About The Northern Queensland Wildfire Mitigation Project

The NQWMP aims to deliver a variety of detailed local spatial information, maps and mapping tools to assist emergency service agencies, urban and rural fire brigades, local fire management groups, land managers, and local governments in operational, planning and administrative matters.

This is a collaborative interagency mapping exercise funded by all three levels of government through the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government’s Natural Disaster Mitigation Program which aims to decrease or eliminate the impact of natural disasters on society and the environment.

The NQWMP project area is vast, covering over 420,000 km² and is geographically defined by the Queensland Rural Operations Areas of Cairns Peninsula, Innisfail and Townsville. The project area encompasses a diverse range of northern communities including Weipa, Bamaga and Cooktown on Cape York, Croydon in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Atherton and Cairns in the Wet Tropics of Far North Queensland, and Townsville, Bowen, and Mt Coolon in the Burdekin Dry Tropics.

Leading the project is the Atherton Tablelands Geographic Information Services (ATGIS)

ATGIS is a business unit of the Tablelands Regional Council. ATGIS provides a wide range of information technology products, support and services for government, community and industry activities across the region.

How can improved mapping and information systems assist fire management?

Although fire has a natural environmental role, each year wildfire threatens lives and property with the most dangerous fires occurring along the rural urban fringe. Accurate mapping of fire hazard and the integration of other relevant geographic information is essential for the planning of fire prevention activities and the effective response to emergencies during the wildfire season.

Accurate information is essential to community safety and resource management. For example:

Town planning: The State Planning Policy (SPP) requires fire hazard mapping as part of identifying natural hazard management areas in planning and development schemes so that appropriate management strategies can be implemented.
Emergency management: Mapping of hazards, infrastructure and fire fighting resources creates a valuable tool to assist with the development of fire management strategies such as the placement of fire breaks, timing of prescription burns and response planning. It also facilitates the involvement of additional rural fire units when responding to an emergency by providing tools that enable them to operate efficiently and safely within unfamiliar areas.
Natural resource management: Appropriate mapping tools facilitate the planning of fire management for the critical role of maintaining environmental biodiversity and sustainable land use practices.
Community safety: The availability of appropriate local information resources assists fire fighters in protecting lives and infrastructure in their communities.

How has the NQWMP addressed these needs?

Fire planning maps have been produced that incorporate captured local knowledge. These facilitate planning for fire mitigation activities and a more effective response to emergency situations.
An interactive website has been produced with an interface that enables the creation of maps. Any computer with internet access can be used by stakeholders to generate localised maps in the case of an emergency, or for the purpose of planning fire mitigation activities.
The website also enables stakeholders to upload their own spatial data. This feature has proven vital on the fireground where a previously unmapped trail was driven with a GPS, the data loaded onto the website, and maps produced at Incident Control for fire fighters heading to that location.
This project has set a benchmark for engaging communication across a broad cross section of agencies and stakeholders. The outcome has been a more collaborative approach to fire management that aims to avoid duplication and reduce costs.
Improvements based upon feedback from stakeholders ensure that the website remains a relevant and up to date tool for emergency services personnel and other stakeholders involved in wildfire mitigation.

The benefits and resources created by the Northern Queensland Wildfire Mitigation Project are not limited to Wildfire Mitigation and address the wider issue of disaster management where information products, including digital and hardcopy maps containing accurate local government road and address data, are essential for the allocation and mobilisation of resources in any emergency situation.

The history of NQWMP

The NQWMP commenced as ATWMP (the Atherton Tablelands Wildfire Mitigation Project) in 2005. This pilot project was undertaken by ATGIS with funding from the Natural Disaster Mitigation Program (NDMP) and identified areas of potential fire hazard, and consolidated local government and rural fire unit data into a single repository.

This pilot grew into NQWMP with additional funding from the NDMP (2006/2007) and the project expanded into the Cairns Peninsula and Innisfail Rural Operations Areas. This involved Fire Hazard Mapping, Rural Fire Brigade Resource Mapping, creating a Data Warehouse (the website) and distributing the maps and information. Further NDMP funding in 2007-2008 allowed ATGIS to expand the website, be actively involved in Fire Management Group planning activities and be available to prepare maps on site in support of Incident Management Team training exercises and emergency situations.

The ongoing success of this project has resulted in yet another round of funding through the NDMP (2008/2009) to roll out the program into the Townsville Rural Operations Area.

An independent, yet related project that will be undertaken by ATGIS in 2009-2010 is the Digital Fire Trails Network Project which will see fire trails and fire resources mapped in priority areas across the northern half of Queensland. This project is funded through the Bushfire Mitigation Programme by the Australian and Queensland governments with the results being integrated into the NQWMP website to build upon the local fire management knowledge of Far North Queensland.

The success of the NQWMP is heavily reliant on stakeholder input, consistent data capture and availability of existing data. We encourage anyone with suggestions on how to improve the website, or with data that would contribute to the website as a knowledge resource for stakeholders, to submit feedback or contact us.

The complete suite of maps and tools can be accessed by Project Stakeholders by registering and activating a NQWMP website user account. Once permissions are assigned by ATGIS, stakeholders will have access to:

Project history and documentation;
Downloadable maps and spatial data;
GIS data repository for creating and uploading new data; and Review and Feedback tools.


