The GOLIAT project brings together academics from the University of Corsica and Aix-Marseille University with Corsican fire-fighting operators and land-use planning professionals and the company Arobase, to develop prototype tools, studies, guides and awareness-raising activities to provide a response to vegetation fire issues.
Forest fires are a major risk for many countries in the world with 340 million hectares of forest destroyed each year. France, and more particularly the region of Corsica, is also strongly affected by this phenomenon. Large fires are recorded every year on the island and in recent years an average of 1144 ha is burnt annually.
Currently, fire fighters and land-use planners work using expertise based on empirical knowledge of past fires in the same areas and their personal experience. They do not have decision support tools that could provide additional analysis to their knowledge.
For more than 20 years, scientists from the University of Corsica and Aix Marseille University have been working on a better understanding of the inherent mechanisms of vegetation fires to improve their understanding, modelling and prediction. At the University of Corsica, over the last few years, actions have been carried out together by both scientists and the various operational services involved in fire fighting and land use planning, and the transfer of research technology has been initiated.
The GOLIAT project strengthens the synergy between academics and operational teams to produce studies and decision-making tools that can be used for fire fighting and land use planning. On the other hand, prevention and awareness-raising regarding the fire risk are crucial to reduce the impact of vegetation fires. The GOLIAT project therefore includes a large number of awareness-raising and prevention actions aimed at schools, students, public and decision-makers.
A project divided into three main objectives
- -Deepen the phenomenological and historical knowledge of vegetation fires in Corsica. Research will be carried out in order to increase knowledge of the behaviour of vegetation fires, the fires that have occurred in Corsica, and the methods used to control fire in traditional Corsican society.
- Develop decision-making tools prototypes that meet the needs of fire-fighting and land-use planning operators. Four prototype tools will be built:
- A database associated with an information display tool dedicated to fires that have taken place in Corsica ;
- A behaviour and impact simulator for vegetation fires ;
- A geolocation tool for hot spots using UAV images ;
- A guide to controlled burning in the undergrowth.
- Carry out a large number of awareness-raising and prevention actions on the vegetation fire problem in Corsica, aimed at schools, public and local authorities.