NSSN Frontiers in Sensing Forum 2020: Smart Sensing for Bushfire Prevention, Response & Mitigation
The NSSN Frontiers in Sensing Forum 2020 will take place online from 15:00 to 17:00 on Thursday 7 May 2020. The theme of this year’s Forum is Smart Sensing for Bushfire Prevention, Response & Mitigation.
The Forum will be opened by The Hon. Matt Kean MP, Minister for Energy & Environment.
Following the devastating impact of 2019-20 ‘Black Summer’ bushfires in Australia, the NSSN Frontiers of Sensing Forum 2020 will explore the critical role that smart sensing technology can play in delivering solutions to the complex challenge of bushfire prevention, mitigation and response.
NSSN Chief Operating Officer, Mr Nicholas Haskins, said the bushfires that ravaged much of Australia in the summer of 19-20 demonstrated the need to make a long-term assessment on how we prevent and manage bushfires.
“Technology is a vital piece of the overall solution and we see a genuine commitment to exploring innovative measures that will help avoid such catastrophic fire events in the future,” said Mr Haskins.
The event will feature a keynote address by Mr Rob Rogers, the incoming NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner.
Mr Rogers was recently announced as the new NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner, following 40 years of service to the RFS and nine years as Deputy Commissioner.
The keynote address will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by Dr Katherine Woodthorpe AO, Chair of the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC.
The panel of experts includes Mr Andrew Gissing, Director at Risk Frontiers; Mr Matt Riley, Director at Climate and Atmospheric Science, NSW Dept. of Planning, Industry & Environment; Mr Adrian Turner, Lead at Minderoo Wildfire and Disaster Resilience Program and Dr Marta Yebra, Senior Lecturer in Environment & Engineering at The Australian National University.
Remote-sensing expert Dr Marta Yebra and a team of researchers at The Australian National University (ANU) will lead the development of the first Australian satellite designed to predict where bushfires are likely to start and those that will be difficult to contain.
Dr Yebra regularly consults with emergency agencies and response teams across Australia on the bushfire risks posed by fuel loads, and advised NSW Rural Fire Service during the recent unprecedented bushfire season.
The panel discussion will be followed by a Q&A for the audience to ask questions from the experts.
To register for the virtual NSSN Frontiers in Sensing Forum 2020: Smart Sensing for Bushfire Prevention, Response & Mitigation please click here.
Media Contact: Shahrzad Abbasi, M: 0466548145