Home News Help Apply For Access Create Maps Links About Contact Us Email: Password: create account reset password	About The Northern Queensland Wildfire Mitigation Project The NQWMP aims to deliver a variety of detailed local spatial information, maps and mapping tools to assist emergency service agencies, urban and rural fire brigades, local fire management groups, land managers, and local governments in operational, planning and administrative matters. This is a collaborative interagency mapping exercise funded by all three levels of government through the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government’s Natural Disaster Mitigation Program which aims to decrease or eliminate the impact of natural disasters on society and the environment. The NQWMP project area is vast, covering over 420,000 km² and is geographically defined by the Queensland Rural Operations Areas of Cairns Peninsula, Innisfail and Townsville. The project area encompasses a diverse range of northern communities including Weipa, Bamaga and Cooktown on Cape York, Croydon in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Atherton and Cairns in the Wet Tropics of Far North Queensland, and Townsville, Bowen, and Mt Coolon in the Burdekin Dry Tropics. Leading the project is the Atherton Tablelands Geographic Information Services (ATGIS) ATGIS is a business unit of the Tablelands Regional Council. ATGIS provides a wide range of information technology products, support and services for government, community and industry activities across the region. How can improved mapping and information systems assist fire management? Although fire has a natural environmental role, each year wildfire threatens lives and property with the most dangerous fires occurring along the rural urban fringe. Accurate mapping of fire hazard and the integration of other relevant geographic information is essential for the planning of fire prevention activities and the effective response to emergencies during the wildfire season. Accurate information is essential to community safety and resource management. For example: Town planning: The State Planning Policy (SPP) requires fire hazard mapping as part of identifying natural hazard management areas in planning and development schemes so that appropriate management strategies can be implemented. Emergency management: Mapping of hazards, infrastructure and fire fighting resources creates a valuable tool to assist with the development of fire management strategies such as the placement of fire breaks, timing of prescription burns and response planning. It also facilitates the involvement of additional rural fire units when responding to an emergency by providing tools that enable them to operate efficiently and safely within unfamiliar areas. Natural resource management: Appropriate mapping tools facilitate the planning of fire management for the critical role of maintaining environmental biodiversity and sustainable land use practices. Community safety: The availability of appropriate local information resources assists fire fighters in protecting lives and infrastructure in their communities. How has the NQWMP addressed these needs? Fire planning maps have been produced that incorporate captured local knowledge. These facilitate planning for fire mitigation activities and a more effective response to emergency situations. An interactive website has been produced with an interface that enables the creation of maps. Any computer with internet access can be used by stakeholders to generate localised maps in the case of an emergency, or for the purpose of planning fire mitigation activities. The website also enables stakeholders to upload their own spatial data. This feature has proven vital on the fireground where a previously unmapped trail was driven with a GPS, the data loaded onto the website, and maps produced at Incident Control for fire fighters heading to that location. This project has set a benchmark for engaging communication across a broad cross section of agencies and stakeholders. The outcome has been a more collaborative approach to fire management that aims to avoid duplication and reduce costs. Improvements based upon feedback from stakeholders ensure that the website remains a relevant and up to date tool for emergency services personnel and other stakeholders involved in wildfire mitigation. The benefits and resources created by the Northern Queensland Wildfire Mitigation Project are not limited to Wildfire Mitigation and address the wider issue of disaster management where information products, including digital and hardcopy maps containing accurate local government road and address data, are essential for the allocation and mobilisation of resources in any emergency situation. The history of NQWMP The NQWMP commenced as ATWMP (the Atherton Tablelands Wildfire Mitigation Project) in 2005. This pilot project was undertaken by ATGIS with funding from the Natural Disaster Mitigation Program (NDMP) and identified areas of potential fire hazard, and consolidated local government and rural fire unit data into a single repository. This pilot grew into NQWMP with additional funding from the NDMP (2006/2007) and the project expanded into the Cairns Peninsula and Innisfail Rural Operations Areas. This involved Fire Hazard Mapping, Rural Fire Brigade Resource Mapping, creating a Data Warehouse (the website) and distributing the maps and information. Further NDMP funding in 2007-2008 allowed ATGIS to expand the website, be actively involved in Fire Management Group planning activities and be available to prepare maps on site in support of Incident Management Team training exercises and emergency situations. The ongoing success of this project has resulted in yet another round of funding through the NDMP (2008/2009) to roll out the program into the Townsville Rural Operations Area. An independent, yet related project that will be undertaken by ATGIS in 2009-2010 is the Digital Fire Trails Network Project which will see fire trails and fire resources mapped in priority areas across the northern half of Queensland. This project is funded through the Bushfire Mitigation Programme by the Australian and Queensland governments with the results being integrated into the NQWMP website to build upon the local fire management knowledge of Far North Queensland. The success of the NQWMP is heavily reliant on stakeholder input, consistent data capture and availability of existing data. We encourage anyone with suggestions on how to improve the website, or with data that would contribute to the website as a knowledge resource for stakeholders, to submit feedback or contact us. The complete suite of maps and tools can be accessed by Project Stakeholders by registering and activating a NQWMP website user account. Once permissions are assigned by ATGIS, stakeholders will have access to: Project history and documentation; Downloadable maps and spatial data; GIS data repository for creating and uploading new data; and Review and Feedback tools.