyond bushfire prone area management. The project highlights how new ideas, when supported by technology and effectively embedded in practice, can overcome complexity and deliver measurable improvements in efficiency, accuracy, and public safety.
This abstract presents a technology driven solution pioneered by the Office of Bushfire Risk Management at DFES, which designed and implemented a modernised, evidence-based workflow that fundamentally changes how information about bushfire prone vegetation is collected, validated, and shared. Leveraging geospatial technologies, DFES has introduced a secure, self-service digital environment that enables local governments to view, update, and submit information directly through interactive GIS interfaces.
The new workflow replaces the antiquated manual processes with an automated, scalable, and traceable system that embeds continuous improvement and supports informed decision-making. The intelligence collected directly contributes to the Commissioner’s Gazettal, which updates the authoritative State Bushfire Prone Area dataset published on Data WA. This dataset underpins the modernised application of bushfire planning and building standards and the assessment of new developments, thereby reducing delays and appeals in the planning system.
This case study demonstrates how leadership, innovation, and knowledge sharing can transform longstanding and historic sector practices. It provides a replicable model for interagency collaboration and community engagement that extends well beyond bushfire prone area management. The project highlights how new ideas, when supported by technology and effectively embedded in practice, can overcome complexity and deliver measurable improvements in efficiency, accuracy, and public safety.
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