In May we recorded the video above and told you about the Simtable which projects 3-D wildfire simulations onto a sand table which can be molded to resemble the topography in a specific area. Fire modeling algorithms simulate the spread of fire through the vegetation and across the topography while also taking weather and fuel conditions into account. You can simulate a fire at your choice of location, or you can view the spread of historic fires. The system can also be used to simulate and train for evacuations, floods, and hazardous material incidents — at a starting price of $25,000.
A researcher at San Diego State University is developing the next generation of the Simtable which he hopes to put into the hands of wildland firefighters out on the ground.
“Any firefighter with a smartphone or tablet could download it and have the mapping system,” said [Justin Freiler of SDSU’s Visualization Center].
They are not there yet, as a mobile app is still in development, but the hope is to make the system available to firefighters in the near future.
