FIREMAP - Simulation of Fire Growth With a Geographic Information System

Abstract

FIREMAP is a simulation system designed to estimate wildfire characteristics in spatially non-uniform environments and simulate the growth of fire in discrete time steps. This simulation system integrates Rothermel's behavior prediction model (Rothermel 1972) with a raster- based geographic information system. The outputs can be displayed as digital maps. This paper describes the concepts behind FIREMAP and compares simulation results with a real fire occurrence. The predicted burned area (138 ha) and the real burned area (132 ha) have a similar overall shape.