Australia urgently needs a national bushfire database. Here’s what it could look like

A rapidly warming world means more frequent and intense bushfires. And in Australia, the strengthening El Niño could create the conditions for fierce fires this summer.

To protect our communities, Australia must take a proactive approach to bushfire preparedness, response and recovery. But this doesn’t just depend on firefighters or equipment. Reliable, accessible and consistent data is vital to keeping communities safe.

Fire agencies across Australia are increasingly adopting new technologies that track where fires start and how they spread. However, much of this data is spread across different databases, organisations and jurisdictions, making it difficult to access when bushfires break out.

Our recent research interrogates why Australia needs a national bushfire database and maps out what it could look like.

Bushfires do not respect borders

Bushfires burn across borders, impacting countless communities far beyond where they first ignite. Australia’s current approach to collecting bushfire data fails to reflect this.

Bushfire data is recorded and managed by different organisations – including state emergency and land management services – each with their own systems, processes, standards and technical terms. With siloed databases, agencies and communities struggle to coordinate during bushfires.

During the 2019–20 Black Summer bushfires, residents on the border of two jurisdictions witnessed a devastating bushfire sweep through their communities. However, conflicting state guidelines around labelling fires meant locals couldn’t tell whether incoming warnings were about a new blaze or the one they were already watching.

The Australian government has since acknowledged just how dangerous data fragmentation can be. The 2020 Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements and the 2020 New South Wales Independent Bushfire Inquiry both spotlighted the lack of centralised, accessible bushfire data as a major challenge. These findings have prompted initiatives such as the CSIRO’s National Bushfire Intelligence Capability.

What we studied

Our latest research makes a case for a national database, built on trustworthy, standards-based AI technologies like knowledge graphs.

To understand how such a database might work, we looked abroad. We systematically reviewed national bushfire databases, including Europe’s Forest Fire Information System. Under this system, European Union countries and neighbouring nations each collect specific types of information – including data on fire danger, burnt areas and weather forecasts – using a set of shared definitions. This allows authorities to compare fire activity and risk across national borders.

In the United States, the National Emergency Response Information System brings together data from multiple existing systems on a shared digital platform. State-based agencies – including the National Interagency Fire Center and National Weather Service – still own their information but share additional data with the national system.

These examples show national coordination doesn’t require bushfire databases to be completely centralised. Instead, it relies on interoperability – the capacity for different systems to communicate and exchange information effectively.

Technical infrastructure is key to making an Australian bushfire database work. This includes metadata that sets out rules that govern the database and a controlled vocabulary that contains a standardised list of terms and definitions. Both ensure data is collected and interpreted in a consistent way.

Read more: Yes, the Australian bush is recovering from bushfires – but it may never be the same

Barriers remain

Our research suggests data ownership, privacy, governance, funding and ongoing maintenance are among the main obstacles to establishing an Australian bushfire database.

We spoke to a range of experts from the emergency sector. They advocated for a national bushfire database, saying it would improve risk management, strengthen coordination and help agencies get resources to where they are most needed.

However, many raised data discoverability as a key concern. Vast amounts of valuable bushfire data already exist, but emergency responders may not know where to find it or who maintains it. They also expressed concerns about who would oversee the system and how responsibilities would be distributed.

Other agencies worry strict national standards could limit what practical actions they can take in local contexts. Any national system must be built on trust and collaboration between different agencies and jurisdictions. Relying on shared technology is simply not enough.

From national to local

Beyond coordination, a national database could help Australia more fairly distribute bushfire management resources and facilitate the sharing of expertise, equipment and systems. Some agencies or jurisdictions may struggle to fund or develop these systems by themselves.

Local knowledge is crucial to making any national database work. Local communities can often identify at-risk landscapes and vulnerable groups that are not reflected in formal databases. First Nations peoples have used fire to care for Country over millenia. A national database informed by local and Indigenous knowledge systems would offer invaluable insights about fire behaviour, local ecosystems and cultural burning practices.

As the next bushfire season nears, the need for a national bushfire database grows ever more urgent. Collaboration and long-term federal funding are key to making it a reality.

Read more: Australia can expect far more fire catastrophes. A proper disaster plan is worth paying for