Client Success Story

Harnessing local knowledge for fire map books

Victorian Country Fire Authority

The Victorian Country Fire Authority contracted Spatial Vision to produce Rural Map Directories for two regions (East Gippsland and the South West) of Victoria. The primary purpose of these publications is to assist CFA Fire Brigades and other Emergency Services to respond to emergency calls. The CFA Rural Map Directories are also immensely popular as country street directories.

The contract involves the assessment and conversion of available spatial data, updating and publication. Spatial Vision has worked closely with the 185 CFA brigades in the two regions during the field checking phase, and is in the process of finalising draft versions of the booklets.

Each of the two directories will comprise approximately 200 pages of 1:100,000 and 1:50,000 scale maps and 1:25,000 township maps. The directories will also include complete building and road indexes. Spatial Vision is responsible for the complete production process including supervision of the printing of 13,000 copies of the directories. Spatial Vision will also use the final data to produce wall maps for CFA Brigade and Regional Headquarters and deliver the final geospatial data to CFA Headquarters for incorporation into their Corporate GIS. The two directories are close to completion.

Two key issues have arisen in the preparation of these directories. First, accommodating the impact of new privacy legislation in Victoria and rural addressing information. Previous directories included the location and names of residents on properties which is now not appropriate for access by the general community under new privacy legislation. Secondly, a program of rural addressing that allocates unique numbers to each rural property is well underway. The format and content of the directories have been revised to address these issues.

Mark Garvey, Manager of GIS Services for the CFA, said “The approach taken by Spatial Vision in preparing the rural directory map booklets varies from that of previous directories. Spatial Vision has made full use of all available spatial data and the relationships contained in this data.” This includes using the most up to date Vicmap digital roads data as well as Local Government rural addressing information.

Mark said “This approach has assisted in the validation and cross referencing of data from different sources, and has also assisted in ensuring there is consistency between the CFA directories and other information products used by emergency service agencies. This, for example, includes ensuring there is consistency between the directories and the base datasets used in Victoria’s new country emergency Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system. Hence, preparation of the CFA directories is seen as a key exercise in further enhancing fundamental digital base datasets on which all emergency service agencies depend.”

An investigation into the 2003 Alpine fires recommended that the CFA make better use of local knowledge which, in the event of large fires with crews called from distant areas, is challenging. However, the consultative process used for updating the directories is a valuable opportunity to harness local knowledge. Stephen Farrell, the Spatial Vision Project Manager said that “We have worked hard to ensure that the local knowledge of CFA brigade members is fully utilised to both update base information and the content of the new directories”.

The approach taken in preparing the directories has been such that it has both utilised existing data in a very cost effective way, and has also ensured that there are the broadest possible benefits arising from the data review and updating process.

Copyright © Spatial Vision, Monday, 14-July-2003